NPS vs CSAT: Which Customer Satisfaction Metric to Use?

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NPS and CSAT are some of the most popular ways to collect feedback from your customers. While CSAT measures customer satisfaction, NPS surveys measure customer loyalty. Both are extremely effective methods for collecting customer feedback, but which one should you use?

Today, we'll show you which survey type to use and when for the best results. 👇

What is NPS and how is it calculated?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a simple but powerful metric that shows how loyal your customers really are. Instead of focusing on short-term satisfaction, it tells you how likely someone is to recommend your product to others, which is a key indicator of long-term growth.

To calculate NPS, you ask one question: “How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?”

Respondents answer on a scale from 0 to 10:

• 9–10 = Promoters (loyal fans who refer others)
• 7–8 = Passives (satisfied but not enthusiastic)
• 0–6 = Detractors (unhappy users who could hurt your reputation)

The formula is: NPS = % of Promoters – % of Detractors

So if 60% of your customers are promoters and 20% are detractors, your NPS is 40.

An NPS above 0 is generally good. Above 30 is great. Above 50 is excellent.

SaaS companies use NPS to monitor user sentiment over time, spot churn risks early, and identify power users who might become brand advocates. It’s often sent after onboarding, at regular check-ins, or before renewal periods.

NPS is not about collecting praise. It’s about identifying loyalty trends and learning why users stick around, or why they don’t. Combined with conditional follow-up questions like “Why did you give that score?”, it becomes one of the most actionable feedback tools:

If you want a more comprehensive overview of how a specific customer feels, you can try using NPS alternatives instead.

What is CSAT and how is it calculated?

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) measures how happy your customers are with a specific interaction, feature, or experience. It’s fast, focused, and easy to act on, which makes it ideal for pinpointing issues in your product or service.

The question is simple: “How satisfied were you with [X]?”

Customers respond on a scale, usually 1-5 or 1-7.

To calculate CSAT, take the number of positive responses (usually 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale), divide it by the total number of responses, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

CSAT = (Positive responses / Total responses) × 100

So if 80 out of 100 users give you a 4 or 5, your CSAT is 80%.

Unlike NPS, which tracks overall loyalty, CSAT gives you immediate feedback on specific moments, like how smooth your checkout was or how helpful a support agent was. You can send it after a ticket closes, a feature is used, or a purchase is made.

CSAT is one of the most actionable metrics for teams of all shapes and sizes. If satisfaction drops after a new release or support session, you’ll know exactly where to dig in. It’s quick to set up, easy to track over time, and ideal for finding minor problems before they become big.

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CSAT vs NPS: key differences

While both are ways to measure customer happiness, there are distinct differences between CSAT and NPS that you should know before opting for one or the other.

The purpose

• NPS: Measures loyalty and likelihood of a customer recommending your brand to others.
• CSAT: Measures satisfaction with a specific experience, product, or interaction.

The format of the question

• NPS: "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?" (0–10 scale)
• CSAT: "How satisfied were you with [product/service/interaction]?" (usually 1–5 or 1–7 scale)

The way results are interpreted

• NPS: Score is calculated by subtracting % of detractors (0–6) from % of promoters (9–10).
• CSAT: Average score or percentage of customers who respond with positive ratings.

The use case

• NPS: Best for understanding long-term sentiment and customer loyalty.
• CSAT: Best for capturing feedback about specific touchpoints (support ticket, delivery, etc.).

The timing during the customer journey

• NPS: Typically sent periodically (e.g., quarterly or after a customer milestone).
• CSAT: Usually sent right after a transaction or interaction.

How actionable the data is

• NPS: Offers strategic insight, but is less specific for direct fixes.
• CSAT: More actionable for immediate improvements in service or processes.

Benchmarking across industries

• NPS: Easier to benchmark across industries.
• CSAT: Varies more based on the context of the interaction, so harder to compare externally.

When you should use NPS: practical examples

Here are some practical use cases for using the Net Promoter Score in your business.

1. After onboarding is completed

Send an NPS survey a few days or weeks after a new user has completed onboarding. This helps you measure their confidence and satisfaction with your product in the early stages. In the long run, this can not only improve the customer experience, but also prevent churn and increase customer lifetime value.

Why it works: A high score here signals a good first impression and strong potential for retention.

2. Quarterly or biannual check-ins for active customers

Use NPS as part of a regular feedback cadence to gauge customer loyalty over time. The frequency is not set in stone, and depending on your customer lifecycle, you can make it more or less frequent. With great customer feedback tools, you can automate the process so that customers get NPS surveys at predefined intervals.

Why it works: You can track changes in sentiment and spot early signs of churn or advocacy.

3. Before a contract renewal

Send an NPS survey 1–2 months before a renewal date, especially for B2B clients. Capturing customer feedback at this point may help you get a new renewal, besides improving the overall customer experience for everyone else.

Why it works: Low scores give you time to re-engage or fix issues before the customer leaves.

4. After a major product update or feature launch

Measure NPS to see how your core users feel about changes or additions to your product. For example, it's a quick way of gathering customer feedback after a new feature release or bug fix.

Why it works: Helps validate your roadmap and prioritize future improvements based on loyalty shifts.

5. After reaching a milestone (e.g. 90 days of usage, X sessions)

Trigger an NPS survey based on meaningful product engagement milestones. This can help customer success teams determine which part of the customer base is struggling and need more help with activation.

Why it works: Ties feedback to real usage, making it more reliable and relevant.

6. To identify brand advocates for testimonials or referrals

High NPS scorers (9–10) are great candidates for case studies, testimonials, or referral programs. Since their brand loyalty is high, you can use them as brand champions help you further strengthen what your company does well, and stand out among the competition.

Why it works: You're using customer loyalty as a filter for outreach.

7. To segment users for retention or upsell campaigns

Use NPS scores to divide customers into promoters, passives, and detractors, then tailor campaigns accordingly. For example, those with a good NPS score get a different set of emails across customer touchpoints, while those with a lower score get more nurturing and attention.

Why it works: You avoid sending the same message to someone at risk of churning and someone likely to refer you.

NPS is best used when you're trying to understand brand sentiment, long-term loyalty, and likelihood to refer, rather than satisfaction with individual transactions.

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When you should use CSAT: practical examples

Customer satisfaction score surveys have a slightly different use case. These practical examples can help you fix your existing workflows or give you new ideas on getting the most out of your feedback software.

1. After a customer support interaction

Send a CSAT survey right after a support ticket is closed or a live chat ends. No matter how well the interaction went, you can quickly gauge customer sentiment with a CSAT score.

Why it works: Measures satisfaction with the help provided and identifies gaps in support quality.

2. After a product purchase or delivery

Ask customers how satisfied they were with the buying experience or the condition and timing of their delivery. You can gauge customer satisfaction automatically by sending surveys after critical moments in the customer journey.

Why it works: Helps spot issues with fulfillment, packaging, or eCommerce UX.

3. Following onboarding sessions or demos

For businesses offering one-on-one onboarding or training, send a CSAT survey immediately afterward. While the memory is still fresh, satisfied customers can leave the best feedback you can later reuse for testimonials, case studies or other marketing and sales collateral.

You can also ask surveys to ask customers to book a demo or leave a review as a CTA after a good score.

Why it works: Captures immediate feedback while the experience is still fresh.

4. After using a key feature or completing a task

Trigger CSAT surveys when a user completes an important in-app action (e.g. generating a report, scheduling group appointments).

Why it works: Lets you understand satisfaction with specific parts of your product.

5. At the end of a service appointment

If you're in a service business (e.g. consulting, maintenance, tutoring), send a CSAT survey right after the session. By checking in on how satisfied customers are, you can increase customer retention and get valuable insights you can use for other clients.

Why it works: Gives you performance insight on each service provider or location.

6. After a checkout or payment experience

Ask how smooth or easy the payment process was. This lets you spot inefficiencies or glitches that could cost you an immense amount of money down the line. Another survey type you can use for this is CES (Customer Effort Score).

Why it works: Poor satisfaction at this step often signals friction or mistrust that could impact future purchases.

7. After event attendance (e.g. webinar, workshop)

Send a short CSAT survey to attendees right after an event to measure how valuable or enjoyable they found it. High customer satisfaction can be an excellent way to get buy-in and more budget for future events.

Why it works: Helps improve future events and understand what resonated.

CSAT is best used when you want to evaluate immediate satisfaction with a specific moment, interaction, or feature, rather than overall loyalty or long-term perception.

The verdict? Use both for different purposes

Measuring customer experience is not about making choices. It's about covering all of your bases, which requires multiple metrics. To do this, you need to choose a customer feedback tool with both survey templates for easy use.

Featurebase is a modern support & feedback tool that helps you collect all feedback in one place with surveys, integrations, and a public forum. It’s loved by thousands of product, marketing, and support teams from companies like Lovable, Polymarket, and Elementor. 💫

It comes with affordable pricing and a Free plan allowing unlimited feedback posts. The onboarding is incredibly quick and doesn't require a credit card, so there's no downside to trying it. 👇

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