

Every SaaS story has the same scene: it’s the first week of the month, a founder or agency owner is hunched over Google Sheets and Excel, hunting for updated customer counts, copying Stripe exports, and trying to remember which column is churn and which is expansion.An MRR calculator cuts through that chaos. By standardizing the formula (MRR = average revenue per account × active customers) and centralizing inputs, you get a single source of truth for growth, churn, and forecasts. It turns scattered invoices and CRM notes into a simple, comparable metric you can use in board meetings, sales standups, and marketing planning. Like the machining MRR examples, you define a clear formula and feed in the right dimensions: plan price, customer count, new, churned, expanded.But the real leverage comes when an AI computer agent takes over the drudgery. Instead of you logging into billing tools, downloading CSVs, and massaging columns, the agent can open Google Sheets or Excel, pull the latest numbers from your browser or desktop apps, apply the MRR formulas, and refresh charts on a schedule. You stay focused on why the numbers are moving; the agent handles how they get calculated.
If you run a subscription business, your Monthly Recurring Revenue is the heartbeat of your company. Let’s walk through practical ways to build an MRR calculator—from fully manual to fully automated with an AI agent—so you can stop scrambling at month-end.## 1. Manual MRR workflows in Google Sheets and Excel### Method 1: Simple single-plan MRR in Google Sheets1. Open a new Sheet.2. In row 1, add headers: `Month`, `Active Customers`, `ARPA`, `MRR`.3. In `ARPA` (Average Revenue Per Account), enter your subscription price (e.g., $49).4. In `Active Customers`, enter the customer count for each month.5. In the first `MRR` cell, use the formula: - `=B2*C2` (assuming B is customers, C is ARPA).6. Drag the formula down for future months.7. Insert a line chart for MRR to see growth over time.Docs: Google Sheets formulas guide — https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093480### Method 2: Multi-plan MRR with SUMPRODUCT in Google Sheets1. Create headers: `Plan`, `Price`, `Customers`.2. List each plan on its own row.3. In a `Total MRR` cell, use: - `=SUMPRODUCT(B2:B5, C2:C5)` (B = prices, C = customers).4. To track churn, add a second table with `Churned Customers` by plan and compute `Churned MRR` using another SUMPRODUCT.5. Build a summary section showing `New MRR`, `Churned MRR`, `Net New MRR`, `Total MRR`.### Method 3: Excel table-based MRR model1. In Excel, paste your subscription data (customer, plan, price, start date, cancel date) into a sheet.2. Select the range and insert a **Table** (`Insert > Table`).3. Add a `Status` column with a formula to check if the customer was active in a given month (e.g., using `IF` with start/cancel dates).4. Use a PivotTable to sum `Price` for active customers by month. This gives you MRR by month directly from transactional data.5. Format the MRR column with currency and plot a chart.Docs: Excel formulas overview — https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-formula-in-excel-ecfdc708-9162-49e8-b993-c311f47ca173### Pros of manual methods- Full control and visibility over every assumption.- Great for early-stage SaaS or agencies with a handful of clients.- Easy to tweak formulas during experimentation.### Cons of manual methods- Error-prone: one bad reference can break your MRR.- Time-consuming every month to update by hand.- Doesn’t scale when you have multiple tools, currencies, or segments.## 2. No-code MRR automation with Sheets and Excel### Method 4: Forms or CRM into Google Sheets1. Use a form tool (or your CRM export) to capture new subscriptions and cancellations.2. Connect it to Google Sheets with a no-code tool (e.g., via a form’s "Send responses to Sheets" feature or an automation platform).3. Map fields like `Customer ID`, `Plan`, `MRR`, `Status`, `Created At`, `Cancelled At` to columns.4. On a separate tab, use formulas (`SUMIFS`, `FILTER`) to compute: - `New MRR` (customers created this month). - `Churned MRR` (customers cancelled this month). - `Expansion MRR` (upgrades).5. Reference these in a summary dashboard that updates whenever new rows arrive.Docs: Connect forms to Sheets — https://support.google.com/docs/answer/2917686### Method 5: Excel + data connectors1. In Excel, enable **Get & Transform Data** (`Data > Get Data`).2. Connect to CSV exports from your billing system stored in OneDrive/SharePoint.3. Define steps in Power Query to clean columns (rename, filter, change types).4. Load the result into a table that powers your MRR PivotTable.5. Click **Refresh All** each month (or schedule refresh if using Excel with Power BI / online).Docs: Excel data import basics — https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/import-and-analyze-data-66bf7ee6-2eaf-4d10-9d52-5b53b83bb8a6### Pros of no-code automation- Reduces manual copying and pasting.- Keeps your MRR model in familiar tools (Sheets/Excel).- Fast to set up for non-technical founders and marketers.### Cons of no-code automation- Still fragile if schemas change (new columns, renamed fields).- Harder to orchestrate multi-step workflows across many apps.- Someone must maintain the automations as tools evolve.## 3. Scaling MRR calculations with an AI agentNow imagine an AI agent that uses your computer like a smart assistant—opening the browser, logging into billing tools, exporting reports, and updating Sheets or Excel for you.### Method 6: AI agent-driven monthly MRR close**Story:** Each month, instead of your ops lead doing the “MRR dance,” your Simular AI agent does it.Step-by-step:1. You define a playbook: which billing dashboard to open, what date range to select, which CSV to export.2. The agent opens the browser, navigates to Stripe (or your gateway), downloads the report, and saves it.3. It opens Google Sheets, finds your MRR workbook, and imports the latest CSV into a raw data tab.4. It triggers your existing formulas and pivot tables to recompute MRR, churn, and expansion.5. Finally, it exports a PDF snapshot or posts a link into your team’s Slack/Email.**Pros:**- Zero manual clicks after initial setup.- Works across desktop, browser, and cloud apps.- Transparent execution—you can inspect every step.**Cons:**- Requires a clear, well-documented workflow the agent can follow.- First-time setup takes more thought than a quick spreadsheet hack.### Method 7: Daily MRR monitoring across Sheets and Excel1. Configure the Simular AI agent to run daily.2. The agent checks multiple tools (billing system, CRM, subscription management) and reconciles active customers.3. For marketing and sales, it updates a Google Sheets dashboard by segment (SMB, mid-market, enterprise).4. For finance, it updates an Excel workbook with more detailed breakdowns and scenario tabs.5. The agent highlights anomalies—like a sudden spike in churn—or comments directly inside Sheets/Excel with findings.**Pros:**- Near real-time revenue visibility without adding headcount.- Tailored views for different teams, all powered by one automated workflow.**Cons:**- Needs good access management since the agent touches financial and customer data.- You must review alerts and decide which to act on—this is still your judgment call.### Method 8: Scenario planning with AI support1. Keep your core MRR logic in Excel or Google Sheets.2. Ask the AI agent to duplicate the model, adjust inputs (pricing, churn rates, upgrades), and generate multiple scenarios.3. It exports charts and a short narrative: “If we increase ARPA 10% and reduce churn 1 point, ARR grows by X%.”**Pros:**- Turns complex what-if analysis into a repeatable workflow.- Great for board prep or campaign ROI planning.**Cons:**- Still depends on the quality of your underlying MRR model.When you combine solid spreadsheet models with an AI agent that can click, type, and calculate on your behalf, MRR moves from a painful monthly ritual to a continuous, reliable signal for every decision you make.
Start by deciding what questions your MRR model must answer: overall MRR, new MRR, churned MRR, expansion MRR, and net new MRR. Then design your spreadsheet around those outputs.1) Create a **Raw Data** tab with one row per subscription or customer. Include at least: Customer ID, Plan name, Price (MRR), Start date, Cancel date, Status, and Segment.2) In Google Sheets or Excel, convert this range to a **Table** (Excel) or treat it as a dynamic range (Sheets). This makes formulas and filters easier.3) Add calculated columns:- `Is Active This Month`: uses a formula comparing Start/Cancel dates to the month you’re analyzing.- `Effective MRR`: equals Price when active, 0 when not.4) Build a **Summary** tab that references the raw data using `SUMIFS` / `FILTER` / PivotTables to compute:- Total MRR (sum of Effective MRR for active rows)- New MRR (start date in month)- Churned MRR (cancel date in month)- Expansion MRR (optionally tracked by upgrades).Keep all hard data in Raw Data and all logic in Summary. This separation makes it easier for you—or an AI agent—to maintain and extend the model.
When you have several plans, avoid hard-coding each price into every row. Instead, normalize your data and use lookup formulas.1) Create a **Plans** tab with columns: Plan Code, Plan Name, Monthly Price, Billing Cycle (monthly/annual), and any metadata you care about.2) In your **Subscriptions** tab, store only a `Plan Code` and use `VLOOKUP`/`XLOOKUP` (Excel) or `VLOOKUP`/`INDEX-MATCH` (Sheets) to pull the Monthly Price from the Plans table.3) If you have annual plans, convert them to MRR by dividing the annual price by 12 in a calculated column (e.g., `=AnnualPrice/12`).4) Your MRR for each subscription row becomes simply that Monthly Price (or converted annual price). You can now:- Sum MRR by plan: use a PivotTable or `SUMIFS` on Plan Code.- Sum MRR by segment: add a Segment column (SMB, Mid, Enterprise) and use another Pivot or `SUMIFS`.5) To avoid errors when prices change, update the Plans table only; all dependent MRR calculations will flow through automatically.This structure is also easier for an AI agent to understand and manipulate, since pricing rules live in a single, well-labeled place.
Churn and expansion are where MRR becomes a strategic tool. To track both precisely:1) In your Subscriptions or Accounts tab, add columns: `Previous MRR`, `Current MRR`, `MRR Change`, and `Change Type`.2) Whenever a customer’s plan or seat count changes, update `Current MRR`. Use a formula like `=CurrentMRR-PreviousMRR` for `MRR Change`.3) Define `Change Type` using nested `IF` logic:- If `Status` changed from Active to Cancelled, label as `Churn`.- If `MRR Change` > 0 and still Active, label as `Expansion`.- If `MRR Change` < 0 and still Active, label as `Contraction`.4) On a **MRR Movements** tab, use `SUMIFS` to aggregate:- New MRR (customers with no Previous MRR and now Active)- Churned MRR (Change Type = Churn)- Expansion MRR (Change Type = Expansion)- Contraction MRR (Change Type = Contraction)5) Net New MRR for a period is: `New + Expansion − Churn − Contraction`.This layout makes your revenue story explicit and lets a human or AI agent quickly build dashboards, reports, and alerts around the most important movements.
You can reduce the “export CSV, copy, paste” grind without writing code.1) Check if your billing tool has a native Google Sheets or Excel connector. Many providers let you sync subscriptions or invoices directly to a sheet or workbook on a schedule.2) If not, use a no-code integration platform. Create a flow like: “On new or updated subscription → append a row to my MRR Raw Data tab.” Map fields carefully so you preserve Customer ID, Plan Code, and timestamps.3) In Google Sheets, set your formulas to reference the entire column ranges (e.g., `A2:A` instead of `A2:A500`) so new rows are automatically included.4) In Excel, base your calculations on Tables so new rows expand the table and are included in PivotTables and formulas automatically.5) Once the plumbing is in place, consider layering an AI computer agent on top to:- Reconcile totals between your billing dashboard and Sheets/Excel.- Flag mismatches where counts or revenue don’t align.This combination lets you keep your MRR logic where you’re comfortable while offloading the repetitive data sync work.
Treat your MRR workbook like production code and your AI agent like a junior analyst who can click very fast.1) Start with a **sandbox copy** of your Google Sheets or Excel file. Give the AI agent access to this version first.2) Clearly document the workflow: where raw data comes from, which tabs hold formulas, and which cells are safe to edit. Use color-coding or notes inside the sheet.3) Configure the AI agent to follow deterministic steps: open specific URLs or files, paste data into designated tabs, and avoid changing formula columns.4) After a few successful dry runs, add validation checks: the agent can compare total MRR against your billing dashboard and only proceed if the difference is within a small tolerance.5) Finally, integrate the agent into your real process with least-privilege access. In Sheets, use protected ranges so formulas can’t be overwritten; in Excel, lock key cells or sheets.By combining spreadsheet best practices with transparent, inspectable agent runs, you keep control of your financial truth while delegating the tedious mechanics of keeping it up to date.