Building a subscription metrics dashboard that people read
10 Sept 2026 · 2 min read · By the Knock team
Key takeaways
- Start with a handful of metrics tied to decisions.
- Show trends and movements, not just totals.
- Include receivables and failed payments alongside growth.
A dashboard earns its place by changing what people do. If nobody can say what action a number would trigger, remove it.
The core set
- MRR and its movements: new, expansion, contraction, churn.
- Active subscriptions and customers.
- Customer and revenue churn.
- ARPU by plan.
- Net revenue retention.
- Outstanding and overdue receivables.
- Failed payment count and recovery.
Design principles
Trends over snapshots
A single number says little. A twelve-month line shows direction and seasonality.
Segment sensibly
Break results down by plan, by acquisition channel or by customer size, so one group's problem does not hide inside the average.
Consistent definitions
Write down how each metric is calculated and keep it stable. Changing definitions silently destroys trust.
Cadence
- Weekly: new subscriptions, failed payments, overdue invoices.
- Monthly: MRR movements, churn, retention.
- Quarterly: unit economics and pricing review.
Knock includes reports for revenue, subscriptions and receivables out of the box, and Pip can answer questions about them in plain language.
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