2025 SaaS Benchmarks Report by High Alpha
Contents
Introduction
Executive Summary
AI-Driven Market Rebound
Growth & Efficiency
SaaS Metrics & Trends
People
Founder Insights
Closing
Direct Sales Is Most Prevalent Go-To-Market Channel
PRIMARY GO-TO-MARKET CHANNELS Self-Service Models Show the Lowest Growth and Retention, While Direct and Partner Motions Perform More Consistently
! INSIGHTS
Go-To-Market Channels
Median Year-Over-Year Growth Rate
Median Gross Revenue Retention
Direct sales remains the most common and durable go-to-market strategy, used by nearly 40% of SaaS companies in this year’s survey. While self-service models can drive early adoption, they consistently trail in both growth and gross revenue retention, reflecting higher churn and limited expansion potential. Founder Takeaway Companies relying on direct or partner-led sales achieve steadier performance than self-service as they scale, suggesting that even in an AI world, human-assisted sales motions remain critical for long-term growth and retention.
Traditional Direct Sales
Sales person reaches out directly to customer
39%
35%
90%
Sales-Assist
Sales engages after customer has interacted with product
21%
34%
88%
Channel Partnerships
Selling through channel partners
20%
35%
90%
Self-Service
Customer completes full journey alone
12%
32%
87%
Marketplaces
Customer purchases through marketplace
4%
40%
88%
Other
None of the above
4%
34%
87%
Source: 2025 SaaS Benchmarks Report by High Alpha
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