Take rate

What is take rate?

Take rate is the percentage of transaction value that a platform or marketplace keeps as revenue from the total amount it processes, also known as Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV). It’s a key metric for businesses that act as intermediaries, such as subscription platforms, payment processors, or online marketplaces.

This metric helps evaluate how efficiently a platform monetizes the transactions flowing through it. A higher take rate often indicates strong pricing power or added value, while a lower rate may reflect competition or a focus on scale.

Why is take rate important?

Take rate directly impacts profitability. A higher take rate means the platform captures more value per transaction. However, it must be balanced, setting the rate too high may deter users or vendors, while too low may affect long-term sustainability.

How is take rate calculated?

The formula is:

Take Rate = (Platform Revenue / Gross Merchandise Volume) × 100

This is different from metrics like visitor-to-lead conversion rate, which measures site engagement rather than financial performance.

Example of take rate

An ecommerce marketplace generates $5 million in revenue from $50 million GMV in a month.

Take Rate = ($5M ÷ $50M) × 100 = 10%

Driftcharge Tip

If you run a subscription-based or marketplace model, optimize your take rate based on competitive benchmarking and customer satisfaction. Test different pricing tiers and value-add services to justify increases without hurting conversions./p>

Ganesh Pawar

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Ganesh Pawar is the founder of Driftcharge, a subscription management app designed to help Shopify merchants streamline and scale their subscription businesses. With a deep focus on solving real-world pain points—like legacy account page support, flexible subscription options, and advanced analytics—Ganesh is passionate about building tools that drive growth and retention.