Vice President of Customer Success SaaS Salary (2026)

Vice President of Customer Success Salary Overview

$71,135

Bottom 25% Average

Early-stage startups

$151,264

Middle 50% Average

Growth companies

$190,288

Top 25% Average

Late-stage/public companies

VPs of Customer Success at SaaS companies lead the entire CS organization, owning net revenue retention and customer outcomes across the book of business. They manage Directors of Customer Success, Heads of Customer Success, Customer Success Managers, and Implementation Specialists, and report to the CRO or CEO.

VP of Customer Success compensation is driven by NRR ownership and the growing strategic importance of post-sale revenue. This role works closely with the VP of Sales on expansion and renewal alignment. View all SaaS salary benchmarks.

Detailed Vice President of Customer Success Compensation Breakdown

Percentile Band	Average Base Salary	# of salaries
Top 25%	$190,288	26 salaries
Middle 50%	$151,264	38 salaries
Bottom 25%	$71,135	12 salaries

What Drives Higher VP of Customer Success Pay?

NRR/GRR ownership — direct accountability for retention metrics
Customer base ARR — managing $100M+ in renewals commands premium
Enterprise vs. SMB focus — enterprise CS leaders earn 20–30% more
Expansion revenue responsibility (upsell/cross-sell ownership)

VP of Customer Success Compensation Structure

Base salary is 65–80% of total cash compensation
Variable pay tied to retention metrics (NRR, GRR, churn rate)
Equity grants of 0.1–0.5% at growth-stage companies
Expansion and upsell bonuses increasingly common (10–20% of variable)

Frequently Asked Questions

The median SaaS VP of Customer Success base salary is $165,000, with a typical range of $135,000–$180,250. The average base is $151,963 across 76 verified salaries. Total compensation including variable pay and equity typically exceeds base by 25–45%, with higher upside at companies that tie variable comp to expansion revenue.

CROs typically earn 30–50% more in total compensation than VPs of Customer Success. The CRO role encompasses the full revenue lifecycle — new business, renewals, and expansion — while VPs of CS focus on post-sale outcomes. However, VPs of CS who own expansion revenue narrow that gap significantly.

The most common path runs through Customer Success Manager, then Director of Customer Success or Head of Customer Success, to VP. Some VPs come from account management or sales backgrounds. The next step is typically CRO, COO, or Chief Customer Officer at larger organizations.

Yes, meaningfully. Our data shows a $135,000–$180,250 typical range across 76 salaries. Late-stage companies with large customer bases and established NRR targets pay the highest base salaries, while early-stage startups offer more equity (0.3–0.5%) and expect the VP to build the CS function from scratch.

VPs of Customer Success who own both retention and expansion revenue typically earn 15–25% more in total compensation than those focused solely on retention. As SaaS companies increasingly view CS as a revenue function rather than a cost center, VPs with proven expansion track records — driving upsells, cross-sells, and usage-based growth — command premium compensation packages.

Related Salary Benchmarks

Customer Success Manager$65K - $90K Senior Customer Success Manager$67K - $100K Customer Success Associate$45K - $65K Customer Success Specialist$40K - $58K Customer Support Specialist$52K - $65K Customer Support Associate

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