What Management Said
Read the full Q4 2026 transcript ↗Please refer to the investor relations section of our website at investors.braze.com for more information and a supplemental presentation related to today's earnings announcement. GAAP included in our earnings release under the investor relations section of our website. In Q4, we generated $205 million of revenue, up 28% year-over-year and 8% from the prior quarter. Organic revenue growth accelerated year-over-year for the third straight quarter, while we continued to drive operating efficiency in our business.
Early in fiscal 2027, we passed $800 million in annual recurring revenue, demonstrating continued strong demand for the high ROI delivered by our platform. For the full fiscal year of 2026, we delivered 24% year-over-year revenue growth and $28 million of non-GAAP operating income, with operating margins expanding nearly 400 basis points over the prior year. Our financial strength has also enabled Braze to initiate its first share repurchase program, a milestone that reflects our high conviction in our long-term growth opportunity. Additionally, $1 million-plus customers rose 28% year-over-year, up from 18% year-over-year growth in Q4 of last year.
Our go-to-market motion under the leadership of Chief Revenue Officer Ed McDonnell, who joined in like Q2, is operating at a high level, delivering a meaningful improvement in sales productivity. Pipeline generation was also strong in the fourth quarter, indicating robust market demand for our AI-driven solutions, particularly in the enterprise. This execution capability provides brands with confidence to deploy business-critical programs for entire global audiences, confidence that no point solution can match. We reported an outstanding fourth quarter with revenue increasing 28% year-over-year to $205.2 million, driven by a combination of existing customer contract expansions, renewals, and new business.
- Braze generated $205 million of revenue in fiscal Q4 2026, up 28% year-over-year and 8% sequentially, with organic revenue growth accelerating year-over-year for the third straight quarter to 24.3%.
- Trailing 12-month dollar-based net retention inflected positively during the quarter to reach 109%, up from 108% in Q3, signaling the company is through the trough of downsell pressure.
- Q4 bookings rose over 50% year-over-year, establishing a new high-water mark for average sales price, with 29 deals over $500,000 including seven $1 million-plus deals and an expansion bringing eight-figure customers to four.
- The company surpassed $1 billion in remaining performance obligations and passed $800 million in annual recurring revenue early in fiscal 2027.
- For full fiscal year 2026, Braze delivered 24% revenue growth, $28 million of non-GAAP operating income with margins expanding nearly 400 basis points, $42 million of non-GAAP net income (up from $18 million), and $58 million of free cash flow.
- The board authorized a $100 million share repurchase program, including a planned $50 million accelerated share repurchase, reflecting confidence in the long-term growth opportunity.
- Non-GAAP gross margin declined to 67.2% from 69.9% a year earlier, driven primarily by higher premium messaging volumes and hosting costs.
- Non-GAAP net income fell to $11 million ($0.10 per share) from $12 million ($0.12 per share) a year earlier, negatively impacted by a $5 million purchase accounting adjustment related to the OfferFit deferred tax liability.
- Free cash flow was $14 million, slightly below $15 million in the prior year quarter.
- Switching costs and limited excess budget continued to weigh on enterprise migration timelines despite improving demand signals.
Guidance Changes
| Metric | Period | Current guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Operating income margin | FY2027 | ~8% (~400 bps expansion) (New) |
| Full year revenue | FY2027 | Initial guide slightly stronger than past years (specific figures not stated) (New) |
| Share count / EPS | FY2027 | Includes only the estimated impact of the $50M ASR (New) |
Performance Breakdown
| Metric | YoY | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | +28% to $205.2M | Existing customer expansions, renewals, and new business; Decisioning Studio contributed $5.7M, implying 24.3% organic growth |
| Non-GAAP gross margin | 67.2% vs 69.9% | Higher premium messaging volumes and hosting costs, partially offset by improved personnel cost efficiencies |
| Non-GAAP operating income | $15M (7% margin) vs $8M (5%) | Sales and marketing efficiency (34% of revenue vs 37%) and disciplined investment as go-to-market scaled |
| Non-GAAP net income | $11M ($0.10/sh) vs $12M ($0.12/sh) | Negatively impacted by a $5M OfferFit deferred-tax purchase accounting adjustment; excluding it, $16M and $0.15/sh |
| Total customer count | +313 to 2,609 (+14%) | Continued legacy replacement wins and reduced churn; some Q4 logos appear in Q1 FY2027 count |
| $500K+ ARR customers | +35% to 333 | Strong large-deal velocity and upsell momentum |
| $1M+ customers | +28% | Up from 18% YoY growth in Q4 of the prior year, reflecting enterprise strength |
| Total RPO | +30% to just over $1B | Strong Q4 bookings, healthy renewals, a large pool of available renewal dollars, and a small increase in contract duration |
| Current RPO | +27% to $642M | Strong bookings, renewals, and modest duration increase |
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
| Topic | Previous mention | Current period | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailing dollar-based net retention | Stabilizing in-quarter around 107% | Inflected positively to 109% on a trailing 12-month basis | Improving |
| Bookings / enterprise demand | Improving sales productivity | Bookings up over 50% YoY with record average sales price and enterprise strength | Improving |
| BrazeAI product suite | Decisioning Studio and roadmap unveiled at Forge | Agent Console and Operator reached general availability ahead of schedule with immediate credit consumption | Improving |
| Gross margin | Pressured by premium messaging | Continued premium messaging and hosting pressure, with new AI products expected to mix in at better margins over time | Stable |
| Capital allocation | No buyback in place | First $100M share repurchase authorization initiated | New |
Q&A Summary
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