The equivalence point of a titration is the moment when the amount (moles) of titrant added is exactly stoichiometrically equal to the amount of analyte in the solution, so the reaction between them is just complete and no reactant is in excess.

At the equivalence point in an acid–base titration, the moles of acid equal the moles of base, and the solution contains only the salt (and usually water) formed by the reaction. On a titration curve (a graph of pH vs. volume of titrant added), this point corresponds to the steepest part of the curve where the pH changes very rapidly with a very small addition of titrant. It is a theoretical, stoichiometric point defined by the balanced chemical equation, not by the color of an indicator, which instead signals the endpoint and may differ slightly from the true equivalence point.

In a strong acid–strong base titration, the pH at the equivalence point is typically around 7, while for weak acid–strong base or strong acid–weak base titrations, the pH at equivalence can be greater or less than 7, respectively, depending on the strengths of the acid and base involved.