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Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator

Blended CAC from channel spend, the LTV:CAC ratio and the CAC payback period in months.

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All SaaS metrics tools →
Customer lifetime value (CLV) calculatorWhat a customer is worth over the whole relationship: margin per period ÷ (1 + discount − retention), which also tells you the average lifespan 1/(1 − retention). Higher retention and margin stretch it; the discount rate reins it back to today's money.LTV:CAC ratio calculatorCompare customer lifetime value to acquisition cost with the LTV:CAC ratio.CAC calculatorCompute customer acquisition cost from spend and new customers.CAC payback period calculatorFind how many months it takes to recover the cost of acquiring a customer.LTV calculatorCompute customer lifetime value from order value, frequency and lifespan.MRR & ARR calculatorCompute monthly (MRR) and annual (ARR) recurring revenue from customers and ARPU.Cost of goods sold (COGS) calculatorCompute cost of goods sold from beginning inventory, purchases and ending inventory.Employee cost calculatorEstimate the total cost of an employee from gross salary and employer charges.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator works straight from this page — free, instant, nothing to install. You will find it under SaaS metrics, with Customer lifetime value (CLV) calculator and LTV:CAC ratio calculator for the neighbouring cases.

How to use it

  1. Open the tool — no signup or install needed.
  2. Enter your input or adjust the available options.
  3. Get your result instantly, then copy or download it.

Frequently asked questions

What does Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator do?

Blended CAC from channel spend, the LTV:CAC ratio and the CAC payback period in months.

When would I actually use this?

Reporting to an investor or a board: what recurring revenue really is this month, what churn is costing, and how long it takes to earn back an acquisition.

What is the most common mistake?

Counting annual contracts at their full value in the month they are signed. MRR is the monthly-equivalent figure; booking a year of revenue in one month makes growth look like a step change that then reverses.

How is Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator different from Customer lifetime value (CLV) calculator?

They sit next to each other but answer different questions: Customer lifetime value (CLV) calculator is the one to open when you need it to what a customer is worth over the whole relationship: margin per period ÷ (1 + discount − retention), which also tells you the average lifespan 1/(1 − retention). Higher retention and margin stretch it; the discount rate reins it back to today's money. Pick whichever matches what you're starting from — both are free.

Is there a tool for the next step?

LTV:CAC ratio calculator is the closest one after this: Compare customer lifetime value to acquisition cost with the LTV:CAC ratio.

What else is worth having open alongside it?

CAC calculator and CAC payback period calculator — they come up in the same task often enough to be worth a second tab.

Where do the figures come from?

These definitions come from how subscription businesses report, not from an accounting standard — churn in particular is defined half a dozen ways, so state which one you used alongside the number.

Further reading

All guides →
ExplainerWhat LTV:CAC Ratio Should You Target? The Churn Estimate Decides ItEveryone quotes 3:1 and nobody states their churn assumption. With $100 ARPU and an 80 percent gross margin, moving monthly churn from 2 to 3 percent drops the ratio from 4.0:1 to 2.67:1 — a pass turned into a fail by one percentage point.ExplainerWhat Is Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)? Formula and BenchmarksCustomer acquisition cost tells you what it really costs to win a new customer. Learn the formula, what to include, and how to read it against lifetime value.ExplainerWhat Is Customer Churn Rate? Formula and How to Reduce ItCustomer churn rate measures how fast you lose customers. Learn the formula, why it caps growth and shortens lifetime value, and how to reduce it.ExplainerWhat Is Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)? Formula and UsesCustomer lifetime value estimates the total worth of a customer over the whole relationship. Learn the formula, why margin matters, and how to use it.ExplainerCAC Payback Period Explained: Why a 3:1 LTV/CAC Can Still Run Out of CashLTV/CAC says whether a customer is profitable eventually. Payback says whether you can afford to wait. The formula divides CAC by monthly gross profit — and the gross margin is the term nearly everyone drops.ExplainerWhat Is the Rule of 40? Six Ways to Score Exactly 40Growth rate plus profit margin should clear 40. But 60 percent growth at a minus 20 percent margin scores the same as 10 percent growth at a 30 percent margin — and on $10M of revenue those are opposite companies.