Marketing calculator

Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator

Calculate blended customer acquisition cost from sales and marketing spend and acquired customers.

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Total Acquisition Cost
New Customers
Customer Acquisition Cost

Calculator guide

Calculate CAC with a complete acquisition-cost scope

CAC measures the acquisition investment required for each new customer. Include the sales and marketing costs attributable to the selected period and divide by customers first acquired during that same period.

A complete blended CAC can include advertising, agency fees, sales compensation, marketing payroll, software, content, events and allocated overhead. A paid-media-only figure should be labeled clearly and not compared with fully loaded CAC.

Customer timing matters. For long sales cycles, current-period spend may generate customers in a later period. Use cohort-based or lagged analysis where the acquisition delay is material.

Compare CAC with gross-profit LTV and CAC payback, then segment by channel and customer type. A healthy blended result can still hide an unprofitable campaign or market.

Formula

Calculate CAC with a complete acquisition-cost scope

CAC = Total sales and marketing acquisition cost ÷ New customers acquired

  1. Choose a consistent acquisition period.
  2. Add all included sales and marketing costs.
  3. Count genuinely new customers attributable to that scope.
  4. Divide cost by acquired customers and document the definition.

Worked example

Worked example

Inputs

Scenario
$60,000 total acquisition spend divided by 300 new customers equals $200 CAC.

Results

Result
$60,000 total acquisition spend divided by 300 new customers equals $200 CAC.

Rounded values; replace assumptions in the live calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator FAQ

What should I verify before using this metric?

Verify the time period, population, currency, attribution and revenue or cost definition. Save those assumptions with the report so future comparisons use the same scope.

How accurate is the result?

The arithmetic follows the displayed formula. Accuracy depends on using complete inputs from the same reporting period and applying one consistent definition to customers, revenue and costs.

Can I use another currency?

Yes. Keep every monetary input in the same currency. Ratios and percentages remain comparable, but the calculator does not perform foreign-exchange conversion.

Should I use gross or net revenue?

Use the revenue definition that matches your reporting purpose and keep it consistent across periods. Document whether discounts, refunds, credits and taxes are included.

Why should I compare several periods?

A single month can be distorted by seasonality, annual renewals, campaigns or one-off contracts. Compare a consistent monthly or quarterly series before making a decision.

Is this an accounting standard?

No. It is an independent planning tool. Reconcile the result with your billing platform, analytics system and financial reporting policies.

Are my inputs uploaded?

No. Calculations run locally in the browser and do not require sending calculator inputs to a server.

Primary sources

Official references and further reading

Editorially reviewed: 2026-07-21

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