Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
CAC is one of the simplest formulas in sales and marketing math, and also one of the easiest to get wrong by leaving out costs. This calculator takes your total sales and marketing spend for a period and the number of new customers you acquired in that same period, and gives you a clean CAC figure. Add your average revenue per customer and it also shows CAC as a percentage of what each customer is worth - a quick gut-check on whether your acquisition spend is sustainable. Pairs directly with the Customer Lifetime Value calculator for a full LTV:CAC picture.
Enter total sales and marketing spend and new customers acquired to get your CAC - the real cost of winning each new customer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate customer acquisition cost?
Divide total sales and marketing spend for a period by the number of new customers acquired in that same period. Include salaries, ad spend, tools, and commissions for an accurate figure - not just ad spend alone.
What counts as “sales and marketing spend” for CAC?
Ideally, everything tied to acquiring customers: rep salaries and commissions, marketing team salaries, advertising and campaign spend, sales tools and software, and any agency or contractor fees for the period measured.
What’s a good CAC?
There’s no universal answer - it depends entirely on your average deal size and margins. A more useful question is your LTV:CAC ratio; use this calculator alongside the Customer Lifetime Value calculator to check that ratio directly.
All tools are provided for estimation purposes only and do not constitute financial, legal, or compensation advice. Always confirm figures against your company's official comp plan and pricing policy.
sales math, done in the browser.