01 / Free GTM tools
Customer acquisition
cost calculator
Know what you spend to win a customer. Add your costs, see your CAC, and estimate how long it takes to earn it back.
Use the calculatorYour acquisition costs
Example figures are filled in. Replace them with your own.
Currency changes labels, not amounts.
Include the acquisition share of staff, ads, agencies and tools for the month.
Count customers acquired in the same month, not leads or renewals.
Long sales cycle? Costs and wins may fall in different periods. Treat this as a snapshot, then compare matched customer groups for a fuller picture.
Customer acquisition cost
Example$600
USD per new paying customer
- Spend for the month
- $12,000 USD
- New customers
- 20
Total acquisition spend ÷ new paying customers.
Estimate CAC payback
How many months of gross profit would cover the cost of winning a customer?
Revenue left after the direct cost of delivering your product or service.
Estimated payback
1.5 months
Based on $400 USD gross profit per customer each month.
Assumes steady monthly revenue and margin, with no churn. This is an estimate, not a cash-flow forecast.
Your figures stay in this tab. No account needed.
02 / The maths
How to calculate CAC
Add up your sales and marketing acquisition costs for a period, then divide by the number of new paying customers acquired in that period.
CAC = acquisition spend ÷ new customers
For example, spending 12,000 USD to acquire 20 customers gives a customer acquisition cost of 600 USD. This is a worked example, not a target or industry benchmark.
03 / Count the full cost
What belongs in CAC?
Include the cost of winning customers. Count each expense once.
- People
- Sales and marketing salaries, commissions and benefits. Include the share of time spent acquiring customers.
- Campaigns
- Advertising, sponsorships, events and content made to attract and convert new customers.
- Outside help
- Agencies, freelancers and contractors working on customer acquisition.
- Tools and data
- CRM, outreach software, prospect data and other tools used in acquisition. Allocate shared costs fairly.
04 / Common questions
A clearer view of acquisition.
What is customer acquisition cost?
Customer acquisition cost, or CAC, is the average amount you spend to win one new paying customer. Divide the sales and marketing costs used to acquire customers by the number of customers won in the period you are measuring.
What is a good customer acquisition cost?
There is no single good CAC for every business. Compare it with the gross profit a customer brings in, how long they stay and how quickly you need to recover your spending. A lower CAC is useful only if you are still winning the right customers.
Should I include salaries and agency fees in CAC?
Yes, include the acquisition-related share of salaries, commissions, agency fees and other sales and marketing costs. Count each expense once. Exclude costs that belong entirely to delivering the product or supporting existing customers.
Is CAC the same as cost per lead?
No. Cost per lead divides campaign spend by the number of leads. CAC divides acquisition spend by new paying customers. Leads, meetings and free trials are not paying customers.
How do I calculate CAC payback?
Divide CAC by the monthly gross profit from a new customer. Monthly gross profit is monthly revenue per customer multiplied by gross margin. For example, 600 USD CAC divided by 400 USD in monthly gross profit gives an estimated 1.5-month payback.
What if we have a long sales cycle?
A same-period CAC is a useful snapshot, but costs incurred this month may produce customers later. For a more accurate view, match the acquisition costs to the group of customers they helped win. Keep your method consistent when comparing periods.
Put the numbers to work.
H2 researches your market and runs outbound campaigns to reach the right buyers. See what that includes, or explore a campaign budget with our cold email ROI calculator.