How this calculator works
This cac calculator is designed for SaaS, subscription, and recurring-revenue businesses. Enter your current operating numbers to get a fast directional result.
CAC = sales and marketing spend ÷ new customers acquired
Keep the reporting period consistent. Monthly metrics should use monthly revenue, monthly churn, and monthly acquisition counts.
How to use it
- Use clean finance or analytics data from the same period.
- Exclude one-time revenue when calculating recurring revenue metrics.
- Compare the result against prior months to see trend direction, not just one snapshot.
Result interpretation
CAC is only useful when compared with payback and LTV. A low CAC is not automatically good if customers churn quickly or have weak gross margin.
FAQ
What is CAC?
CAC is the average cost to acquire one new customer.
Should salaries be included?
For serious SaaS analysis, include sales and marketing salaries, tools, ads, agencies, and commissions.
How should I use this result?
Use it as a quick operating metric, then compare it with cohort trends, cash flow, pricing changes, and acquisition channel quality.
Is this calculator exact accounting?
No. It is a planning calculator. Use consistent definitions from your finance reports when making board or investor decisions.