SaaS Metrics

Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator

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

CAC = Sales and marketing spend / New customers

What this calculator does

Calculate blended customer acquisition cost from sales and marketing spend and new paying customers acquired in the same period.

Scope, period, and currency

This page runs a local formula from user-entered values. The country/currency selector changes money symbols and formatting only: it does not perform live or historical FX conversion or automatically change contract, tax, accounting, or regulatory rules. Convert all amounts into one currency first and keep periods and metric definitions consistent.

Formula variables

S: Included sales and marketing spend for the period.
N: New paying customers attributed to that period.

Formula and worked example

Formula: CAC = S ÷ N.

Recalculation: $14,800 of aligned sales and marketing spend ÷ 165 new paying customers = $89.70 blended CAC; 100 customers would cost $8,969.70 at that average.

Model assumptions

Spend and customers use aligned periods and attribution rules.
Spend includes the selected labor, media, tools, content, and agency costs consistently.
The result is blended CAC, not incremental or channel-level CAC.

Reading the result and model boundary

Compare CAC only when cost scope and customer definition are stable.
Long sales cycles may require cohorting cost and acquisitions rather than same-month division.

This is an average blended acquisition-cost ratio, not an incremental causal estimate.

How to use it

Choose a period and define a new paying customer.
Sum the included acquisition costs consistently.
Divide by attributed new customers and compare with payback or LTV.

Common incorrect uses

Counting leads, trials, or MQLs as customers.
Omitting sales payroll or shared tooling from one period but not another.
Pairing this month's spend with customers from a different sales cycle.

Suggested verification workflow

Align period and attribution.
Calculate blended CAC.
Segment by channel or cohort for decisions.

FAQ

Which customers belong in the denominator?

Use new paying customers under one documented attribution and period definition.

Should payroll be included?

Include sales and marketing labor when your CAC policy defines it as acquisition cost, and stay consistent.

Does currency selection convert spend?

No. It changes formatting only; all spend must be entered in one currency.

Method and review boundary

Results are calculated locally in the browser from the formula shown on this page. The tool does not retrieve live rates, quotes, approvals, or billing data. Last reviewed: July 24, 2026.

Use the result for first-pass estimates, scenario comparison, and question preparation; it is not financial, investment, tax, accounting, or legal advice.

Authoritative sources and notes

Customer acquisition cost in SaaS - Stripe
Google Analytics attribution settings - Google
ChartMogul LTV report methodology - ChartMogul

Sources checked July 24, 2026. Rates, product rules, and official guidance can change; verify them again before a formal decision.