What this calculator measures
Customer acquisition cost divides eligible sales and marketing spend by customers acquired in the same period. The difficult part is scope: salaries, commissions, agencies, media and software must be handled consistently, and customers should be counted using a stable definition such as a first paid contract.
Blended CAC is useful for an overall view but can hide large differences between channels or customer segments. Calculate those separately when the underlying spend and customer counts can be attributed without inventing precision.
How to use the Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
- Choose a period and total the eligible sales and marketing costs.
- Count first-time customers acquired during the same period.
- Review blended CAC and compare it with gross-profit LTV and payback.
The monthly spend figure normalizes total recorded cost across the selected measurement period; it does not change blended CAC.
Worked example
If sales and marketing cost $120,000 over three months and produce 400 new customers, blended CAC is $300 per customer.
Assumptions and limitations
- Costs and acquired customers must cover the same cohort and period.
- Long sales cycles can shift spend and customer conversion into different periods.
- Blended CAC can conceal weak or strong individual channels.
- Organic acquisition is not free when content and staff costs are material.