CAC Calculator (with Payback Period)
Calculate blended customer acquisition cost and CAC payback period from your sales & marketing spend, and check it against the target payback window.
Inputs
Cost breakdown
| Item | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing spend | $40,000.00 | $480,000.00 |
| Sales spend | $20,000.00 | $240,000.00 |
Comparison
| Option | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Blended CAC6.3 mo paybackcurrent | $400.00 | $400.00 |
| Marketing-only CACcheapest | $266.67 | $266.67 |
Data updated 2026-06-30 · ChartMogul SaaS Benchmarks chartmogul.com/reports/saas-benchmarks/ · Bessemer Cloud Index www.bvp.com/atlas/state-of-the-cloud · David Skok LTV:CAC standard www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-metrics/
Industry Benchmark
Data updated 2026-06-30 · ChartMogul SaaS Benchmarks chartmogul.com/reports/saas-benchmarks/ · Bessemer Cloud Index www.bvp.com/atlas/state-of-the-cloud · David Skok LTV:CAC standard www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-metrics/
Trends & comparison
Trend
Comparison (monthly vs. yearly)
How to use this calculator
Enter your monthly marketing and sales spend, customers acquired, ARPU and gross margin. The result shows blended CAC, payback period and a health verdict.
Why payback period matters
Shorter payback means faster cash recovery and lower funding needs. The benchmark bar compares yours to the target window.
Sources
CAC and payback period benchmarks are sourced from public SaaS industry reports including OpenView's SaaS Benchmarks and ChartMogul data, versioned in the platform configuration.
Frequently asked questions
How is CAC calculated?▾
Blended CAC = (marketing + sales spend) ÷ new customers acquired in the period.
What is CAC payback?▾
Payback months = CAC ÷ (ARPU × gross margin) — how long a customer takes to repay their acquisition cost. Under ~12 months is typically healthy.
How do I improve CAC?▾
Raise conversion, shift to cheaper channels, or increase ARPU/margin. The calculator shows the CAC that hits the target payback.