YOUR CAC
Media CAC
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Acquisition spend ÷ new customers.
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YEB · Acquisition economics
Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
See what it costs to acquire one new customer. Start with acquisition spend and new customers, then add agency, creative, tools or sales costs to reveal blended CAC.
QUICK CAC
Two numbers first
$for this period
$050k+
Media or paid acquisition spend for this period.
for this period
12,000+
This denominator is what turns spend into customer acquisition cost.
Acquisition / ad spend12,000
→
New customers acquired200
Calculate your full CACOptional — add acquisition-related costs
Include only costs you consistently consider part of acquisition. Different businesses define CAC scope differently; consistency matters more than pretending there is one universal cost list.
Add business contextOptional — interpret CAC, not recalculate it
%
Don’t know your LTV? Calculate it with the YEB LTV Calculator instead of guessing.
Calculate your LTV ↗This denominator is what turns spend into customer acquisition cost.
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Blended CAC
—Total acquisition-related cost ÷ new customers.—
Difference from media CAC
—Non-media acquisition costs: —Total acquisition-related cost: —
WHAT THE NUMBER MEANS
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Your current result is media CAC. Open “Calculate your full CAC” to test whether agency, creative, software or sales costs materially change the picture.
First-order contribution after CAC
—Approx. orders to recover CAC
—LTV:CAC
—CAC used for context: —
NAME THE NUMBER CORRECTLY
These metrics use different cost and value scopes.
They are related, but they do not answer the same question. These formulas show exactly what each name means.
Enter AOV and gross margin to calculate first-order gross profit, contribution after CAC and approximate recovery. Add LTV to calculate LTV:CAC. These fields do not change CAC itself.
Media spend ÷ New customers = Media CACPaid/media spend only ÷ new customers. Use it to read paid acquisition efficiency.
Your result—
(Media spend + included acquisition costs) ÷ New customers = Blended CACMedia spend + the non-media acquisition costs you choose to include ÷ new customers. Use it when you want a broader acquisition-cost scope.
Your result—
AOV × Gross margin = First-order gross profitAverage order value × gross margin. Gross profit from the first order before CAC, overhead and tax.
Your result—
First-order gross profit − CAC = First-order contribution after CACFirst-order gross profit − the CAC used for context. It shows what is left from the first order after acquisition cost, not company profit.
Your result—
CAC ÷ Gross profit per order = Approx. orders to recover CACCAC ÷ gross profit per order. Approximate number of similar orders needed to cover CAC; it ignores timing and overhead.
Your result—
LTV ÷ CAC = LTV:CACLTV ÷ CAC. Compares lifetime customer value with acquisition cost. It is decision context, not a universal benchmark.
Your result—
Calculate your LTV ↗DECISION MODE
What if acquisition gets more efficient?
Test the cost side: acquire more customers with the same spend, or reduce acquisition cost. Then compare the other side of the equation: increasing AOV and LTV.
SCENARIO CAC
—Scenario media CAC—
Scenario blended CAC—
Change vs base CAC—
CAC reduction / customer—
Base case—
New customers acquired—
Try:
THE OTHER SIDE OF UNIT ECONOMICS
Lower CAC is only one lever. Increase what each customer is worth.
Acquisition efficiency improves the cost side. Higher AOV, repeat purchases and customer lifespan improve the value side. A business can become healthier without forcing CAC lower if each acquired customer creates more value.
Cost sideCAC ↓
+
Value sideAOV ↑ · LTV ↑
KEEP THE NUMBER
The calculation runs locally in your browser. The result is not gated.
FROM CAC TO A DECISION
A lower CAC only matters if the customers are worth acquiring.
Use LTV to understand value after acquisition. Use Consultation when you want a focused economics plan. Use BBM only when the CAC problem points to a wider customer, offer, message or acquisition-system issue.
Get a detailed CAC improvement plan
Bring your spend, new-customer count, channel mix and margins. Turn the calculator result into a focused plan for what to change first.
Get the detailed plan ↗Opens outside the calculator.Understand why acquisition is getting expensive
If CAC is downstream of weak customer fit, offer, message, content or creative execution, BBM helps diagnose the larger system.
Diagnose the larger system ↗Opens outside the calculator.