PALLAS / CALCULATOR
Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
Calculate fully loaded customer acquisition cost from the acquisition expenses and new customers recorded in the same period. Separate cost buckets help prevent ad spend from being mistaken for total CAC.
INPUT
Enter values
Method & formula
CAC divides acquisition-related sales and marketing costs by the number of new customers acquired in the same period. The optional target shows how many customers the same cost base would need to acquire to reach that target.
- Total acquisition cost = marketing + payroll + agency/software/tools + other acquisition costs
- CAC = total acquisition cost / new customers acquired
- Customers needed at target = ceiling(total acquisition cost / target CAC)
Example
If total acquisition costs are 20,000 and 400 new customers were acquired, CAC is 50 per new customer.
Sources & standards
FAQ
Is CAC the same as advertising CPA?
No. CAC is broader: it can include sales and marketing payroll, agencies, software, creative and other acquisition costs. Campaign CPA is normally narrower.
Should returning customers be included?
No. Use new customers acquired during the same period as the acquisition spend.