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Free tool for B2B acquisition planning

CAC Calculator

Calculate customer acquisition cost using sales and marketing spend. Compare your current results with a plan, then see what it takes to reach your target CAC.

Instant results. Clear cost definitions. No sign-up.

Start with acquisition costs.

Count acquisition-related costs once. Match costs and newly acquired customers to the same reporting period and scope.

Formatting only; no conversion.
Use this basis for both scenarios.
Maximum acquisition cost per new customer.

Enter measured results for your selected period.

Marketing costs

Media spend paid to advertising platforms.
Allocated acquisition payroll and benefits for this period.
Acquisition-related agency, creative and content costs.
Acquisition tools and other marketing costs, excluding amounts entered above.

Sales costs

Allocated acquisition sales payroll and benefits.
New-customer commissions, sales tools and other acquisition sales costs.

New customers

Count new paying customers, excluding renewals and existing-customer expansion.

Example inputs

Your customer acquisition cost.

Enter valid figures in both scenarios to see results.

Target planning holds either spend or customers constant. It does not predict how changing investment changes customer acquisition. Example inputs are not benchmarks.

Compare current and planned CAC.

Both scenarios use the same currency, period and target CAC. Planned customer counts and costs are your assumptions.

How to use the CAC calculator

  1. Select your currency and reporting period. Use consistent periods and acquisition scope for costs and customers.
  2. Add marketing and sales costs. Include relevant payroll, media, agencies, content, software and commissions. Allocate shared costs consistently.
  3. Enter new paying customers. Count each customer once and exclude renewals or expansion from existing customers.
  4. Compare your plan and set a target. Edit the planned scenario, review the customers or spend changes required, and export both scenarios.

Use total company acquisition costs and all new customers to calculate blended CAC. For a specific campaign or channel, match the allocated costs to that channel’s new customers. Do not divide total company spend by only paid-channel customers.

Customer acquisition cost formula

CAC = total acquisition sales and marketing costs ÷ new customers acquired

In the current example, marketing costs are $28,000 and sales costs are $12,000. Total acquisition cost is $40,000. With 20 new customers, total CAC is $2,000 per customer.

Marketing-only acquisition cost

Marketing-only cost is $28,000 divided by 20, or $1,400 per customer. Sales cost contributes another $600 per customer. Marketing-only cost is a useful breakdown, but it does not represent total CAC.

Definition reference: HubSpot’s guide to customer acquisition cost explains the sales-and-marketing cost basis and the importance of including relevant expenses.

Plan toward your target CAC

Required customers = total acquisition spend ÷ target CAC, rounded up

At $40,000 in spend and a $1,500 target CAC, you need at least 27 new customers. If you keep the current 20 customers, acquisition spend must be $30,000 or less. The example therefore needs seven additional customers at unchanged spend, or a $10,000 spend reduction at unchanged customer count.

These are alternative arithmetic targets. A budget reduction can also affect customer volume, so the calculator does not assume both targets can be achieved together.

Measure B2B acquisition consistently

Long sales cycles can separate the month you incur acquisition costs from the month customers close. Period-based CAC can fluctuate because of that timing. Use a consistent allocation policy and consider cohort analysis when costs and customer wins are far apart.

CAC alone does not show whether customers are profitable. Compare it with gross-margin-adjusted customer value, retention and your cash-flow needs. This calculator does not estimate lifetime value or payback time.

Use the results to guide your demand-generation and campaign strategy and discuss acquisition efficiency with Qualent Media.

Understand acquisition costs

CAC questions,
answered.

Keep cost scope, customer definitions and reporting periods consistent.

What is customer acquisition cost?

Customer acquisition cost, or CAC, is total acquisition-related sales and marketing cost divided by new customers acquired. Use costs and customers from a consistent scope and reporting period.

What costs should I include in CAC?

Include acquisition-related advertising, marketing and sales payroll, agencies, content, software, commissions and other relevant costs. Allocate shared expenses consistently and avoid counting the same cost twice. Exclude retention and delivery costs when they are outside your acquisition scope.

What is the difference between CAC and cost per lead?

CAC measures cost per new customer. Cost per lead measures campaign cost divided by leads generated. A low cost per lead does not guarantee low CAC because conversion into paying customers also matters.

Is marketing-only acquisition cost the same as CAC?

No. Marketing-only acquisition cost divides marketing costs by new customers and excludes sales costs. This calculator shows it as a separate breakdown alongside total sales-and-marketing CAC.

What is a good CAC?

A suitable CAC depends on customer value, gross margin, retention, sales cycle and cash-flow requirements. Set a target using your own economics rather than treating one benchmark as appropriate for every B2B business.

Can I calculate CAC with no new customers?

No finite CAC can be calculated when new customer count is zero. Enter at least one new paying customer. Zero acquisition spend is allowed when it reflects your cost scope, but check that relevant expenses have not been omitted.

Is this CAC calculator free?

Yes. Calculations and CSV export are free and require no sign-up. The tool processes inputs in your browser without saving or transmitting them. Currency selection changes formatting without converting amounts.

Make acquisition costs easier to explain.

Discuss your audience, funnel and campaign investment with Qualent Media.

Discuss your acquisition strategy