Cost Per Acquisition Calculator
Calculate your cost per acquisition (CPA) from total marketing spend and the number of customers or orders gained.
Your results
Calculation breakdown
- CPA
- Total marketing spend ÷ Acquisitions
Worked example
A business spending $4,000 to gain 80 new customers has a cost per acquisition of $50.
Assumptions
- Include only the spend attributable to the acquisitions being measured.
- Compare CPA against average order value or customer lifetime value.
- A lower CPA is only useful in context of the value each customer generates.
How this calculator works
Divide total marketing spend by the number of acquisitions, such as new customers or orders, to find your cost per acquisition. Compare this against your average order value or customer lifetime value to check campaign profitability.
Frequently asked questions
How is CPA different from customer lifetime value?
CPA is the cost to acquire one customer or sale, while lifetime value estimates the total revenue that customer generates over time — comparing both shows if acquisition spend is worthwhile.
Should I include all marketing spend or just paid ads?
Include whichever spend you're measuring against — many sellers track paid ad CPA separately from blended CPA across all channels.
What's a good CPA?
It depends entirely on your margins and average order value — a CPA is acceptable as long as it's comfortably below what a customer is worth to you.
Results are estimates only and are not financial, tax, legal or credit advice.