# Customer acquisition cost calculator: blended CAC and CAC by channel

> Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is total sales and marketing spend divided by the number of new customers won in the same period. Channel CAC divides each channel’s spend by the customers it brought in; blended CAC adds shared costs such as the sales team and tools. CAC payback — CAC ÷ monthly gross profit per customer — shows how long a customer takes to repay their cost.

- Interactive version: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator
- Type: free instant calculator
- Category: Marketing
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-05
- Publisher: Infikey Technologies (https://infikeytechnologies.com)

## Example result (default inputs)

| Input | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Currency | USD ($) |
| Paid search spend | 6,000 |
| New customers from paid search | 30 |
| Paid social spend | 4,000 |
| New customers from paid social | 16 |
| SEO & content spend | 2,500 |
| New customers from seo & content | 14 |
| Other channels spend | 0 |
| New customers from other channels | 0 |
| Shared sales & marketing costs | 8,000 |
| Average revenue per customer per month | 150 |
| Gross margin | 70% |

**Blended CAC: $342.** Blended customer acquisition cost is $342 across 60 new customers, paid back in 3.3 months.

Healthy: blended CAC is paid back in 3.3 months of gross profit — within the commonly cited 12-month benchmark.

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Paid search CAC | $200 |
| Paid social CAC | $250 |
| SEO & content CAC | $179 |
| Total new customers | 60 |
| Paid-channel CAC (channel spend only) | $208 |
| Blended CAC (incl. shared costs) | $342 |
| CAC payback period | 3.3 months |

### CAC by channel

| Item | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paid search | $200 | 30 customers |
| Paid social | $250 | 16 customers |
| SEO & content | $179 | 14 customers |
| Blended CAC (incl. shared costs) (selected) | $342 |  |

- Use the same period for spend and customers, and allow for sales cycles: B2B deals often close months after the spend.

Open this result on the website: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator?currency=USD&spend_search=6000&customers_search=30&spend_social=4000&customers_social=16&spend_content=2500&customers_content=14&spend_other=0&customers_other=0&shared=8000&arpa=150&margin=70

## Use from a link or API

Add these query parameters to https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator (pre-filled page), https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator.md (this plain-text page) or https://infikeytechnologies.com/api/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator (JSON).

| Parameter | Meaning | Accepted values |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `currency` | Currency | one of USD, INR, AED, GBP, EUR |
| `spend_search` | Paid search spend | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 6000 |
| `customers_search` | New customers from paid search | number from 0 to 10000000, default 30 |
| `spend_social` | Paid social spend | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 4000 |
| `customers_social` | New customers from paid social | number from 0 to 10000000, default 16 |
| `spend_content` | SEO & content spend | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 2500 |
| `customers_content` | New customers from seo & content | number from 0 to 10000000, default 14 |
| `spend_other` | Other channels spend | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 0 |
| `customers_other` | New customers from other channels | number from 0 to 10000000, default 0 |
| `shared` | Shared sales & marketing costs | number from 0 to 1000000000 (in the chosen currency), default 8000 |
| `arpa` | Average revenue per customer per month | number from 0 to 10000000 (in the chosen currency), default 150 |
| `margin` | Gross margin | number from 1 to 100 (%), default 70 |

- B2B SaaS: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator?currency=USD&spend_search=12000&customers_search=18&spend_social=6000&customers_social=6&spend_content=5000&customers_content=12&spend_other=0&customers_other=0&shared=25000&arpa=400&margin=80
- D2C e-commerce: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator?currency=USD&spend_search=8000&customers_search=320&spend_social=12000&customers_social=400&spend_content=1500&customers_content=90&spend_other=2000&customers_other=60&shared=4000&arpa=55&margin=45
- Local services: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator?currency=USD&spend_search=2000&customers_search=20&spend_social=800&customers_social=6&spend_content=600&customers_content=8&spend_other=0&customers_other=0&shared=1500&arpa=250&margin=50

## How it is calculated

- **Channel CAC**: channel spend ÷ new customers from that channel
- **Blended CAC**: (all channel spend + shared sales & marketing costs) ÷ all new customers
- **CAC payback**: blended CAC ÷ (monthly revenue per customer × gross margin)

## Blended vs paid CAC

Paid CAC only counts ad spend, so it makes paid channels look cheap. Blended CAC includes salaries, tools and agency fees, and is the number that matters for profitability and fundraising.

Track both: paid CAC to optimise individual channels, blended CAC to decide how much you can afford to grow.

## Benchmarks to compare against

| Metric | Commonly cited target |
| --- | --- |
| LTV:CAC ratio | 3:1 or better |
| CAC payback (SaaS) | Under 12 months |
| First-order profit (e-commerce) | Ideally covers CAC; otherwise repeat orders must |

## How to lower customer acquisition cost

- Improve website conversion rate — the same traffic brings more customers.
- Invest in SEO and content, whose cost per customer falls over time.
- Build referral and review programmes.
- Qualify leads earlier so sales time goes to likely buyers.
- Cut channels whose CAC is far above your blended average.

## FAQ

### How do you calculate customer acquisition cost?

Divide total sales and marketing costs for a period by the number of new customers acquired in that period. $20,500 spent for 60 customers is a CAC of about $342.

### What costs are included in CAC?

Advertising, content and SEO, sales salaries and commissions, marketing team costs, tools and agency fees. Exclude costs of serving existing customers.

### What is a good CAC?

One that is well below customer lifetime value — commonly a third or less — and paid back from gross profit within about a year.

### What is CAC payback period?

The months of gross profit from a customer needed to recover their acquisition cost: CAC ÷ (monthly revenue × gross margin).

### Why is my blended CAC higher than my ad platform CAC?

Ad platforms only count media spend and may claim customers that other channels also influenced. Blended CAC includes all costs and customers.

## Get expert help

Send these results to an Infikey Technologies specialist from the form on https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools/customer-acquisition-cost-calculator#estimate or via https://infikeytechnologies.com/contact.

More free calculators: https://infikeytechnologies.com/tools.md

## Disclaimer

This calculator is provided free for general information and planning only. Results are estimates based on the inputs you enter and the assumptions described on this page, reference data such as published prices may change, and actual costs and outcomes will differ. Nothing on this page is financial, legal, tax, investment or other professional advice. Infikey Technologies Private Limited, Infikey Technologies LLC and their directors, employees and affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of this tool or its results, and accept no liability for any loss or damage, direct or indirect, arising from its use or from reliance on its results. Verify all figures independently and seek professional advice before making any decision. Use of this tool is at your own risk.