Free CPA calculator

CPA calculator

What does each new customer cost you? Divide ad spend by conversions to get your CPA, and add order value to see revenue and ROAS.

By Trueclip Updated

Your campaign

Total spent on the campaign

Orders, sign-ups or leads

More options

To estimate revenue and ROAS

Cost per acquisition

Ad spend ÷ conversions

$40.00
Revenue
$1,500
ROAS
1.50×

How CPA is calculated

CPA spreads your ad spend across the conversions it produced.

  • CPA

    Ad spend ÷ conversions.

  • Revenue

    Conversions × average order value.

  • ROAS

    Revenue ÷ ad spend, or order value ÷ CPA.

  • Break-even CPA

    The contribution left on one order.

Worked example: 25 orders
Ad spend
$1,000
÷ Conversions
25
CPA
$40.00
At a $60 order value that’s $1,500 in revenue and a 1.50× ROAS.

Cost per acquisition formula

CPA = total ad spend ÷ number of conversions. Keep the conversion definition the same across campaigns.

Ad spendConversionsCPA
$500.0020 conversions$25.00
$1,000.0025 conversions$40.00
$2,500.0050 conversions$50.00
$5,000.0080 conversions$62.50

A good CPA is one below your break-even CPA. Work it out with the break-even ROAS calculator, then compare it with what a customer is worth over time in the LTV calculator.

How to lower your CPA

CPA falls when more of the people you pay to reach end up buying.

  • Refresh creative

    Tired ads cost more per result. Rotate in new angles often.

  • Use real customers

    Clips from actual buyers answer doubts a polished ad can't.

  • Fix the landing page

    A faster, clearer page turns more clicks into orders.

  • Tighten targeting

    Move budget to the audiences that already convert.

  • Know your ceiling

    Set a break-even CPA and stop campaigns that run above it.

  • Give it data

    Judge a campaign after enough conversions, not a single day.

CPA, CAC, CPC and CPM

Four cost metrics that are easy to mix up.

MetricWhat you pay forBest used for
CPAOne conversion (order, sign-up, lead)Judging a campaign against your break-even CPA
CACOne new customer, all marketing includedComparing against lifetime value
CPCOne clickChecking traffic cost and landing-page quality
CPM1,000 impressionsUnderstanding auction and audience cost

FAQ

Questions.

How do you calculate CPA?

Divide ad spend by the number of conversions. $1,000 spent for 25 orders is a CPA of $40.

What is a good CPA?

One below your break-even CPA, which is the contribution left on an order after product, shipping and fees. If an order leaves $30 and your CPA is $40, every sale from ads loses $10.

What counts as a conversion?

Whatever you are paying for: a purchase, a sign-up or a lead. Keep the definition the same across campaigns so the CPAs are comparable.

How is CPA related to ROAS?

They are two views of the same spend. ROAS equals average order value divided by CPA, so a $60 order with a $40 CPA is a 1.5× ROAS.

Why is my CPA rising?

Common causes are creative fatigue, a narrower or saturated audience, rising auction prices in busy seasons, or a landing page that converts worse. Fresh creative is often the fastest fix.

Are CAC and CPA the same?

Not quite. CPA is the ad cost per conversion, usually for one campaign, and a conversion can be any action. CAC is the full cost of winning a new customer, often including all marketing and sales spend, and it excludes repeat buyers.

How do I calculate CPA in Excel?

Put ad spend in one cell and conversions in another and divide: =B2/C2. Use =IFERROR(B2/C2,"") so rows with zero conversions stay blank instead of showing an error.

What is breakeven CPA?

The most you can pay in ads for one order without losing money. It equals the contribution left on an order after product, shipping and fees. The break-even ROAS calculator shows it for your numbers.

What is target CPA bidding?

A bid strategy on Google and Meta where the platform tries to get conversions at or below a CPA you set. Set it below your break-even CPA, and give the campaign enough conversions to learn.

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