CPA Calculator

Compute cost per acquisition (CPA) by dividing total spend by acquisitions. Enter ad spend and acquired customers to estimate CPA.

What is CPA?

Cost per Acquisition (CPA) measures the average cost to acquire a paying customer across a campaign or channel.

How to use this calculator

Provide ad spend and the number of acquired customers. The calculator returns average CPA for budgeting and benchmarking.

Why it matters

CPA benchmarks acquisition efficiency and informs bidding, targeting, and creative optimization.

Assumptions & limitations

Attribution window and definition of acquisition must be consistent. Consider CLTV and payback alongside CPA.

Formula

CPA = Total Spend ÷ Acquisitions. Use consistent definitions (e.g., paid user, MQL, SQL) to compare across channels.

CPA vs CAC, CPL, CPC

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) often includes non‑media costs like salaries and tooling; CPA is typically media‑only. CPL is cost per lead; CPC is cost per click. Align metric choice to funnel stage and business model.

Benchmarks

Benchmarks vary widely by industry and intent. B2B SaaS CPAs can be high given lifetime value; consumer apps may target lower CPAs. Compare CPA to CLTV and payback period, not in isolation.

How to reduce CPA

• Improve targeting and exclude low‑intent segments.
• Test creatives and landing pages for relevance and clarity.
• Optimize bidding strategies and budgets by channel performance.
• Enhance onboarding and pricing to lift conversion rates.
• Use incrementality tests to avoid inefficient spend.

Example

With $15,000 spend and 400 acquisitions, CPA = $15,000 ÷ 400 = $37.50. Evaluate against CLTV and payback goals to decide scaling.