Mr Calcu | Quickly uncover your customer profitability and make smarter growth decisions with our LTV to CAC ratio calculator.

Master profitability and boost ROI using our LTV to CAC ratio calculator. Discover hidden value in your customer base with this powerful, insightful tool.

LTV to CAC Ratio Calculator

LTV to CAC Ratio Calculator Guidelines

You’ve got this—let’s break it down step-by-step:

  1. Gather Data: You'll need ARPU, gross margin, average customer lifespan, and total customer acquisition costs.
  2. Calculate LTV:
    LTV = ARPU × Gross Margin × Lifespan
  3. Calculate CAC:
    CAC = Total Acquisition Costs / Number of Customers
  4. Compute Ratio:
    LTV to CAC = LTV / CAC
  5. Analyze the Result:
    • Below 1:1 → Loss on acquisition
    • Around 3:1 → Balanced growth
    • Above 5:1 → Room to scale aggressively
  6. Segment Analysis: Run the calculation across different channels, customer cohorts, or products.

LTV to CAC Ratio Calculator Description

What Is the LTV to CAC Ratio?

The Lifetime Value to Customer Acquisition Cost (LTV to CAC) ratio helps assess the profitability and sustainability of your customer acquisition strategy.

  • LTV (Customer Lifetime Value) estimates the total revenue generated from a customer during their relationship with your business.
  • CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) is the total expense to acquire a new customer, including marketing and sales costs.
  • A higher LTV to CAC ratio signals more efficient, profitable growth.

Key Formulas

  • LTV = ARPU × Gross Margin × Average Customer Lifespan
  • CAC = Total Sales & Marketing Expenses / Number of New Customers
  • Ratio = LTV / CAC

Real-World Example: SaaS Startup

  • ARPU = $50/month
  • Gross Margin = 80%
  • Average Customer Lifespan = 24 months
  • CAC = $600
LTV = $50 × 0.8 × 24 = $960
Ratio = $960 / $600 = 1.6:1

This business is likely overspending on customer acquisition or not retaining customers long enough.

Real-World Example: eCommerce Brand

  • Ad Spend = $10,000
  • New Customers = 500
  • Average Revenue per Customer = $250
  • Gross Margin = 60%
CAC = $10,000 / 500 = $20
LTV = $250 × 0.6 = $150
Ratio = $150 / $20 = 7.5:1

This shows strong marketing efficiency and highly profitable customer relationships.

Advanced Tips

  • Segment ratios by acquisition channel, cohort, or product line.
  • Account for churn when calculating customer lifespan.
  • Use annualized metrics if your business is seasonal.
  • Reinvest if your ratio is extremely high—growth may be under-optimized.

Start calculating now and unlock actionable insights that fuel smarter growth.

Example Calculation

ARPUGross MarginLifespan (months)LTVCACLTV:CAC Ratio
$10070%12$840$2803:1
$20060%10$1,200$3004:1
$5080%6$240$3000.8:1
$15075%18$2,025$9002.25:1
$2050%3$30$600.5:1
$9090%36$2,916$3009.72:1

Frequently Asked Questions

A good LTV to CAC ratio is typically considered to be 3:1 or higher, indicating that a business earns three times more from a customer than it spends to acquire them.

You can improve it by increasing LTV (via better retention, upsells, or pricing strategies) or reducing CAC (by optimizing marketing spend or improving conversion rates).

This means you're losing money on every customer acquired. You should immediately review acquisition costs, customer retention, or pricing structure.

Yes. A very high ratio (e.g., 10:1) may suggest under-investment in growth or overly conservative marketing. It could be an opportunity to scale faster.

Absolutely. Segmenting by cohort, acquisition channel, or geography can reveal more actionable insights than an average across the business.

No. LTV is often an estimate and can vary with customer behavior, economic conditions, and retention strategies. Probabilistic modeling may provide better forecasts.

Higher churn rates reduce average customer lifespan, directly decreasing LTV and thus the LTV to CAC ratio. Retention improvements can significantly boost LTV.

Startups rely on this ratio to validate product-market fit, prove business viability to investors, and guide scalable marketing decisions.

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