CAC Calculator
See blended CAC across every channel and paid-only CAC side by side, so you know what the ad account is really costing you.
Your numbers
Agency fees, tools, content, influencers: anything spent to acquire customers besides ads.
Every first-time buyer this period, including organic and direct.
The share of new customers you can attribute to paid ads specifically.
Your result · updates as you type
Blended CAC (all marketing, all new customers)
$43.18
$9,500 of marketing spend across 220 new customers. 77% of them came through paid ads.
- Blended CAC
- $43.18
- Paid-only CAC (ad spend ÷ paid customers)
- $47.06
- Share of customers from paid ads
- 77%
Blended CAC divides every marketing dollar by every new customer, including ones who never saw an ad. Paid-only CAC isolates the channel you can turn up or down. Track both: blended CAC tells you if the business works, paid CAC tells you if the ad account does. Check what it's worth paying with the [LTV:CAC calculator](/tools/ltv-cac-calculator) and [CAC payback calculator](/tools/cac-payback-calculator).
Breakdown
- Paid ad spend
- $8,000
- Other marketing costs
- $1,500
- Total marketing spend
- $9,500
- New customers, all channels
- 220
- New customers from paid ads
- 170
- Blended CAC
- $43.18
- Paid-only CAC
- $47.06
Blended CAC vs paid CAC
Blended CAC divides every marketing dollar by every new customer, including people who found you through search, word of mouth or an old email. Paid CAC isolates ad spend against the customers you can actually attribute to those ads. They answer different questions.
Example: the default numbers
- Ad spend + other marketing
- $8,000 + $1,500 = $9,500
- New customers, all channels
- 220
- New customers from paid ads
- 170
Blended CAC is 9,500 ÷ 220 = $43.18. Paid CAC is 8,000 ÷ 170 = $47.06. 77% of new customers came through paid ads.
What each number is for
- Blended CAC tells you whether the whole business's economics work, including organic and referral customers that cost nothing directly.
- Paid CAC tells you whether the ad account itself is working. If it's rising while blended CAC holds steady, organic is picking up the slack.
- Check affordability next. A CAC number alone doesn't say if it's a good deal. Run it through the LTV:CAC calculator and the CAC payback calculator.
Where to find the numbers
- 01
Shopify
Use Analytics → Reports → Customers over time for new customer counts, and your ad platforms' own spend totals.
- 02
WooCommerce
WooCommerce Analytics' Customers report shows new vs returning. Pull ad spend from each platform directly.
- 03
Attribution
“New customers from paid ads” should come from your ad platform's own attributed conversions, not a guess, since it's easy to double count with organic.
Questions people ask
What is a good CAC for ecommerce?
There's no fixed number: it depends entirely on order value, margin and how often customers reorder. Compare CAC with LTV and payback period rather than a benchmark.
What's the difference between blended and paid CAC?
Blended CAC spreads all marketing cost across all new customers. Paid CAC isolates ad spend against the customers attributed to ads specifically. Paid CAC is usually the higher number.
Should I include salaries in CAC?
Many businesses do include marketing team salaries in “other marketing costs” for a fuller blended CAC. Keep it consistent from month to month so trends stay comparable.
Why is my paid CAC rising even though ROAS looks stable?
ROAS mixes new and returning customer revenue. CAC only counts new customers, so it can rise even when overall ROAS holds, if returning customers are propping up revenue.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.
Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026.