CAC payback is the months it takes a customer's gross margin to recoup what you spent to win them — a key survival metric. Enter your numbers to see it, then go deeper with the full tool.
Recoup-time per customer, plus the unit economics behind it.
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It's the number of months it takes to earn back the cost of acquiring a customer, measured on the gross margin they generate — not just their revenue. It equals CAC divided by (monthly revenue per customer times gross margin). A shorter payback means less cash tied up funding growth and lower risk.
It varies by business and funding, but many subscription businesses aim to recoup CAC within about 12 months, and stronger ones do it in under 6. The key is that payback should be comfortably shorter than how long customers stay — if it takes longer to recoup CAC than the average customer lasts, the model loses money.
A ready-to-use spreadsheet (Excel & Google Sheets): CAC payback in months from your CAC, revenue, and margin, with channel/segment comparison and sensitivity — delivered instantly after checkout. AI-assisted, human-built; not financial advice.
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