See how quickly gross profit per customer earns back acquisition cost and how the value stack grows over time.
Payback Period
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Enter CAC, ARPU, and gross margin to estimate payback months and simple horizon-based customer value.
Tap an example to prefill the calculator with sample values.
Efficient B2B SaaS
$800 CAC and $120 ARPU at 78% gross margin
A fairly efficient recurring-revenue setup where customer payback happens inside the first year.
Result: Healthy unit economics usually recover CAC well before the second year at this margin level
Sales-assisted motion
$2,200 CAC and $190 ARPU at 70% gross margin
A more expensive acquisition channel that needs higher contribution profit and patience before CAC is recovered.
Result: Longer payback windows can still work, but they put more pressure on cash flow and retention execution