CPA Calculator: Cost Per Acquisition (or Lead)
Cost per acquisition (CPA, also called cost per action, cost per conversion or, when the conversion is a lead, cost per lead) is what it costs to win one customer or lead. Enter spend and conversions to see your CPA, plan a budget from a target CPA, or work it out from your CPC and conversion rate.
CPA
$25.00
How it's calculated
CPA = Total cost ÷ Conversions
Divide total ad spend by the number of conversions, where a conversion is whatever you define as a win: a sale, a lead or a sign-up. Compare it to the most you can afford to pay, which the break-even ROAS calculator gives you.
Worked example
You spend $1,000 and get 40 sales, so CPA = $1,000 ÷ 40 = $25. If each sale earns $80 revenue at a 25% margin, your max break-even CPA is $20, so at $25 you lose $5 on every sale and need either a lower CPA or repeat purchases.
CPA benchmarks by channel
Medians or averages from the published datasets linked in each row. CPA depends heavily on what counts as a conversion and on deal size. A $20 lead can be great for one business and ruinous for another.
Sources checked October 2026. Each row links to the study behind it, with its sample and period where the publisher shares them.
| Conversion | Reported cost |
|---|---|
| App install (CPI)Source: Mapendo: Mobile apps CPI 2026. Secondary report, H1 2026; sample and methodology not disclosed. | iOS $4 – $6, Android up to about $3.50 |
| TikTok, purchase or conversionSource: Triple Whale: TikTok ads benchmarks. 5,900+ brands, Aug 2025 to Jul 2026. | $17 |
| Meta, lead (cost per lead)Source: LocaliQ: Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2026. Medians of 1,892 US social campaigns, Apr 2025 to Jun 2026. | $27 |
| Google Ads overallSource: Triple Whale: Google Ads benchmarks. All campaign types, 21,000+ brands, Aug 2025 to Jul 2026. | $28 |
| Meta, ecommerce purchaseSource: Triple Whale: Meta ads benchmarks. Medians across 40,000+ brands, Aug 2025 to Jul 2026. | $39 |
| Google and Microsoft Search, lead (cost per lead)Source: WordStream by LocaliQ, via Search Engine Journal. Google and Microsoft Ads search campaigns, Apr 2025 to Mar 2026. | $67 |
| LinkedIn, B2B lead (cost per lead)Source: Metadata: LinkedIn ad benchmarks. 138 advertisers, 2025 spend, all campaign goals.Source: ZenABM: LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks. 211 B2B companies, $5.5M spend, published Feb 2026; US medians. | $200 – $376 |
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate CPA?
Divide total ad cost by total conversions. $2,400 spent for 60 conversions gives a CPA of $40.
How do I calculate cost per lead?
Cost per lead (CPL) uses the same formula as CPA, with leads as the conversion. $1,500 spent on 50 leads is a CPL of $30.
What is a good CPA?
A good CPA is below the profit you make per customer. Compare it with your break-even CPA (order value × margin) or with customer lifetime value if people buy repeatedly.
What is the difference between CPA and CPC?
CPC is the cost of a click. CPA is the cost of a finished conversion. CPA equals CPC divided by your conversion rate, so a $1.50 CPC with a 3% conversion rate gives a $50 CPA. The From CPC tab does this sum, and the CPC calculator covers the click side.
How can I lower my CPA?
Raise your conversion rate with a better landing page and offer, improve targeting to reach people more likely to buy, lower CPC through relevance, and cut spend on segments that never convert.
Related calculators
- Break-Even ROAS CalculatorThe ROAS you need to break even, and your max CPA.
- ROAS CalculatorReturn on ad spend, plus ROI % and a check against your margin.
- CPC CalculatorCost per click. Also solves for cost, clicks or your max CPC.
- CPM CalculatorCost per thousand impressions. Also solves for cost or impressions.
- CTR CalculatorClick-through rate, plus an A/B significance test for two ads.