PPC ROI Calculator

Estimate PPC ROI, ROAS, customer acquisition cost, and break-even performance from ad spend, clicks, conversion rates, customer value, margin, and fees.

Image of Mike Hinckley

Reviewed by Mike Hinckley

Founder & CEO at Storyline

Agent ready

Separate PPC acquisition efficiency from profitability. Enter ad spend, clicks, website conversion rate, conversion-to-customer rate, customer value, gross margin, and management fees.

Pick your assumptions

Return on ad spend
3.24:1
Profit-based ROI
97.2%

Acquisition efficiency

Cost per click
$3
Cost per website conversion
$96
Customer acquisition cost
$160
Break-even customer acquisition cost
$315

Profitability

Revenue
$32,400
Profit after direct costs
$22,680
Profit after PPC cost
$11,180
Break-even ROAS
1.64:1

Free export

Download full report

Enter your email to unlock PDF, CSV, and Excel downloads. On-screen results stay free.

How to calculate PPC ROI and ROAS

Website conversions equal clicks × website conversion rate. Customers equal conversions × conversion-to-customer rate. Revenue equals customers × customer value, and contribution profit equals revenue × gross margin. ROAS remains gross revenue ÷ ad spend; profit-based ROI compares contribution profit with total PPC cost.

PPC break-even ROAS and customer acquisition cost

Bars show gross revenue, profit after direct costs, and total PPC cost. Break-even customer acquisition cost equals customer value × gross margin. Break-even ROAS accounts for management fees and margin.

Frequently asked questions

How is PPC ROI calculated?

Profit-based PPC ROI equals (contribution profit − total PPC cost) ÷ total PPC cost. Contribution profit is revenue × gross margin. Total PPC cost includes ad spend plus agency or management fees.

What is the difference between ROAS and ROI?

ROAS is gross revenue ÷ ad spend only. Profit-based ROI applies gross margin and subtracts total PPC cost, including management fees. ROAS can look strong while profit-based ROI is negative.

How are CPC and CPA calculated?

Cost per click equals ad spend ÷ clicks. Cost per website conversion and customer acquisition cost use total PPC cost (ad spend + management fees), divided by website conversions or paying customers. Invalid denominators show N/A.

What are break-even CPA and break-even ROAS here?

Break-even customer acquisition cost is customer value × gross margin. Break-even ROAS is total PPC cost ÷ (ad spend × gross margin).

What happens with zero ad spend or zero total cost?

If ad spend is zero, ROAS and break-even ROAS show N/A, but profit-based ROI can still calculate when management fees create total cost. If total PPC cost is zero, ROI, CPC, cost per conversion, and customer acquisition cost show N/A while revenue and contribution can still display. A 0% gross margin is valid and produces $0 contribution profit; break-even ROAS then shows N/A.

Put the ideas into practice

Turn AI search into a source of customers.

See where your brand is missing from AI answers and what to publish next.

Storyline

Storyline helps high growth teams rank on Google and get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

© 2026 Storyline Systems Inc.

Made with in San Francisco

All systems normal