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ROAS & Ad Break-Even Calculator

Updated June 2026 · Written & fact-checked by the NumberBench editorial team · How we calculate

Find out whether your ads make money and how far you can push them. Enter your order economics and ad numbers to get ROAS, the break-even ROAS you must beat, and your maximum profitable cost per acquisition and per click.

Example: with Average order value $60 · Product cost / order $20 · Other costs / order (ship, fees) $8 · Ad spend $500 → ROAS: 4.00x.

  • Break-even ROAS1.88x
  • Profit after ad spend$567
  • Max cost per acquisition$32.00

Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.

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ROAS—
Break-even ROAS—
Profit after ad spend—
Max cost per acquisition—
Max cost per click—
Contribution / order—
Can you scale?—
📊 Benchmark: breakeven ROAS = 1 ÷ margin; a 4:1 (400%) ROAS is often cited as healthy. Digital-ad benchmark.

ROAS vs break-even

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The numbers that decide scaling

ROAS alone can't tell you if ads pay — you need your margin. Break-even ROAS equals order value divided by contribution (revenue minus product and other costs). Beat it and ads are profitable. Max cost per acquisition is your contribution per order — the most you can pay for a sale. Divide by your conversion rate to get max cost per click, the bid ceiling for your campaigns.

How it’s calculated

Contribution = order value − product cost − other costs. ROAS = revenue ÷ ad spend; break-even ROAS = order value ÷ contribution; max cost per acquisition = contribution; max cost per click = max CPA × conversion rate.

Results update as you type and are estimates, not professional advice — verify important decisions with a qualified professional.

Common mistakes

  • Judging ROAS without knowing your break-even ROAS.
  • Ignoring product cost, so 'profitable' ads actually lose money.

Frequently asked questions

What's break-even ROAS?

Order value divided by your contribution margin per order. If your real ROAS is above it, ads make money.

How is max CPC derived?

Max cost per acquisition times your conversion rate. If 1 in 50 clicks buys and you can pay $30 per sale, your max CPC is about $0.60.

Why use contribution instead of a margin %?

Entering order value and costs directly is more concrete and avoids guessing a blended margin number.