SaaS CLV Calculator

Quick Takeaway

Calculate Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and compare to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Healthy SaaS has CLV:CAC ratio of 3:1 or higher. Below 1:1 means you're losing money on every customer.

Calculate customer lifetime value, LTV:CAC ratio, CAC payback period, and churn impact in seconds. Built for SaaS founders and indie hackers.

Your Numbers

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

Monthly revenue per paying customer

Gross Margin

Monthly Churn Rate

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Average cost to acquire one paying customer

Expansion Rate

Monthly upsell/cross-sell

Current Customers

CLV Results

Customer Lifetime Value
$0
LTV per customer

LTV:CAC Ratio

0:1

Target: 3:1 or higher

CAC Payback Period

0 months

Time to recover CAC

Average Lifespan

0 months

Before churn

Monthly Churn Impact

Revenue lost monthly

Net MRR Retention

Expansion minus churn

CLV vs CAC Comparison

Improving Your CLV:CAC Ratio

Reduce Churn First: Cutting churn from 5% to 3% can increase CLV by 67%. Focus on onboarding, support, and product improvements before acquiring more customers.
Drive Expansion Revenue: Upsells, cross-sells, and tiered pricing can turn negative net retention into positive. Aim for 110%+ net dollar retention.
Optimize CAC Channels: Not all customers are equal. Track CAC by channel and double down on channels with the best LTV:CAC ratios.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good CLV:CAC ratio?

3:1 is the benchmark. 4:1+ is excellent. Below 3:1 means you're spending too much on acquisition. Below 1:1 is unsustainable.

How do I increase CLV?

Reduce churn (biggest lever), increase average revenue per user (ARPU) through upsells, and extend customer lifetime through better onboarding and support.

What is the average SaaS churn rate?

5-7% annual churn is good for enterprise SaaS. 10-15% monthly churn is typical for consumer SaaS. For SMB SaaS, 3-5% monthly churn is acceptable.