Cost Per Click Calculator

Divide ad spend by clicks to get CPC, and see how many clicks each unit of budget buys.

About Cost Per Click Calculator

Dividing spend by the number of clicks gives the unit economics of the channel. The reciprocal — clicks delivered per unit of currency — is shown alongside, because that is the figure to maximise when a budget is fixed. Unit cost is the only number that lets you compare channels with wildly different budgets, and it is the input every bid and budget decision ultimately rests on.

Formula

Cost Per Click

Cost Per Click = Ad spend ÷ Clicks received

Ad spend: Total amount spent in the period
Clicks received: Countable outcomes delivered for that spend

Worked example

With the default values below, Cost Per Click Calculator returns Cost Per Click of $1.5000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Ad spendminimum 0: 4,800
Clicks receivedminimum 0: 3,200

Results

Cost Per Click: $1.5000
Clicks per Unit of Spend: 0.67
Spend per 1,000 clicks: $1,500.00
Clicks Needed to Justify Spend at Current Rate: 3,200

Step by step

1Values used
2Cost Per Click
3Cost Per Click= 1.5000
4Clicks per Unit of Spend= 0.67
5Spend per 1,000 clicks= 1,500.00
6Clicks Needed to Justify Spend at Current Rate= 3,200

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Cost Per Click calculated?

Cost Per Click = Ad spend ÷ Clicks received Dividing spend by the number of clicks gives the unit economics of the channel. The reciprocal — clicks delivered per unit of currency — is shown alongside, because that is the figure to maximise when a budget is fixed.

Why does Cost Per Click matter?

Unit cost is the only number that lets you compare channels with wildly different budgets, and it is the input every bid and budget decision ultimately rests on.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 2 inputs: Ad spend, Clicks received. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.