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Break-Even ROAS Calculator

Find your break-even ROAS: the lowest return on ad spend your Instagram and Facebook ads can run at without losing money. It also shows the most you can pay in ads for one sale. For creators and AI persona pages that sell a product, course or affiliate offer with ads.

Free · No signup · Runs in your browser

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Use your own fees from a past payout. Leave a cost empty if you don’t have it: a digital download often has no product cost at all.

Break-even ROAS –
–Profit per sale before ads
–Most you can pay in ads per sale (break-even CPA)
–Margin before ads
–Payment fees per sale

Math on the numbers you type. Nothing leaves your browser.

How to use the Break-Even ROAS Calculator

  1. Type your price and what one sale costs you: product or delivery, payment fee and other costs.

  2. Read your break-even ROAS, the profit per sale and the most you can pay in ads for one sale.

  3. Add the profit you want to keep per sale. You get the ROAS your ads need to leave it.

How to calculate break-even ROAS

  1. Payment fee = price × fee % + fixed fee.
  2. Profit per sale before ads = price − product or delivery cost − payment fee − other costs.
  3. Break-even CPA = profit per sale before ads. Pay more than this in ads for one sale and that sale loses money.
  4. Break-even ROAS = price ÷ profit per sale before ads. It is the same number as 1 ÷ your margin before ads.

Worked example, made-up numbers: a $49 course with $2 of hosting per sale, a 4% + $0.50 payment fee and $1 of other costs. The fee is $1.96 + $0.50 = $2.46. Profit per sale is $49 − $2 − $2.46 − $1 = $43.54. Break-even CPA is $43.54. Break-even ROAS is $49 ÷ $43.54 = 1.13×.

Why digital products break even close to 1×

A digital product costs almost nothing to deliver. Nearly the whole price is profit, so price ÷ profit lands close to 1. Break-even ROAS never goes below 1×: even with no costs at all, each unit of ads needs one unit of sales back.

A physical product often sits much higher. A made-up $40 product that costs $24 to make, pack and ship leaves $16. It breaks even at $40 ÷ $16 = 2.5×. The same ad results can be a win for one seller and a loss for the other.

For an affiliate offer, type your commission as the price. The brand delivers the product, so your cost per sale is often zero and break-even sits near 1× too.

The ROAS you need to keep a profit

At break-even, the ads take the whole profit. To keep some, take it off first. The most you can pay in ads per sale is profit per sale − the profit you want to keep. The ROAS you need is price ÷ that amount.

Same made-up course: to keep $20 of the $43.54, ads can cost at most $23.54 per sale. The ROAS you need is $49 ÷ $23.54 = 2.08×.

Keep your video costs out of each sale: make your images and videos on your own API keys at the providers’ prices, under one monthly plan. See pricing →

Break-Even ROAS Calculator questions

What is break-even ROAS?

The lowest ROAS at which your ads pay for themselves and nothing more. It is price ÷ profit per sale before ads. Above it, each sale leaves profit after its ads. Below it, each sale loses money.

What is the difference between break-even ROAS and break-even CPA?

None in what they tell you: they are the same limit, written two ways. CPA, cost per acquisition, is what you pay in ads for one sale. Break-even CPA is the most you can pay: the profit a sale leaves before ads. Break-even ROAS is price ÷ break-even CPA.

How do I lower my break-even ROAS?

Raise what each sale leaves before ads. Charge more, sell a bundle, or cut product, delivery and fee costs. The bigger your margin, the lower the ROAS your ads need.

Where do I find my payment fee?

On your store’s or payment processor’s pricing page. Or check a past payout: compare what the buyer paid with what reached your account.

Should refunds count as a cost?

Yes, if you refund some sales. Add your refund rate × price to Other costs per sale. A 5% refund rate on a $40 product adds $2.

Do fixed costs like software belong here?

No. This calculator works per sale. Check monthly costs, like software plans, against your profit for the month.

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