Keywords · Acquisition · Finance · Channel · Updated 2026-07-21

What is Paid CAC?

Short answer: CAC calculated using only paid channel spend and the customers directly attributed to those paid channels.

Definition

CAC calculated using only paid channel spend and the customers directly attributed to those paid channels.

Why it matters for growth

Isolating paid CAC lets a team judge whether a specific ad channel is efficient enough to scale independent of organic performance.

Example

A team spends $4,000 on Google Ads and attributes 20 customers to those clicks, yielding a paid CAC of $200.

FAQ

What is Paid CAC?
CAC calculated using only paid channel spend and the customers directly attributed to those paid channels.
Why does Paid CAC matter for growth?
Isolating paid CAC lets a team judge whether a specific ad channel is efficient enough to scale independent of organic performance.
What is an example of Paid CAC?
A team spends $4,000 on Google Ads and attributes 20 customers to those clicks, yielding a paid CAC of $200.
What is Paid CAC? Definition and growth use · Cofounderbase