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Unit economics & SaaS

LTV to CAC ratio

Lifetime value divided by acquisition cost — how many dollars of gross profit each dollar of acquisition spend buys. Three is the usual healthy benchmark.

Owned by: Senior analystTest band: Senior analyst
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The formula

LTV:CAC = LTV ÷ CAC

In practice

Below one, every customer loses money. Above five, you are probably under-investing in growth. The ratio says nothing about how long the payback takes.

The kind of thing the test asks

  • LTV:CAC is 4:1 but CAC payback is 30 months. The concern is…
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