Channel CAC
MetricChannel CAC is the acquisition cost for a single channel, calculated using only that channel's spend and self-reported conversions.
What is Channel CAC, in plain English?
Channel CAC looks at one ad network in isolation. For example, if you spent $2,000 on LinkedIn Ads and LinkedIn says it brought you 20 new customers, your LinkedIn Channel CAC is $100.
How do you calculate Channel CAC?
Channel CAC = Channel Ad Spend ÷ Channel-Attributed New Customers
Channel CAC example
Google Ads spends $5,000 and claims 100 new customer signups, resulting in a Google Channel CAC of $50.
Common Channel CAC mistakes
Because ad platforms cannot see each other, multiple channels can claim the exact same customer. If a customer clicks a Google ad and later a Meta ad before signing up, both Google and Meta will claim the conversion, making both channels look twice as cheap as they actually were.
- Blended CAC vs. Channel CAC — Which One Goes to the Board?
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- Joining ad spend to orders with no common key
- New vs. Returning Customer ROAS, and Why Blended Hides an Acquisition Problem
- Retargeting steals credit from prospecting (and how to prove it)
- CPA vs CAC vs CPP: stop mixing them in one deck
Last reviewed August 28, 2026.