Customer Acquisition Cost

Industry research and benchmark recommendations. External and AI-synthesized — separate from your internal definition.

Internal definition

These benchmarks are AI-generated recommendations — they don’t become your official target until you approve them.

Benchmark recommendations

Benchmarks are recommendations drawn from external research and are never your official target until approved.

Industry benchmark

Industry median (B2B SaaS, $10–50M ARR)

AI suggested

$185high confidence

$140median $185$260

Interquartile range across sources

Based on recent B2B SaaS benchmark research for companies with ~$10M–$50M ARR and a product-led sales motion.

Supporting evidence (3)

OpenView Partners · Nov 1, 2025

Bessemer Venture Partners · Sep 15, 2025

McKinsey & Company · Jun 20, 2025

Last reviewed Jun 1, 2026

Company target

Northwind FY26 target

Approved

$170high confidence

Approved by Finance & Marketing leadership for FY26; slightly below industry median to protect payback.

Approved as a target

Department target

AMER Marketing

North America Marketing

Pending review

$155medium confidence

Proposed regional target reflecting stronger AMER efficiency; awaiting RevOps review.

Last reviewed —

Industry summary

AI synthesis

CAC measures how efficiently a company converts sales & marketing spend into new customers. It matters because it caps how much you can profitably spend to grow. Common calculation methods differ mainly on what goes in the numerator (media-only vs fully-loaded) and how 'new customer' is counted. It should always be read alongside LTV and payback period, and it varies widely across industries and go-to-market motions.

How it varies by segment

B2B SaaS (PLG)

$120–$160

B2B SaaS (Sales-led)

$250–$450

Ecommerce

$25–$70

Best practices

Review monthly
Segment by acquisition channel
Separate branded and non-branded campaigns
Track alongside LTV and payback period

Common mistakes

Excluding agency fees and salaries
Mixing paid and organic acquisition
Comparing benchmarks across unrelated industries
Reading CAC without payback context

Related research

B2B SaaS CAC Benchmarks by ARR Band
OpenView Partners · Nov 1, 2025
92% relevant
Median blended CAC for B2B SaaS companies in the $10M–$50M ARR band clusters around $180–$210, with product-led companies trending lower.
PLG motions run 20–35% lower CACEnterprise-heavy mixes push CAC above $400Fully-loaded CAC (incl. salaries) is ~1.6× media-only
Source: OpenView Partners AI confidence 86%
The State of SaaS Go-to-Market Efficiency
Bessemer Venture Partners · Sep 15, 2025
81% relevant
Efficient scalers keep CAC payback under 18 months; CAC alone is misleading without LTV and payback context.
CAC payback < 18mo is 'good' for mid-marketBlended vs paid CAC often confused
Source: Bessemer Venture Partners AI confidence 80%
Marketing Efficiency in a Tighter Funding Environment
McKinsey & Company · Jun 20, 2025
74% relevant
Cross-industry review finds acquisition costs rose 12% YoY; recommends segmenting CAC by channel and branded vs non-branded.
Segment CAC by channelSeparate branded/non-branded search
Source: McKinsey & Company AI confidence 78%