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Finance

Customer Lifetime Value Calculator

Calculate what each customer is truly worth to your business

Calculator Mode

Mean revenue per purchase

How many times per year a customer buys

Revenue minus direct costs

How long a typical customer stays

LTV Results

Annual Revenue / Customer$340$85.00 × 4.00×/yr
Simple LTV (Revenue)$1,020over 3.0 years
Gross-Profit LTV$612at 60.0% margin

LTV Health

Healthy

Strong LTV — optimize CAC to keep payback under 12 months.

Implied Churn

33.3%

per year

LTV : CAC Ratio

Enter your Customer Acquisition Cost to see your LTV:CAC ratio. A healthy ratio is 3:1 or higher.

LTV : CAC Ratio4.08:1Healthy — solid unit economics
Revenue Payback5.3 momonths to recoup CAC on revenue
GP Payback8.8 momonths to recoup CAC on gross profit

Sensitivity — Improve Retention

See how extending customer lifespan impacts Gross-Profit LTV (all other inputs held constant).

50% of lifespan

$306

1.5 yr lifespan

Baseline

$612

3.0 yr lifespan

1.5× lifespan

$918

4.5 yr lifespan

2× lifespan

$1,224

6.0 yr lifespan

3× lifespan

$1,836

9.0 yr lifespan

5× lifespan

$3,060

15.0 yr lifespan

Disclaimer: LTV calculations are estimates based on average historical behavior. Actual values depend on customer mix, seasonality, product changes, and market conditions. The discounted LTV uses a simplified DCF model with a constant discount rate. Use these figures as directional benchmarks, not guarantees.

About

The Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) calculator tells you exactly how much revenue a single customer generates over their entire relationship with your business. Enter your average order value, purchase frequency, and customer lifespan to get simple LTV, gross-profit LTV, and — in advanced mode — a discounted cash-flow LTV with your LTV:CAC payback ratio.

FAQ
What is Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)?+

LTV is the total net revenue or gross profit a business expects from a single customer over the entire duration of their relationship. It's calculated as: LTV = Average Order Value × Purchase Frequency × Customer Lifespan. Measuring LTV helps you decide how much you can afford to spend acquiring a new customer.

What is a good LTV:CAC ratio?+

A ratio of 3:1 or higher is generally considered healthy — meaning you earn $3 in lifetime gross profit for every $1 spent acquiring a customer. Ratios below 1:1 mean you're losing money on each customer. SaaS and subscription businesses often target 5:1 or higher.

How is churn rate related to customer lifespan?+

They're inversely related: Customer Lifespan (years) = 1 ÷ Annual Churn Rate. For example, a 25% annual churn rate implies an average customer lifespan of 4 years. Reducing churn by even a few percentage points can dramatically increase LTV.

What is the difference between simple LTV and discounted LTV?+

Simple LTV multiplies annual gross profit by customer lifespan without accounting for the time value of money. Discounted (DCF) LTV applies a discount rate — typically your cost of capital or a hurdle rate — to reflect that future cash flows are worth less than dollars earned today. DCF LTV gives a more conservative and financially rigorous estimate.

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