CPA vs CAC
CPA is media cost per conversion; CAC is total sales and marketing cost per new customer. CPA counts every conversion, including repeat buyers and leads that never close, and includes only media. CAC counts only new customers and includes salaries, tools, creative, and agency fees. A $40 CPA can be a $150 CAC once conversions are filtered to new customers and the full cost is loaded.
| CPA | CAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Numerator | Media spend | All sales and marketing cost |
| Denominator | Conversions | New customers |
| Scope | Campaign or channel | Business or channel |
| Used by | Media teams | Finance and leadership |
| Compared to | Conversion value | Lifetime value |
Terms in this comparison
Cite this page:
Agency Echelon. "CPA vs CAC." Agency Echelon Reference, reviewed September 2026. https://agencyechelon.com/reference/compare/cpa-vs-cac/