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Break-even ROAS Calculator
Find the exact ROAS and ACoS where your ads start making money.
Your numbers
Works for any channel — Meta, Google, TikTok, or Amazon Ads.
$
$
Product + fulfilment
%
Net margin you want to keep
Break-even ROAS
ACoS 60.0%1.67×
Max cost / acquisition
$27.00
Break-even CPAROAS for 20% margin
2.50×
ACoS 40.0%Target cost / acquisition
$18.00
Gross margin
60.0%
Know your break-even on every campaign
Connect your ad accounts and store and the Captain flags campaigns running below break-even ROAS.
How it’s calculated
Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ Contribution margin
Contribution margin = (Price − variable costs) ÷ Price.
Worked example
- Contribution margin
- 40%
- Result
- Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ 0.40 = 2.5×
Below 2.5× the campaign loses money; above it, you profit.
What your result means
Break-even ROAS is the ad return where a campaign exactly pays for itself. Above it you profit; below it you lose money even if the platform shows a ‘positive’ ROAS. It falls straight out of your margin — fatter margins break even at a lower ROAS.
Common mistakes
- Setting revenue-based ROAS targets without knowing your margin — a 3× ROAS still loses money at a 25% margin.
- Leaving variable costs beyond COGS (fees, shipping, returns) out of the margin.
- Using one target across products that have very different margins.
Learn how it works
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Frequently asked questions
Break-even ROAS vs. target ROAS?
Break-even is where you make $0 profit; target ROAS is break-even plus the profit margin you actually want to earn.
Why can a high ROAS still lose money?
Because ROAS ignores costs. With a thin margin, even a 4× ROAS can sit below break-even once COGS, fees and shipping are counted.
Last reviewed 31 Jul 2026 · reviewed by the Dash Captain team.