CPM, CPC & CTR calculator
Fill in what you know and the rest works itself out.
Your numbers
Enter any three of spend, impressions, clicks and conversions.
Your metrics
How to use this CPM, CPC & CTR calculator
- Choose your currency and enter your spend.
- Add your impressions, clicks and conversions. Leave out any you do not have.
- Read your CPM, CPC, CTR and conversion rate.
Who it is for
For media buyers and business owners comparing campaigns, or checking a report from an agency, on any ad platform.
What each metric is for
| Metric | Means | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| CPM | Cost per 1,000 impressions | Compare how expensive an audience is to reach |
| CPC | Cost per click | Compare how expensive attention is |
| CTR | Clicks ÷ impressions | Judge whether the creative is working |
| CPA | Cost per conversion | The only one that pays your bills |
The relationship worth remembering
That last line matters. On platforms that charge by impression — which is most social advertising — you do not buy clicks, you buy impressions, and your CTR decides what a click costs you.
Double your click-through rate and your cost per click halves, without touching a bid. That is why creative is the main lever on Meta, and why a tired ad gets expensive rather than simply getting less reach.
Do not optimise the middle numbers
CTR and CPC are diagnostics, not goals. It is easy to win them and lose money: a clickbait headline lifts CTR and fills your pipeline with people who were never going to buy.
Judge campaigns on cost per conversion, and use CTR and CPC to work out why that number moved.
Common questions
How do you calculate CPM?
Divide spend by impressions and multiply by 1,000. If 500 buys 100,000 impressions, CPM is 500 ÷ 100,000 × 1,000, which is 5.
What is a good CTR?
It depends entirely on the placement. Search ads on brand terms can exceed 10%. Generic search sits around 2–5%. Social feeds are often under 1%, and display lower still. Compare against your own history rather than a benchmark from a different channel.
Why did my CPC rise when I did not change my bid?
Usually the creative got tired, so CTR fell. On impression-priced platforms a lower CTR mechanically raises what each click costs. Fresh creative normally brings it back down.
Should I optimise for CPM or CPC?
Neither, on their own. A cheap CPM reaching the wrong people is worthless. Optimise for cost per conversion, and use CPM and CPC to diagnose what changed.
Want this checked on your real account?
A tool can only work with the numbers you give it. If you want someone to look at what is actually happening in your ad account, the first conversation is free.
Book a free consultationBuilt and maintained by Premkumar Ragav, an independent performance marketing specialist. Updated November 2026.