Enter your campaign spend. Everything, not just media cost.
Enter the revenue it generated. Attributed to that campaign.
Add your gross margin. This is what separates a real answer from a flattering one.
Read the ROI and payback. Both matter; one without the other is half a picture.
Why Use This Marketing ROI Calculator?
Most marketing ROI figures are calculated on revenue, which makes almost every campaign look profitable.
A campaign that spent £5,000 and generated £20,000 in revenue looks like a 300% return. At a 30% gross margin it actually returned £6,000 in profit — a 20% return. Same campaign, completely different decision.
The Parix.ai marketing ROI calculator asks for margin because that is the number that decides whether to spend more.
The trap is in the second variable. Skip margin and you are measuring revenue return, not profit return — which is why so many campaigns are declared successful and the business still does not make money.
What to Include in Spend
Media and ad spend, all channels. Agency fees and retainers. Creative and content production. Marketing software and tools. And a share of salaries for the people running it.
Salaries are the most commonly omitted line, and they often exceed media spend. Leaving them out is the fastest way to a number nobody should act on.
ROAS vs ROI: They Are Not the Same
This confusion costs real money, because the two numbers can point in opposite directions.
ROAS
ROI
Measures
Revenue per £1 of ad spend
Profit relative to total marketing cost
Includes margin
No
Yes
Includes salaries and tools
No
Yes
Good for
Comparing ad campaigns
Deciding whether marketing pays
ROAS of 4:1 sounds excellent. At a 20% gross margin it is a loss. Every £1 spent returns £4 in revenue, which is 80p in gross profit — less than the pound you spent.
Use ROAS to compare campaigns against each other. Use ROI to decide whether the channel is worth running at all.
What Is a Good Marketing ROI?
The common benchmark is 5:1 — £5 of revenue for every £1 spent. 2:1 is roughly break-even for most businesses once margin is applied. 10:1 is exceptional.
But benchmarks are less useful than they look, because a 5:1 return in a 70% margin software business and a 5:1 return in a 15% margin retailer are entirely different outcomes.
The more useful question is whether this campaign beats your next best use of the same money.
The Number ROI Does Not Show You
Payback period. How long before the campaign has repaid what it cost?
A campaign with a strong ROI over three years can still sink a business if the cash goes out in month one and comes back in month thirty. ROI measures whether it works. Payback measures whether you can afford to wait.
Who Uses It
Marketing leads defending a budget. Founders deciding which channel to fund. Agencies reporting on a retainer honestly. Pair it with the CAC Calculator and the LTV Calculator so the acquisition maths lines up end to end.
Calculate Your ROI Now
Enter spend, revenue and margin above. Include the salaries — the number only helps if it is the honest one.
Questions answered
Frequently asked questions
Everything you might be wondering about the Marketing ROI Calculator.
What is the marketing ROI formula?+
Revenue times gross margin, minus marketing spend, divided by marketing spend, times 100. The margin is what most calculations leave out.
What is the difference between ROAS and ROI?+
ROAS measures revenue per pound of ad spend and ignores margin. ROI measures profit against total marketing cost. A 4:1 ROAS can be a loss at low margin.
What is a good marketing ROI?+
5:1 is the common benchmark, 2:1 is roughly break-even once margin is applied, and 10:1 is exceptional. Your own margin matters more than any benchmark.
Should salaries be included in marketing spend?+
Yes. They are frequently the largest cost and the most commonly omitted.
Is the Parix.ai marketing ROI calculator free?+
Yes. No signup, and nothing you enter is stored.
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