In short
- CPA = ad spend ÷ orders. $1,200 for 58 orders is $20.69 per order.
- Break-even CPA = order value − costs per order. Below it the ads make money; above it every order loses.
- Before you run ads: CPA = CPC ÷ conversion rate. $0.13 per visitor at 1.5% is $8.67 per order.
How to use the CPA calculator
- Choose "From my results" and enter ad spend and orders, or "Plan it ahead" and enter the cost per click and your conversion rate.
- Enter one typical order: its value and what it costs you - product, shipping, fees. This sets the most you can pay.
- Read the bars. Your CPA left of the limit means each order makes money. Copy the link to keep the result.
How to calculate CPA
$1,200 ÷ 58 = $20.69 per order.
Count only orders the ads brought, after refunds. Your ad report shows them; on Adeagle each campaign shows its orders and their revenue.
How to find your break-even CPA
$60 − $30 = $30. A $20.69 CPA leaves $9.31 per order after ads.
| Order value | Costs per order | Break-even CPA |
|---|---|---|
| $40 | $24 | $16 |
| $60 | $30 | $30 |
| $80 | $36 | $44 |
| $120 | $77 | $43 |
In a sample of 297 Shopify stores using Adeagle - apparel, home & garden, health & beauty, electronics, food, sporting goods, car parts, toys and pet supplies among them - the median order is about $80 (the middle of the stores' average orders, 2025–2026). It differs by vertical:
| Vertical | Median order | Break-even CPA at a 45% margin |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel & accessories | $55 | $25 per order |
| Home & garden | $49 | $22 per order |
| Health & beauty | $74 | $33 per order |
| Electronics | $125 | $56 per order |
| All stores in the sample | $80 | $36 per order |
So a typical store that keeps 45% of each order before ads can pay about $36 in ads for every order and still break even.
Plan your CPA from CPC and conversion rate
$0.13 ÷ 1.5% = $8.67. At $0.80 per click it is $53.33 - more than most small stores can pay.
That is why the cost per visitor decides so much: at the same conversion rate, a visitor six times cheaper is an order six times cheaper. Find your cost per click first.
About $0.13 per visitor on the Essential plan. If 1.5% of those visitors buy, one order costs $8.67 in ads. Many shoppers who click a display ad buy on a later visit, so judge the result over a few weeks, not the first days.
See the plans →CPA vs ROAS
Two views of the same result: ROAS = order value ÷ CPA, and break-even ROAS = order value ÷ break-even CPA. A $60 order at a $20.69 CPA is a 2.9× ROAS; the break-even is $60 ÷ $30 = 2×. The ROAS calculator starts from revenue instead of orders.
What this calculator does not tell you
- Repeat buyers. A customer who orders again makes a higher first CPA worth paying. The customer lifetime value calculator shows how much.
- How orders are counted. Ad apps count orders after a click, after a view, or both, over different windows. Compare CPAs only between reports that count the same way.
- Fixed costs. Break-even here is per order. Rent, apps and salaries come on top.
By Bart Ziem, Adeagle · Formulas: standard definitions used by every ad platform · Adeagle CPC: what stores paid ÷ visits from real visitors, Aug–Sep 2026 · Median order value: a sample of 297 stores, 2025–2026 orders; verticals with at least 14 stores in the sample · Examples, not promises: your result depends on your products and prices