Acquisition · Updated June 2026
CAC Benchmarks
Blended customer acquisition cost by industry and ARR band. Median and top-quartile across 8 industries and 6 ARR bands.
Where does your CAC land?
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Your blended CAC
Blended CAC — all industries and ARR bands
| Industry | ARR Band | Median CAC | Top Quartile | Range | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure — lowest CAC in SaaS, PLG-driven | |||||
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure | Under $1M | $2,800 | $1,200 | $800–$7,000 | Low CAC |
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure | $1M–$5M | $3,800 | $1,900 | $1,200–$9,000 | Low CAC |
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure | $5M–$20M | $7,200 | $3,600 | $2,000–$16,000 | Low CAC |
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure | $20M–$50M | $14,000 | $7,000 | $5,000–$30,000 | Low CAC |
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure | $50M–$100M | $24,000 | $12,000 | $8,000–$48,000 | Low CAC |
| Dev Tools / Infrastructure | $100M+ | $40,000 | $20,000 | $14,000–$78,000 | Low CAC |
| MarTech / Sales Tech | |||||
| MarTech / Sales Tech | Under $1M | $3,500 | $1,800 | $1,200–$8,000 | Moderate |
| MarTech / Sales Tech | $1M–$5M | $5,500 | $2,750 | $2,000–$12,000 | Moderate |
| MarTech / Sales Tech | $5M–$20M | $10,500 | $5,250 | $3,800–$22,000 | Moderate |
| MarTech / Sales Tech | $20M–$50M | $19,000 | $9,500 | $7,000–$38,000 | Moderate |
| MarTech / Sales Tech | $50M–$100M | $32,000 | $16,000 | $11,000–$62,000 | Moderate |
| MarTech / Sales Tech | $100M+ | $50,000 | $25,000 | $18,000–$95,000 | Moderate |
| General B2B SaaS | |||||
| General B2B SaaS | Under $1M | $4,200 | $2,100 | $1,800–$8,500 | Moderate |
| General B2B SaaS | $1M–$5M | $6,800 | $3,400 | $2,500–$14,000 | Moderate |
| General B2B SaaS | $5M–$20M | $12,500 | $6,200 | $4,000–$28,000 | Moderate |
| General B2B SaaS | $20M–$50M | $22,000 | $11,500 | $8,000–$45,000 | Moderate |
| General B2B SaaS | $50M–$100M | $38,000 | $19,000 | $14,000–$72,000 | Moderate |
| General B2B SaaS | $100M+ | $58,000 | $29,000 | $20,000–$110,000 | Moderate |
| Vertical SaaS | |||||
| Vertical SaaS | Under $1M | $5,000 | $2,500 | $2,000–$11,000 | Moderate |
| Vertical SaaS | $1M–$5M | $7,200 | $3,600 | $2,800–$15,000 | Moderate |
| Vertical SaaS | $5M–$20M | $13,800 | $6,900 | $5,000–$28,000 | Moderate |
| Vertical SaaS | $20M–$50M | $25,000 | $12,500 | $9,000–$50,000 | Moderate |
| Vertical SaaS | $50M–$100M | $42,000 | $21,000 | $15,000–$80,000 | Moderate |
| Vertical SaaS | $100M+ | $65,000 | $32,500 | $24,000–$120,000 | Moderate |
| HR / Workforce | |||||
| HR / Workforce | Under $1M | $6,000 | $3,000 | $2,500–$13,000 | Mid-High |
| HR / Workforce | $1M–$5M | $8,500 | $4,200 | $3,500–$18,000 | Mid-High |
| HR / Workforce | $5M–$20M | $15,500 | $7,800 | $5,500–$32,000 | Mid-High |
| HR / Workforce | $20M–$50M | $28,000 | $14,000 | $10,000–$55,000 | Mid-High |
| HR / Workforce | $50M–$100M | $46,000 | $23,000 | $16,000–$88,000 | Mid-High |
| HR / Workforce | $100M+ | $70,000 | $35,000 | $25,000–$130,000 | Mid-High |
| Fintech / Financial Services — regulated sales cycles drive higher CAC | |||||
| Fintech / Financial Services | Under $1M | $7,500 | $3,800 | $3,000–$16,000 | High |
| Fintech / Financial Services | $1M–$5M | $9,400 | $4,700 | $3,500–$19,000 | High |
| Fintech / Financial Services | $5M–$20M | $18,500 | $9,200 | $7,000–$38,000 | High |
| Fintech / Financial Services | $20M–$50M | $32,000 | $16,000 | $12,000–$60,000 | High |
| Fintech / Financial Services | $50M–$100M | $52,000 | $26,000 | $18,000–$95,000 | High |
| Fintech / Financial Services | $100M+ | $80,000 | $40,000 | $28,000–$145,000 | High |
| Security / Compliance — longest sales cycles, highest CAC outside healthcare | |||||
| Security / Compliance | Under $1M | $8,000 | $4,000 | $3,200–$17,000 | High CAC |
| Security / Compliance | $1M–$5M | $11,200 | $5,600 | $4,200–$22,000 | High CAC |
| Security / Compliance | $5M–$20M | $24,000 | $12,000 | $9,000–$48,000 | High CAC |
| Security / Compliance | $20M–$50M | $42,000 | $21,000 | $16,000–$80,000 | High CAC |
| Security / Compliance | $50M–$100M | $68,000 | $34,000 | $24,000–$125,000 | High CAC |
| Security / Compliance | $100M+ | $95,000 | $48,000 | $35,000–$175,000 | High CAC |
| Healthcare / MedTech — highest CAC in SaaS; justified by ACV and retention | |||||
| Healthcare / MedTech | Under $1M | $12,000 | $6,000 | $5,000–$25,000 | Very High |
| Healthcare / MedTech | $1M–$5M | $18,000 | $9,000 | $7,000–$36,000 | Very High |
| Healthcare / MedTech | $5M–$20M | $28,500 | $14,200 | $10,000–$58,000 | Very High |
| Healthcare / MedTech | $20M–$50M | $48,000 | $24,000 | $18,000–$90,000 | Very High |
| Healthcare / MedTech | $50M–$100M | $75,000 | $38,000 | $28,000–$140,000 | Very High |
| Healthcare / MedTech | $100M+ | $110,000 | $55,000 | $40,000–$200,000 | Very High |
Sources: Bessemer Venture Partners State of the Cloud 2024, OpenView SaaS Benchmarks 2024, KeyBanc Capital Markets SaaS Survey 2023. Blended (all-channel) CAC medians and top-quartile performers.
High CAC ≠ bad business
Healthcare and security companies run 3–5× higher CAC than dev tools at the same ARR band. This is structural, not a failure — it reflects longer sales cycles, regulatory procurement hurdles, and multi-stakeholder buying. The right comparison is CAC against LTV, not against a cross-industry average. A $90K CAC on a $180K ACV healthcare deal with 7-year average retention is strong unit economics.Sponsored placement
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