SaaS Cash Flow Valley

See the payback valley and when cumulative cash crosses zero—single-customer cohort math, 100% local in your browser.

When to use this tool

  • Pricing decisions where CAC payback is the gating metric.
  • Board or investor conversations about cohort profitability.
  • Comparing two pricing tiers side-by-side to see which hits cash-positive faster.

How it works

  1. Enter CAC (fully-loaded acquisition cost per customer).
  2. Enter monthly MRR per customer and gross margin.
  3. Enter monthly churn rate as a percentage.
  4. Read the cumulative cash curve and identify the month cash crosses zero.

Privacy: This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input is not sent to our servers.

Model: one new customer, CAC paid immediately, then MRR each month while subscribers survive monthly churn c. Not a forecast for your whole business.

Customer acquisition cost (CAC)$12,000
Monthly subscription (MRR)$800
Monthly churn rate4.0%

CAC payback period

23 months

LTV (simple: MRR ÷ churn)

$20,000

Red / green areas split at $0; cyan line is cumulative cash. LTV uses the textbook single-metric form MRR ÷ monthly churn.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this a full LTV/CAC model?

It is a single-cohort cumulative cash view — a truthful slice of LTV/CAC that highlights the payback valley without hiding churn.

What churn model is used?

Constant monthly churn applied against the current customer count. For more complex cohort churn, export to a spreadsheet.

How do I factor in expansion revenue?

Fold expansion into the MRR input by using the blended expected MRR per retained customer after month 6 or 12.