Definition

ROAS.

Also called: Return on ad spend

Return on ad spend: revenue from a cohort of acquired users divided by the spend that acquired them, measured at a given day (D7, D30, D180…).

Formula ROAS(dN) = Cohort revenue by day N ÷ Cohort acquisition spend

ROAS measures how much of acquisition spend a cohort has returned by a certain age. D7 ROAS of 30% means the cohort has generated revenue equal to 30% of its cost after seven days.

Always quote the window and whether revenue is gross or net of platform fees. Early ROAS is a prediction input, not an answer: judge it against the ROAS curve your game typically follows to reach payback. And distinguish blended ROAS (reporting) from marginal ROAS (allocation).

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Marginal ROAS CalculatorEnter spend steps and cohort revenue at equal age to see what each budget increase actually returned — not just the blended average.
UA Payback Window & Unit Economics GraderModel CAC payback windows and ROI curves. Evaluate cash exposure limits and campaign health grades.

Field notes

A Healthy Blended ROAS Can Hide a Bad Scaling DecisionBlended ROAS is reporting. Marginal ROAS is allocation. The average can stay flat while the economics of the newest spend get worse.
A Small UA Increase and a Scale Decision Need Different EvidenceStable CPI and encouraging early ROAS can justify a capped increase. They do not yet prove the campaign can absorb a much larger budget.

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Field notes

Related terms