How to Use the Growth Dashboard

The Growth Dashboard connects CAC, LTV, LTV:CAC, payback, ROAS, break-even ROAS, and churn in one interactive view. Unlike single-metric calculators, it updates all related KPIs when you change one input, so you can see how improving churn affects LTV, payback, and unit economics together.

New to these metrics? Start with the SaaS Growth Metrics Overview for plain-language definitions, then return here. Each term in this guide links to its dedicated calculator and guide.

This guide walks through each section top to bottom.

Who should use the dashboard?

• Founders modeling unit economics before a fundraise or board meeting
• Marketers checking whether acquisition spend, ROAS, and payback support scaling
• Operators running what-if scenarios (best case / worst case) before committing budget

If you only need one metric, use the dedicated calculators linked at the end of this guide. The dashboard is for when metrics need to move together.

Step 1: Plan your scenarios (inputs)

Start at the top of the Growth Dashboard in Plan Your Scenarios.

Enter your core metrics

Input	What to enter
Acquisition Spend	Total sales & marketing spend in the period (ads, comp, tools, agencies)
New Customers (monthly)	Paying customers acquired per month
ARPU (monthly)	Average monthly revenue per customer
Gross Margin	Gross margin %, typical SaaS is 70–85%
Monthly Logo Churn	% of customers lost per month
Ad Spend	Paid media spend in the same period as ad revenue
Ad-attributed Revenue	Revenue credited to ads within your attribution window

All fields use the same currency selector at the top of the page.

Switch scenarios: Current, Best Case, Worst Case

Use the Current / Best Case / Worst Case tabs to model outcomes:

• Current: your baseline; edits here update the live KPI dashboard below
• Best Case: pre-filled optimistic deltas (lower CAC, higher ARPU, lower churn)
• Worst Case: pre-filled conservative deltas

Adjust any field in a scenario tab to run custom what-if simulations. For example: What if churn drops from 3% to 2% but CAC rises 10%?

Save scenarios locally

Use Saved Scenarios to name and store input sets in your browser. Saved data stays on your device, nothing is sent to a server. Load a saved scenario to compare against a new baseline later.

Step 2: Read the live KPI dashboard

Scroll to Live KPI Dashboard after entering inputs.

KPI cards and tier labels

Each card shows a computed metric with a tier label:

Metric	Tier scale
LTV:CAC	Weak (<3) · Healthy (3–4) · Strong (4–6) · Review for underinvestment (6+)
CAC Payback	Best (<6 mo) · Strong (6–12) · Acceptable (12–18) · Weak (18+)
Churn	Segment-based, select SMB, Mid-market, or Enterprise above the grid
ROAS	Below break-even · Near break-even · Above break-even · Strong (1.5x+ break-even)

Each card links to related calculators for a deeper dive on that metric.

Churn segment selector

Churn benchmarks differ by customer segment. Use the Churn benchmark segment dropdown (SMB / Mid-market / Enterprise) before reading the churn tier. The reference scale updates to match your segment.

Step 3: Review charts and scenario comparison

MRR at risk from churn

Shows steady-state MRR eroding if acquisition paused, based on your churn rate. Useful for illustrating retention ROI to stakeholders.

Scenario comparison table

Compares all key metrics across Current, Best Case, and Worst Case side by side. The LTV:CAC by Scenario chart visualizes unit economics across the three scenarios.

Step 4: Act on recommendations

The Insights & Recommendations block generates rule-based guidance from your metrics and tier labels, for example, flagging ROAS below break-even or LTV:CAC below 3:1. Each recommendation links to the relevant calculator when applicable.

Tips for accurate results

1. Align time periods: acquisition spend and new customers must cover the same window
2. Use gross-margin LTV: revenue-based LTV overstates value; margin-based LTV is correct for unit economics
3. Match ad spend and ad revenue: use the same attribution window for both ROAS inputs
4. Segment churn: pick the segment that matches your customer base before judging churn tiers
5. Start from calculators: if you only know one metric today, use a single calculator first, then copy values into the dashboard

When to use calculators vs the dashboard

Situation	Use
Quick single-metric check	Individual calculator
Board deck or investor unit economics	Growth Dashboard
What-if on churn + CAC + LTV together	Growth Dashboard
Channel-specific ROAS only	ROAS Calculator
Funnel or budget reverse-engineering	Funnel Planner or Budget Planner

Individual calculators (step-by-step)

Need help with a single tool? Each calculator page includes inputs, formula explanation, FAQs, and a connected metrics insights block.

Calculator	Link
CAC Calculator	Open CAC Calculator
LTV Calculator	Open LTV Calculator
LTV:CAC Ratio	Open LTV:CAC Calculator
ROAS Calculator	Open ROAS Calculator
CAC Payback Period	Open CAC Payback Calculator
Break-even ROAS	Open Break-even ROAS Calculator
Budget Planner	Open Budget Planner
Churn Impact	Open Churn Impact Calculator
Funnel Planner	Open Funnel Planner

Browse all tools on the calculators hub.

Related guides

• SaaS Growth Metrics Overview, how metrics connect
• SaaS Unit Economics Guide, LTV:CAC framework in depth
• LTV:CAC Ratio Guide, benchmarks by stage

Sources

Benchmark ranges and KPI tiers referenced in this guide are directional industry norms often discussed in public SaaS research (for example OpenView and ChartMogul). Compare against your own cohorts. See our disclaimer.