CPM Calculator
Calculate the cost per thousand impressions from your spend and impressions – or work backwards to the budget or the number of impressions you can buy.
What do you want to calculate?
Both 1 234,56 and 1,234.56 work – the number is read back under each field.
Enter both values to see the result.
What CPM tells you
CPM (cost per mille) is the price you pay for 1,000 ad impressions. It is the standard way to compare the cost of reach across channels, campaigns and placements, whether you buy impressions directly or pay per click and only want to know what the exposure cost you.
In Google Ads you will find it as Avg. CPM in the columns of Display, Video and Demand Gen campaigns; Meta, LinkedIn and most programmatic platforms report it as plain CPM.
Formulas
Worked examples
1. CPM from a finished campaign
A Display campaign spent €1,200 and served 480,000 impressions.
2. Budget for a planned reach
You want 250,000 impressions on YouTube and expect a CPM of around €4.
3. Reach for a fixed budget
The client has €3,000 for a brand campaign and similar campaigns ran at a €6 CPM.
Using CPM well
- Compare like with like. A Display CPM, a YouTube CPM and a Search CPM measure very different impressions. Compare CPMs within the same format and targeting.
- Check whether impressions were viewable. Bidding on viewable CPM (vCPM) means you pay only for ads that were actually on screen, so its per-thousand price is naturally higher.
- Do not stop at CPM. Cheap impressions on low-quality placements can look efficient and deliver nothing. Look at CTR, conversion rate and cost per acquisition too.
- Watch seasonality. CPMs usually rise when competition for attention is high, for example before Christmas and around Black Friday.
Frequently asked questions
What does CPM stand for?
Cost per mille – mille is Latin for thousand. It is the price of 1,000 ad impressions.
What is the difference between CPM and vCPM in Google Ads?
CPM counts every served impression. Viewable CPM (vCPM) only counts impressions where at least 50% of the ad was on screen for at least one second (two seconds for video). vCPM is usually higher per thousand, because fewer impressions qualify.
Is a low CPM always good?
No. A low CPM only means impressions are cheap. If those impressions are poorly targeted, rarely viewed or never lead to clicks and sales, cheap reach can be the most expensive option. Judge CPM together with CTR, conversion rate and cost per acquisition.
Can I calculate CPM for a pay-per-click campaign?
Yes. Divide what the campaign cost by its impressions and multiply by 1,000. It tells you what the visibility effectively cost, even though you paid per click.