Finance · Free tool
ROI Calculator
Was the project, the machine, or the campaign worth what it cost? This ROI calculator divides the gain by the cost and returns a percentage, the way most business cases are summarized. It is meant for managers, finance teams, and founders who need one comparable number for an investment decision or a post-project review.
- OutputReturn on the cost
- No sign-up
- Copy or print the result
- How it works ↓
Your entries stay in this browser. Use Fill example to see a finished page first.
What this finance tool gives you
The result shows ROI as a percent next to the gain and the cost you entered. That compact card works well in an investment committee pack or an email to a manager, where the reader wants the return and the two numbers behind it without a spreadsheet.
What you enter
- Currency: USD by default, or EUR or GBP (only changes how amounts are formatted)
- Gain: the profit the investment produced, not the sale proceeds (can be negative for a loss)
- Cost: what the investment cost, zero or more
Worked example
In the tool's example, an initiative costs $60,000 and produces $18,000 of profit. Dividing $18,000 by $60,000 gives an ROI of 30%. If you had typed the $78,000 total you got back instead of the $18,000 profit, the result would wrongly read 130%, which is why the gain field asks for profit only.
How is ROI calculated?
ROI = gain ÷ cost × 100, rounded to two decimals and shown with one. The gain is the profit you type in: the tool does not subtract the cost from it, so enter the net gain, not the gross proceeds.
A negative gain produces a negative ROI. If the cost is zero there is no divisor, and the tool shows a warning instead of a percentage. Timing is not considered, so a 30% return over one year and over five years look identical here. The result is not investment advice.
Tips before you use the result
- Enter the net gain. If you only know the proceeds, subtract the cost first, then type the difference as the gain.
- State the period next to the ROI when you report it; the formula does not annualize, so a multi-year return needs that context.
- Include all costs of the investment, such as installation, training, and internal time, or the ROI will look better than it is.
- When comparing options, run each through the same definition of gain so the percentages are comparable.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ROI formula?
ROI equals the gain from an investment divided by its cost, multiplied by 100. With $18,000 of profit on a $60,000 cost, ROI is 30%. Many definitions use net profit as the gain, which is what this calculator expects: it does not subtract the cost for you.
Should I enter revenue or profit as the gain?
Profit. The gain field is the net benefit after the cost of the investment, not the total money that came back. Entering proceeds instead of profit inflates the result by a full 100 percentage points, because the cost would be counted inside the gain.
Can ROI be negative?
Yes. If the investment lost money, enter the gain as a negative number and the calculator returns a negative ROI. A $6,000 loss on a $60,000 cost, for example, is an ROI of -10%. Cost itself cannot be negative, and a zero cost cannot produce a percentage.
Does the ROI calculator keep my figures?
It keeps them locally. The gain and cost stay in your browser storage so the last scenario is waiting for you next time on that device, and there is no account or sign-up. Nothing leaves your computer when you run the calculation.
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Results depend on the figures you enter; check them against your own records before you rely on them. Last updated: October 2026 · Kurums editorial team.