ROI Calculator
Calculate your return on investment in seconds. Find your simple ROI, annualized return over time, or how much gain you need just to break even on fees and costs.
All calculations happen in your browser. No data is sent anywhere.
Simple ROI
How much did your investment return in total? Enter the initial cost and final value.
Results
| ROI | — |
|---|---|
| Net Profit / Loss | — |
| Return Multiple | — |
Annualized ROI
What was your compound annual growth rate (CAGR)? Enter the initial value, final value, and holding period.
Results
| Annualized ROI (CAGR) | — |
|---|---|
| Total ROI | — |
| Net Profit / Loss | — |
Year-by-year growth (max 20 rows)
| Year | Value | Gain / Loss | Total Return |
|---|
Break-Even Analysis
How much gain do you need to cover transaction costs, and how long will it take at a given annual return rate?
Results
| Break-even gain needed (%) | — |
|---|---|
| Break-even amount ($) | — |
| Months to break even | — |
| Years to break even | — |
Understanding ROI
What is ROI and how is it calculated?
ROI (Return on Investment) tells you how much profit or loss you made relative to what you invested. The formula is:
ROI = (Final Value − Initial Investment) / Initial Investment × 100
For example, investing $10,000 and selling for $13,500 gives a 35% ROI. A negative value means a loss.
- Net Profit — the raw dollar gain or loss (Final − Initial).
- ROI % — the return as a percentage of what you put in.
- Return Multiple — how many times your money grew (2× means you doubled it).
Simple ROI vs Annualized ROI — which should you use?
Simple ROI is ideal for quick comparisons when the time frame is the same or irrelevant — for example, comparing two projects of equal length.
Annualized ROI (CAGR) is better when investments span different time periods. A 100% simple ROI sounds great, but it is only ~7.2% per year over 10 years — and only ~41% per year over 2 years. Annualizing makes them comparable.
- Use Simple ROI for fixed-term projects, business campaigns, or one-time trades.
- Use Annualized ROI for stocks, real estate, funds, or any multi-year investment.
- Use Break-Even to decide whether fees justify an investment at a given return rate.
Related Tools
CAGR Calculator
Calculate compound annual growth rate, find future value at a given CAGR, or find how many years to reach a target.
Calculate CAGR →Compound Interest & Savings Planner
Project future value with regular contributions — model monthly investing and see the power of compounding over time.
Plan savings →FAQ
What is ROI and how is it calculated?
ROI (Return on Investment) measures profit or loss relative to the cost of an investment. Formula: ROI (%) = (Net Profit / Initial Investment) × 100, where Net Profit = Final Value − Initial Investment. A 50% ROI means you earned $0.50 for every $1 invested.
What is a good ROI?
It depends on the investment type and time frame. For a diversified stock portfolio, 7–10% annualized ROI (matching the historical S&P 500) is considered strong. For real estate, 8–12% is typical. For short-term trades or business projects, benchmarks vary. Always compare ROI to the opportunity cost of alternatives.
What is the difference between ROI and CAGR?
Simple ROI measures total return with no regard for time. CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) — also called annualized ROI — converts that total return into an equivalent annual rate. A 100% total ROI over 10 years is only ~7.2% per year. CAGR is essential when comparing investments held for different durations.
How do I calculate annualized ROI?
Annualized ROI = (Final Value / Initial Value)^(1 / Years) − 1. Example: $10,000 growing to $18,000 over 6 years: (18,000/10,000)^(1/6) − 1 ≈ 10.3% per year. Use the Annualized tab above to calculate this instantly.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. All calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server.