Video production ROI calculator
Find out if a video pays for itself. Include your time, production costs and every revenue stream.
Your inputs
Enter your inputs to calculate an estimate.
Illustrative inputs. Not a guarantee, financial advice or a market rate.
Your scratchpad
Save up to 5 scenarios per tool in this browser, then compare. No account or cloud sync.
Is your next video worth making?
Profit = platform revenue + sponsorship + other revenue − labor − expensesYour time is a real production input. This calculator subtracts its assigned value as well as out-of-pocket expenses. Return on cost is profit divided by total cost. Break-even views cover the costs that remain after sponsorship and other project revenue.
A worked example
With 12 hours at 50 and 150 of expenses, total cost is 750. If 50,000 views earn 200, a sponsor contributes 600 and other revenue adds 50, the estimated profit is 100. The return on cost is 13.3%.
Go deeper in the field noteGood questions.
Why is cash surplus higher than profit?
Cash surplus subtracts expenses but not the value of your own time. A project can bring cash in while paying less than your target hourly rate.
What if the project has no cost?
Profit can still be calculated, but percentage return on zero cost is undefined. The calculator displays N/A rather than an infinite return.
What if my RPM is zero?
If sponsorship and other revenue cover all costs, break-even platform views are zero. Otherwise break-even cannot be reached from platform views at zero RPM.
Should I include affiliate revenue?
Include a realistic net amount for the same horizon as the project views. Account for refunds and fees, and do not include income already counted elsewhere.