> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.upstackdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Blended Cost per Trial Start: Acquisition Efficiency

> Measure your cost per free trial start across all ad platforms. Track trial acquisition efficiency to optimize spend and lower customer acquisition costs.

<Tip>
  Blended Cost per Trial Start measures how much you spend on advertising to generate one free trial signup across all your ad platforms.
</Tip>

## Formula

<Info>
  **Blended Cost per Trial Start** = [**Blended Spend**](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-spend/blended-spend) ÷ [**Blended Trial Starts**](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-conversions/blended-trial-starts)
</Info>

### Formula Components

| Metric                                                                                                      | Definition                                   |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| [**Blended Spend**](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-spend/blended-spend)                     | Total advertising spend across all platforms |
| [**Blended Trial Starts**](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-conversions/blended-trial-starts) | Free trial signups attributed to your ads    |

| Metadata        |                                                                                                     |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Type**        | Currency                                                                                            |
| **Data Source** | [Meta Ads](/sources/facebook-ads), [Google Ads](/sources/google-ads), [TikTok Ads](/sources/tiktok) |
| **Aggregation** | Ratio                                                                                               |

***

## Example

Your SaaS company spent **\$5,000** on ads last month and generated **250 trial signups** across all platforms.

| Metric                           | Value       |
| -------------------------------- | ----------- |
| Blended Spend                    | \$5,000     |
| Trial Starts                     | 250         |
| **Blended Cost per Trial Start** | **\$20.00** |

***

## How It Works

This metric divides your total advertising spend by the number of free trial signups attributed to your campaigns. It aggregates data from Meta, Google, and TikTok to give you one unified cost-per-trial figure.

***

## When to Use

| Scenario                               | Action                                          |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Comparing trial acquisition efficiency | Use to benchmark cost across campaigns          |
| Budget allocation decisions            | Shift spend to platforms with lower trial costs |
| Measuring campaign optimizations       | Track if changes reduce acquisition cost        |
| Forecasting trial volume               | Estimate trials from planned ad spend           |

***

## Related Metrics

| Metric                                                                                                  | Relationship                                  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| [Blended Spend](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-spend/blended-spend)                     | Numerator — total ad spend                    |
| [Blended Trial Starts](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-conversions/blended-trial-starts) | Denominator — trial signups                   |
| [Blended CPA](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-efficiency/blended-cpa)                    | Similar efficiency metric for all conversions |

[See all Blended Conversions metrics →](/reference/metrics/advertising/blended/blended-conversions)