In short
ROAS = revenue ÷ cost (e.g. 4.0 means €4 revenue per €1 spent). ROI = (revenue − cost) ÷ cost, as a percentage. Both figures are only as good as your attribution: they show attributed revenue, not necessarily revenue caused by the influencer alone.
ROAS = revenue ÷ cost. ROI = (revenue − cost) ÷ cost. Meaningful only with clean attribution.
What's the difference between ROAS and ROI?
ROAS (return on ad spend) measures how much revenue comes back per euro spent, without subtracting cost. ROI (return on investment) subtracts cost and shows the percentage profit on the spend. ROAS is good for quick channel comparison, ROI for whether anything is left over.
| Metric | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ROAS | revenue ÷ cost | Revenue per € spent |
| ROI | (revenue − cost) ÷ cost | Profit as % of spend |
Worked example
€5,000 revenue at €1,000 cost: ROAS = 5.0; ROI = (5,000 − 1,000) ÷ 1,000 = 400 %.
Which costs belong in the calculation?
For an honest result, capture all relevant costs, not just the fee. That includes product cost, shipping, any discounts or voucher codes, production budget and platform fees. Leaving costs out makes ROI look better than it is.
- Creator fee and platform fees.
- Product, shipping and sample cost.
- Discounts and voucher value.
- Production and coordination effort.
Why is attribution the critical point?
The calculator only knows the revenue figure you enter. Whether that revenue is truly attributable to the influencer depends on your measurement, e.g. voucher codes, UTM links or affiliate tracking. Without clean attribution you blend organic and paid effects and easily overstate the collaboration's contribution.
Attribution drives validity
ROAS and ROI are only as reliable as the underlying revenue attribution. Use unique codes or tracking links to measure the contribution cleanly.
From calculator to robust campaign measurement
A single number is a starting point, not reporting. At Collavo every collaboration runs on one record from brief to payout, with codes, links and status in one place. That lets you track attributed revenue in a structured way instead of estimating it from scattered spreadsheets.
Frequently asked
- Is a high ROAS automatically good?
- Not necessarily. ROAS ignores cost structure and says nothing about margin. Only ROI shows whether profit remains after all costs — and both depend on clean attribution.
- How do I measure attributed revenue?
- Common approaches are unique voucher codes, UTM parameters or affiliate links per creator. Without such markers you can't reliably separate a collaboration's contribution from the rest of your revenue.
You might also like