Free tool

CPV calculator

Find your cost per view, the views a video budget will buy, or the spend a view target needs. Enter any two of ad spend, views, and CPV and the third is calculated instantly.

Solve for

Ad spend

Total spent on the video campaign

Views

Views as the platform counts them

Shorthand works: 500k or 1.5m for views. Each platform defines a view differently, so compare CPVs within one platform.

CPV

$0.04

$2,000.00 ÷ 50,000 views = $0.04 per view

Views per $100: 2,500
Cost per 1,000 views: $40.00
Views per $1: 25

The CPV formula

Cost per view, three ways around.

CPV is what you pay each time a video ad is counted as viewed. Spend, views, and cost per view are tied together by one identity; the only complication is that each platform decides for itself what a view is.

Solve for CPV

CPV = Ad spend ÷ Views

The average price paid per counted view.

Solve for views

Views = Ad spend ÷ CPV

How many views a budget buys at a given cost per view.

Solve for ad spend

Ad spend = Views × CPV

What a view target will cost at the CPV you expect.

CPV and CPM describe the same spend from two angles: CPV = CPM ÷ 1,000 ÷ view rate. A $10 CPM where 25% of impressions become views is a $0.04 CPV.

Worked examples

What the numbers look like in practice.

Each row holds two of the values fixed and solves for the third (shown in bold). Paste any of them into the calculator above to check the arithmetic.

Scenario	Ad spend	Views	CPV
$2,000 spent for 50,000 views	$2,000	50,000	$0.04
A $5,000 budget at a $0.02 CPV	$5,000	250,000	$0.02
Buying 1,000,000 views at $0.015	$15,000	1,000,000	$0.015
$900 spent for 12,000 views of a B2B explainer	$900	12,000	$0.075

Beyond the number

What CPV tells you, and what it doesn't.

A view is whatever the platform says it is

YouTube's skippable in-stream ads count a view at 30 seconds, or the full ad if shorter, or on an interaction. Meta reports 3-second plays and ThruPlays. TikTok reports 2-second and 6-second views. A $0.01 CPV built on 2-second views and a $0.04 CPV built on 30-second views are not comparable, so compare within one platform and one view definition.

Cheap views are often unwanted views

Broad targeting, autoplay placements, and sound-off feeds all produce low CPVs and low attention. Pair CPV with view-through rate and completion rate, and with what viewers do afterwards, before treating a falling CPV as a win.

Views are a cost, not a result

Video is usually bought for awareness, which makes it the hardest spend to connect to revenue. Cometly's multi-touch attribution gives video touchpoints their share of the pipeline they influenced, and account journeys show which views preceded a deal.

Buying video on CPM instead? The CPM calculator works the impression side.

More free tools

Other calculators marketers reach for.

FAQ

Cost per view questions, answered.

The formula, what each platform counts as a view, and how CPV relates to CPM and completed views.

Talk to sales

What is CPV in advertising?

CPV is cost per view: the amount an advertiser pays each time a video ad is counted as viewed. It is the standard pricing model for YouTube in-stream ads and a common reporting metric for video on Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

How do you calculate cost per view?

Divide total ad spend by the number of views. CPV = ad spend ÷ views. $2,000 of spend that produced 50,000 views is a 2,000 ÷ 50,000 = $0.04 cost per view.

What is a good CPV?

It depends on the platform, how it defines a view, the audience, and the country. Short-view definitions on TikTok and Meta produce CPVs of a cent or two; YouTube's 30-second definition costs more per view; narrow B2B audiences cost more again. Benchmark against your own history on the same platform, and judge by completion rate and downstream results rather than CPV alone.

What counts as a view on YouTube, Meta, and TikTok?

YouTube counts a view on a skippable in-stream ad when someone watches 30 seconds, or the whole ad if it is shorter, or interacts with it. Meta reports 3-second video plays and ThruPlays, which are plays to completion or to 15 seconds. TikTok reports 2-second and 6-second views alongside full plays. Always check which definition a CPV refers to.

What is the difference between CPV and CPM?

CPM is the price per 1,000 impressions, charged whether or not anyone watches. CPV is the price per counted view, so you pay only when the platform's view threshold is met. They are linked through the view rate: CPV = CPM ÷ 1,000 ÷ view rate. A $10 CPM at a 25% view rate is a $0.04 CPV.

What is CPCV?

Cost per completed view: ad spend divided by the number of people who watched the whole video. It is stricter than CPV and is the better metric when the message lands at the end of the video. CPCV is always higher than CPV for the same campaign because completed views are a subset of views.

How do I lower my CPV?

Improve the first few seconds so more impressions become views, since CPV falls as view rate rises at a fixed CPM. Tighten targeting to audiences that watch, choose placements where sound and attention are on, and use shorter cuts where the platform's view threshold is short. Avoid chasing CPV by broadening to audiences that watch but never buy.

Does this CPV calculator work for YouTube, TikTok, Meta, and LinkedIn?

Yes. Spend divided by views is the same on every platform and in every currency. Just make sure the views you enter all use one platform's definition.

Views are a cost.
Pipeline is the result.

Cometly gives video its share of the deals it influenced, so awareness spend is judged on pipeline and revenue rather than view counts.

Get started