ROI calculator
Work out the return on an investment, and the gain it actually produced.
How it works
ROI = (amount returned − amount invested) ÷ amount invested
Enter what you put in and the total that came back — not the profit, the whole amount. The calculator subtracts one from the other itself, which is the step most ROI tools leave ambiguous: a field labelled 'profit' can mean the gain or the gross return, and the two answers differ by exactly 100 percentage points. The net gain is shown beside the percentage so you can see which number it came from.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, stored or logged.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I enter profit or total return?
- The total amount that came back, including your original money. If you invested 10,000 and ended with 12,500, enter 12,500 — not 2,500.
- What is a good ROI?
- It depends entirely on the time it took and the risk taken. A 25% return over a month and over a decade are not comparable, which is why ROI alone is a weak basis for a decision — use NPV when timing matters.
- Can ROI be negative?
- Yes, and it should be. If you got back less than you put in, the percentage is negative and this calculator shows it that way rather than as an absolute number.
- Does this account for time?
- No. ROI is a simple ratio with no notion of when the money arrived. For anything spanning more than a year, the NPV calculator discounts future cash flows properly.