CHIROBASIX
Free Calculator · Chiropractic Marketing

Chiropractic Marketing
ROI Calculator

Stop guessing whether your ads pay off. Plug in your spend and patient value to see your new patients, cost per acquisition, and true return, modeled on the numbers we see managing chiropractic ad accounts every day.

  • No email required
  • Built on real chiropractic ad data
  • Takes 60 seconds
Free Interactive Tool

Run Your
Marketing Math.

Move the sliders to match your practice. The calculator turns your ad spend, cost per lead, and patient value into the numbers that actually matter: new patients, cost to acquire one, and your true return on the investment.

1Patient Lifetime Value
$
U.S. adult avg: $86.94 per visit, patients and insurers combined (2007–2016 data, JMPT 2025)
Surveyed DCs report a patient visit average (PVA) of 34 (Chiropractic Economics 2025)
Patient Lifetime Value$1,300
2Monthly Ad Spend & Cost Per Lead
Meta (Facebook / Instagram)
$
Surveyed DCs spend an avg. of $13,540 a year on advertising and marketing (Chiropractic Economics 2025)
$
Meta leads campaigns, 2026 median: $27.11 health & fitness, $32.14 physicians & surgeons (WordStream 2026)
Google Ads
$
Your actual monthly spend, from your Google Ads billing
$
Google and Microsoft search ads, 2026 median: $40.04 physicians & surgeons, $67.36 health & fitness (WordStream 2026)
3Lead → Patient Conversion
%
Your own number: new patients from ads ÷ leads from ads
Your Projected Return
10.4×
return for every
$1 in ad spend
Monthly ad spend$3,000
Patient lifetime value generated$31,200
24
New patients / month
$125
Cost to acquire one patient
10.4 : 1
Lifetime value : cost (aim for 3:1 or higher, per David Skok, 2013)
3
Patients to break even each month
Over 12 months
288new patients
$374Klifetime value
Get a plan to hit these numbers

Free to use · we never share your info.

Starting values are illustrative. Any benchmark shown under a slider links to its source. Enter your own numbers for an exact read. “Cost per lead” means a tracked form fill or phone call; “patient lifetime value” is total revenue a patient generates over their relationship with your practice. See how the math works below.

The Method

How The Calculator Works

No black box. Here is the exact chain of math behind your numbers, the same framework we use when we plan and report on a chiropractic ad budget.

1

Estimate patient lifetime value (PLV)

Multiply your average revenue per visit by the number of visits a patient makes over their lifetime, or enter a number you already track. PLV is the single biggest lever in the whole equation.

2

Turn ad spend into leads

Each channel’s monthly spend divided by its cost per lead gives the number of leads it produces. A "lead" is a tracked form fill or phone call, not a booked patient yet.

3

Turn leads into patients

Your lead-to-patient conversion rate decides how many of those leads actually start care. A small swing here moves your whole return, which is why tracking it matters.

4

Compare spend to return

New patients multiplied by PLV is the lifetime value your spend generated. Set against total spend, that’s your ROI, your cost to acquire a patient, and your break-even.

The Numbers That Matter

New patients / month

How many new patients your current spend and conversion rate produce each month.

Cost to acquire a patient (CAC)

Total ad spend divided by new patients. The real, all-in price of one new patient from paid ads.

Lifetime value : cost (LTV:CAC)

PLV divided by CAC. Higher than 3:1 is the benchmark for healthy marketing that’s ready to scale, as laid out in venture investor David Skok’s SaaS Metrics 2.0 guide (2013).

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

Lifetime value generated for every $1 spent. Shows why patient acquisition is an investment, not a cost.

Where the defaults come from: the pre-filled ranges reflect blended figures typical of the chiropractic ad accounts we manage and are meant as a starting point. Enter your own cost per lead, conversion rate, and patient value for a read that’s true to your practice.

Nick Fischer, founder of CHIROBASIX, on stage at a chiropractic marketing event.
10+
Years of experience
About The Author

Written By Nick Fischer

Nick Fischer is the founder of CHIROBASIX, the marketing agency that works exclusively with chiropractors. The benchmark ranges behind this calculator come from the ad accounts his team manages for practices across the country.

Numbers on a screen are only a starting point. The practices that win are the ones that act on them, tightening their cost per lead, their conversion rate, and their follow-up until the math works in their favor.

Marketing Degree
Grand Valley State University
Author
Chiropractor's Marketing Playbook
Podcast Host
Chiropractic Practice Success
Don't take our word for it

Chiropractic Marketing
Success Stories

  • Dr. Alan Bertolero

    Best marketing group for chiropractors around. One of the main reasons of my success in practice is because of CHIROBASIX.

    Dr. Alan Bertolero
    Step Up Chiropractic
  • Ami, Practice Manager

    I honestly don't think our practice would still be in business right now if we didn't have CHIROBASIX helping us.

    Ami, Practice Manager
    Spinal Rehabilitation Center of Lake Geneva
  • Dr. John Carleton

    Since working with CHIROBASIX for the past 10 months, we've had over 300 new patients come in through the doors. These aren't just leads. These are patients who walked through the door.

    Dr. John Carleton
    Wave Chiropractic
  • Dr. Jerald Chavez

    Our first month we hit over 70 new patients, and that was a lot more than I thought we were going to get. They definitely delivered.

    Dr. Jerald Chavez
    OPTMZ State Spine
  • Dr. Brent Johnson

    When it comes to websites, SEO, Google Ads… there's really no one better. These guys are experts. They truly do know what they're doing. And it's tremendously helped our business grow, literally from day one.

    Dr. Brent Johnson
    Castle Hills Chiropractic
  • Dr. Sean Flaherty

    Before CHIROBASIX I would basically get around 10 new patients a month from my online presence. Now that online presence generates about 30 new patients a month.

    Dr. Sean Flaherty
    Narrows Chiropractic
  • Dr. Craig Ellison

    I've hired a lot of digital marketing companies and they all seem to be cut from the same cloth. But Nick has done something different.

    Dr. Craig Ellison
    The Chiropractor at Castlebury
  • Dr. Ernest Luong

    Working with CHIROBASIX has been the BEST marketing decision I have made while starting my chiropractic practice. I highly recommend them.

    Dr. Ernest Luong
    Resilience Chiropractic
  • Dr. Scott Graziosa

    Business has been getting better and better each month. They're constantly researching new ways of marketing, constantly updating for me, and they're there for me anytime. Why wouldn't I hire a company that cares so much?

    Dr. Scott Graziosa
    Life Aligned Chiropractic
  • Dr. Ryan Alter

    My website is dialed in about perfectly, and my new-patient activity is consistent. I'm getting new ones from Google every week. I'm not having to babysit any of it, so I can focus on my patients.

    Dr. Ryan Alter
    Alter Chiropractic
  • Dr. Peter Lynch

    CHIROBASIX has a fantastic system in place to help your chiropractic practice grow. As a result of the systems, our practice has grown tremendously. Highly recommend Nick with CHIROBASIX.

    Dr. Peter Lynch
    Tri-States Chiropractic
  • Dr. Timothy Douglass

    I'm kind of an old-timer, and technology is not my strong suit... they really listen. They do not interrupt. They are great listeners.

    Dr. Timothy Douglass
    Douglass Chiropractic
Trusted by hundreds of chiropractors
Dr. Derrick Pallis
Dr. Dan Miller
Dr. Seth Wilde
Dr. Gregory Bernard
Dr. Leland Ferguson
Dr. Tory Robson
Dr. Donald Reese
Dr. Levi McQueary
You’ve Seen The Math

Now Let’s Go
Hit Those Numbers

The calculator shows what’s possible. On a free strategy call we’ll pressure-test your real numbers, find the leaks, and map the spend, channels, and conversion targets it takes to get there.

Common Questions

Quick Answers

Chiropractors in Chiropractic Economics’ 2025 Salary and Expense Survey spent an average of $13,540 a year on advertising and marketing, about 3% of their average collections of $450,425. But the smarter question is what each dollar returns. A practice with a high patient lifetime value and a solid lead-to-patient conversion rate can profitably spend far more than one that loses leads at the front desk. Use the calculator to find the spend level where your return still stays healthy.
It depends entirely on your patient lifetime value (PLV). Acquiring a patient for $150 is excellent if your PLV is $2,000, and a problem if it’s $400. Rather than chasing a single CAC number, aim for a lifetime-value-to-cost ratio higher than 3:1. That rule of thumb is borrowed from subscription software companies: David Skok’s SaaS Metrics 2.0 guide says the best of them have a ratio higher than 3. The calculator works this out for you.
Patient lifetime value (PLV) is the total revenue a patient generates over their entire relationship with your practice. The simplest estimate is average revenue per visit multiplied by the average number of visits a patient makes. For example, $65 per visit across 20 visits is a $1,300 PLV.
Because chiropractic patients return over months or years, lifetime ROAS often looks very large. A more honest read is whether the first few visits cover your acquisition cost and whether your lifetime-value-to-cost ratio clears 3:1. The calculator shows both the headline return and the cost to acquire each patient so you can judge it fairly.
It varies too much from practice to practice for one number to mean much, so track your own: new patients who started care divided by leads (form fills and calls) in the same month. The biggest variable is how fast and how well the front desk follows up. Small improvements here move your entire return, which is why it’s a separate input in the calculator.
Usually Meta (Facebook/Instagram), because it reaches people before they’re searching. In WordStream’s 2026 benchmarks, Facebook lead campaigns in the Physicians & Surgeons category had a median cost of $32.14 per lead, versus $40.04 for search ads on Google and Microsoft Ads (chiropractors aren’t broken out separately). Google leads cost more but carry higher intent because the person is actively searching for a chiropractor. The best mix depends on your market and offer.
Yes, it’s completely free and no email is required to use it. Adjust the sliders and your results update instantly. If you’d like help hitting the numbers you see, you can optionally book a free strategy call, but there’s no gate on the tool itself.

Still have a question? Email us. We’ll get back within one business day.