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UGrowth & marketingUpdated 2 Nov 2026

User acquisition cost

Total cost of acquiring a new user, including marketing and sales expenses.

Definition

User acquisition cost is the total cost of acquiring a new user, including marketing and sales expenses. It is how you talk about finding, converting, or keeping customers without waving your hands. Name it clearly, then let the next decision — a hire, a price, a test, or a pass — follow from that meaning.

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In the room

How the word shows up in a real conversation.

You know User acquisition cost is doing work when it changes a weekly choice — price, hire, channel, or kill. The working definition: Total cost of acquiring a new user, including marketing and sales expenses.

Common mistake

Using User acquisition cost as a label instead of a fact. If you cannot point to the evidence — a number, a customer, or a written assumption — you are using the word as jargon.

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