ROI Calculator

Measure how an investment actually performed — in absolute terms, as a percentage, and annualized. Enter what you put in, what it became, and optionally the dates you held it, and this calculator returns your ROI, profit or loss, holding period, and compound annual growth rate. It is built for investors, business owners, and anyone comparing financial decisions.

How to Use

• Enter the initial investment: The amount you originally put in.
• Enter the final value: What it is worth now, or what you sold it for.
• Add dates (optional): Start and end dates unlock holding-period and CAGR results.
• Read the results: Absolute return, ROI percentage, profit/loss status, and CAGR.

Features

• Absolute return and ROI percentage in one view
• Optional date inputs for exact holding-period calculation
• CAGR computed from the real day count, not a rounded year estimate
• Clear profit/loss indicator
• Runs locally — your financial figures stay private

What is ROI, Exactly?

Return on Investment is the simplest honest answer to “was this worth it?” It divides what you gained or lost by what you risked: ROI = (Final Value − Initial Investment) ÷ Initial Investment × 100. Invest $10,000 and end with $13,000, and ROI is 30%. The metric’s strength is universality — the same formula works for stocks, real estate, or a marketing campaign. Its weakness is ignoring time: 30% in one year is excellent, 30% over fifteen years is mediocre. That is why this calculator also reports CAGR, which converts any result into an equivalent annual rate via (Final ÷ Initial)^(1/years) − 1. A 30% return over three years is a CAGR of about 9.1% — directly comparable to an index fund or savings account.

Use Cases

• Stock and fund investing: Evaluate closed or current positions.
• Real estate: Compare a property’s return against other asset classes.
• Business spending: Judge whether equipment, ads, or hires paid off.
• Side projects: Weigh a venture’s revenue against the capital sunk into it.

Tips for Honest ROI Comparisons

Never compare percentages across different time horizons — annualize first. Do not ignore costs either: commissions, management fees, closing costs, and taxes all come out of your real return, so subtract them from the final value before judging. Benchmarks matter too: a 15% CAGR looks less impressive next to a market that returned 18% over the same stretch. Finally, this calculator assumes a single initial outlay; for portfolios with recurring contributions, a compound interest calculator models the growth more faithfully.

Related Tools

• Compound Interest Calculator
• Stock Profit Calculator
• Loan Calculator
• Percentage Calculator