ROI Calculator

Work out your return on investment: enter what you put in and what you got back to see your ROI and net gain, and add a holding period for the annualized return. Everything runs in your browser — no sign-up, nothing stored.

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Return on investment — gain ÷ invested
Investment gain — returned − invested
Annualized ROI — Add an investment length to see this

How to calculate return on investment

Return on investment measures how much you made relative to what you put in. Take the amount you got back, subtract what you invested to get your net gain, then divide by the amount invested: ROI = (returned − invested) ÷ invested × 100. Turning $1,000 into $1,500 is a $500 gain and a 50% ROI. Enter your own figures above and the result updates as you type.

Annualized ROI: comparing investments fairly

A raw ROI figure ignores time — a 50% return is very different over six months than over ten years. Add a holding period in years (and any extra months) to see the annualized ROI: the steady yearly rate that, compounded over that period, gives the same total. It's the number to use when comparing investments you held for different lengths of time. ROI looks back at a return you already earned; to project what an investment could grow to going forward — with regular contributions and an expected annual return — use the Investment Calculator, or model pure compounding over time with the Compound Interest Calculator.

Reading a negative ROI

If the amount returned is less than what you invested, your gain and ROI are negative — the calculator shows them with a minus sign. Annualized ROI is only shown when both amounts are positive and you've entered a holding period, since spreading a total loss across years isn't a meaningful yearly rate. Everything is computed in your browser and nothing is stored.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate ROI?
ROI (return on investment) is your net gain divided by the amount you invested, expressed as a percentage: ROI = (amount returned − amount invested) ÷ amount invested × 100. For example, turning $1,000 into $1,500 is a $500 gain, or a 50% ROI. Enter both amounts above and the calculator does it instantly.
What is annualized ROI?
Annualized ROI is the yearly rate of return that, compounded over your holding period, produces the same result. It lets you compare investments held for different lengths of time. The formula is (amount returned ÷ amount invested) raised to the power of 1 ÷ years, minus 1. Enter a holding period in years and months to see it.
Why is my annualized ROI lower than my total ROI?
Total ROI is the full percentage gain over the whole period, while annualized ROI spreads that gain across each year with compounding. A 100% total return over two years is only about 41.4% per year, because compounding 41.4% twice gets you to 100%. Over holding periods longer than a year the annualized figure is always the smaller number.
Can ROI be negative?
Yes. If the amount returned is less than the amount invested you made a loss, and ROI is negative. Getting back $800 on a $1,000 investment is a −$200 gain and a −20% ROI. This calculator shows losses with a minus sign.

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