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Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Fatigue threshold frequency
10
Estimated CTR at current frequency
1.29%
Current CTR as % of baseline
72%
Estimated wasted spend above threshold
$2,400
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How to use this
- 1Enter ctr at frequency 1 (%).
- 2Enter ctr decay per additional impression (%).
- 3Enter fatigue threshold (% of baseline ctr) (%).
- 4Enter current average frequency.
- 5Enter monthly impressions delivered above threshold frequency.
- 6Enter cpm ($).
- 7Read your fatigue threshold frequency on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Ad fatigue sets in when the same audience sees your creative too many times, and CTR and conversion rate start dropping well before frequency looks alarming on a platform dashboard. This calculator takes your current average frequency, baseline CTR at low frequency, and a fatigue decay rate per additional impression, then models CTR at increasing frequency levels to estimate the frequency threshold where CTR falls below a set percentage of its peak — commonly used as the signal to refresh creative or expand audience. It also estimates wasted impressions: impressions delivered beyond the fatigue threshold that are producing sub-par CTR, translated into wasted spend at your current CPM. Most performance campaigns see meaningful CTR decay starting around frequency 4-6 within a 7-day window, with the decline accelerating past frequency 8-10; awareness and video campaigns tolerate higher frequency before fatigue sets in since the goal isn't a click. Use the threshold output to set a frequency cap in ad platform settings rather than letting the algorithm serve unlimited repeat impressions to the same shrinking pool of people, which is the single most common cause of an account's ROAS declining over a campaign's lifespan even when nothing else changed.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- CTR at frequency 1: 1.8 %
- CTR decay per additional impression: 8 %
- Fatigue threshold (% of baseline CTR): 50 %
- Current average frequency: 5
- Monthly impressions delivered above threshold frequency: 200000
- CPM: 12 $
Results
- Fatigue threshold frequency: 10
- Estimated CTR at current frequency: 1.29%
- Current CTR as % of baseline: 72%
- Estimated wasted spend above threshold: $2,400
What each field means
Inputs
- CTR at frequency 1 (%)
- The ctr at frequency 1 used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 1.8 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0.01–20 %.
- CTR decay per additional impression (%)
- The ctr decay per additional impression used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 8 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0.5–40 %.
- Fatigue threshold (% of baseline CTR) (%)
- The fatigue threshold (% of baseline ctr) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 50 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 10–90 %.
- Current average frequency
- The current average frequency used in the calculation. Starts at 5 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–50.
- Monthly impressions delivered above threshold frequency
- The monthly impressions delivered above threshold frequency used in the calculation. Starts at 200000 so you have a working example on load.
- CPM ($)
- The cpm used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Fatigue threshold frequency
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated CTR at current frequency
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Current CTR as % of baseline
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated wasted spend above threshold
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What frequency is typically the fatigue tipping point?
For direct-response campaigns on social platforms, meaningful CTR decay commonly starts around frequency 4-6 within a rolling 7-day window and accelerates past 8-10. Awareness and branding campaigns tolerate higher frequency, sometimes 10-15+, since click behavior isn't the objective.
How do I find my own decay rate instead of guessing?
Pull CTR by frequency bucket from your ad platform's breakdown reporting (most platforms offer a frequency dimension) and fit the drop-off from frequency 1 to frequency 5 or so. If CTR halves by frequency 5, that implies roughly an 13% decay per impression under this exponential model.
What should I do once frequency crosses the fatigue threshold?
Refresh creative, rotate in new ad variations, or expand the audience to dilute frequency. Platforms will keep serving the same audience if you don't intervene, since the algorithm optimizes for the objective you set, not for avoiding fatigue, and it doesn't automatically detect creative burnout.
Does ad fatigue affect all campaign objectives equally?
No. Conversion and traffic campaigns are most sensitive since they depend on the click decision, which decays fastest. Reach and awareness campaigns are more frequency-tolerant, and video view campaigns fall somewhere in between since completion rate degrades slower than click intent.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are rounded for display; the underlying calculation keeps full precision.
- Very large or very small inputs may hit floating-point limits in the browser.
- Inputs outside the accepted range are clamped rather than rejected.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Ad Fatigue Frequency Threshold Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ad-fatigue-frequency-threshold-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ad-fatigue-frequency-threshold-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ad Fatigue Frequency Threshold Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Ad Fatigue Frequency Threshold Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ad-fatigue-frequency-threshold-calculator) (2026).