Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Net annual value of training program
$2,675,000
Gross incident cost avoided
$2,700,000
Compromises avoided per year (est.)
90.0
Program ROI
10700%
Click-rate reduction achieved
24%
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How to use this
- 1Enter number of employees targeted.
- 2Enter baseline click rate (%).
- 3Enter current click rate (%).
- 4Enter real phishing emails reaching inbox per employee/year.
- 5Enter click-to-compromise conversion rate (%).
- 6Enter average cost per compromise incident.
- 7Enter annual training program cost.
- 8Read your net annual value of training program on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Security awareness programs are notoriously hard to justify with a clean ROI because the benefit is a reduction in probability, not a guaranteed saving. This calculator bridges that gap by tying your simulated phishing click-rate reduction (industry baseline is roughly 30-35% on first campaigns, dropping to 5-10% after a year of consistent training per KnowBe4 and Proofpoint benchmark data) to an expected number of successful real-world compromises avoided, then multiplies by an average incident cost. It assumes only a fraction of real phishing clicks turn into an actual compromise, since many are caught by email filtering, EDR, or the user self-reporting before damage occurs, which you control with the compromise-conversion input. Use it to justify training budget renewal by showing the dollar value of the click-rate trend line your platform is already tracking, not just a vanity metric.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Number of employees targeted: 500
- Baseline click rate (%): 32
- Current click rate (%): 8
- Real phishing emails reaching inbox per employee/year: 15
- Click-to-compromise conversion rate (%): 5
- Average cost per compromise incident: 30000
- Annual training program cost: 25000
Results
- Net annual value of training program: $2,675,000
- Gross incident cost avoided: $2,700,000
- Compromises avoided per year (est.): 90
- Program ROI: 10700%
- Click-rate reduction achieved: 24%
What each field means
Inputs
- Number of employees targeted
- The number of employees targeted used in the calculation. Starts at 500 so you have a working example on load.
- Baseline click rate (%)
- The baseline click rate (%) used in the calculation. Starts at 32 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100.
- Current click rate (%)
- The current click rate (%) used in the calculation. Starts at 8 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100.
- Real phishing emails reaching inbox per employee/year
- The real phishing emails reaching inbox per employee/year used in the calculation. Starts at 15 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–500.
- Click-to-compromise conversion rate (%)
- The click-to-compromise conversion rate (%) used in the calculation. Starts at 5 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100.
- Average cost per compromise incident
- The average cost per compromise incident used in the calculation. Starts at 30000 so you have a working example on load.
- Annual training program cost
- The annual training program cost used in the calculation. Starts at 25000 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Net annual value of training program
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Gross incident cost avoided
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Compromises avoided per year (est.)
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Program ROI
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Click-rate reduction achieved
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Where does the 30-35% baseline click rate come from?
It's a commonly cited average from vendor benchmark reports (KnowBe4, Proofpoint) for organizations running their first simulated phishing campaign with no prior structured training. Your own first-campaign result is a better number if you have it, since baseline varies a lot by workforce type and prior security culture.
Why include a compromise conversion rate instead of counting every click as a breach?
In real environments, email filtering, browser isolation, EDR, and MFA all sit between a click and an actual compromise, so most clicks on a real phishing link don't result in credential theft or malware execution. A 3-8% conversion rate is a defensible range for organizations with reasonable technical controls already in place.
How fast should click rates actually drop with training?
Expect meaningful improvement (baseline cut roughly in half) within 2-3 quarterly campaigns, with diminishing returns after that as you approach the 'always some percentage will click' floor of 3-8% that even mature programs plateau around.
What if click rate goes up after a campaign?
That's common right after introducing more sophisticated or realistic phishing templates, since difficulty ramps up as employees get better at spotting easy ones. Track the trend over multiple campaigns of similar difficulty rather than reacting to one data point.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Phishing Click-Rate Reduction Value Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/phishing-click-rate-reduction-value
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/phishing-click-rate-reduction-value" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phishing Click-Rate Reduction Value Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Phishing Click-Rate Reduction Value Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/phishing-click-rate-reduction-value) (2026).