--- title: "CAGR Calculator: Free Online Tool with Guide & FAQs | ShoutingNow" description: "Find the smoothed annual return that connects a starting balance to an ending balance over any duration. Enter values and time, then review CAGR %, a growth." url: "https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-calculator/" image: "https://shoutingnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/shoutingnow-preview-scaled.webp" --- # CAGR Calculator Find the smoothed annual return connecting a starting balance to an ending balance over any duration. Enter your values and time frame, then check CAGR, a growth schedule, doubling time, and an investment value chart. ## How to use this CAGR calculator 1. Pick a currency symbol for display. It does not convert exchange rates. 2. Enter your starting value and ending value. 3. Set the duration in years, months, and days. 4. Click Calculate and CAGR, a summary, the growth table, doubling time, and the chart all update together. Need calendar dates instead of a typed duration? Use the [CAGR Exact Dates Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-exact-dates-calculator/). Trying to project a future balance from a known CAGR? Try the [CAGR Future Value Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-future-value-calculator/). ## What is CAGR? **Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)** is the constant yearly rate that would carry a starting investment to its ending value over a given period, assuming profits get reinvested each year. It smooths out the bumpiness of year-to-year returns into one comparable annual figure, which is handy when you are comparing funds, portfolios, or business revenue across different time spans. CAGR differs from simple total return because it accounts for *time*. Doubling your money in two years points to a much higher CAGR than doubling it in ten, even though the total gain is 100% either way. ### CAGR formula **t = years (including fractional months and days)** ### Worked example Say an investment grows from $100 to $130 over 4 years: - CAGR = (130 ÷ 100)1/4 − 1 ≈ 6.78% per year - The growth table shows year-by-year balances compounding at that rate. - Time to double at 6.78% works out to about 10 years, 7 months, worth knowing for long-term planning. ### CAGR vs ROI [ROI](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/roi-calculator/) measures total gain against cost and can be annualized, but CAGR is the standard label for the geometric mean return across multiple compounding periods. For modeling contributions and compounding frequency, use our [Compound Interest Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/compound-interest-calculator/). ## Examples and use cases ### Real-world use cases - Mutual fund review: An investor tracks a fund’s value from $8,000 to $11,200 over 5 years to benchmark it against the S&P 500’s CAGR. - Business revenue: A founder reports revenue growth from $500K to $900K over 3 years as CAGR in an investor update. - Portfolio rebalancing: Someone annualizes a lump-sum stock gain to decide whether it is time to shift profits into bonds. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is CAGR? **Compound annual growth rate** is the steady yearly return that would carry a starting value to an ending value over a stretch of time, assuming everything gets reinvested along the way. Plug your numbers into the [CAGR Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-calculator/) and it works this out for you. ### How do I calculate CAGR from starting and ending values? The formula is (Ending ÷ Starting) raised to the power of 1 divided by years, minus 1. Enter your values and duration into the [Standard CAGR Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-calculator/), which factors in fractional months and days as part of the time period. ### What is a good CAGR for investments? That really depends on the asset class and how much risk you are carrying. Broad equity indexes have historically averaged high single-digit to low double-digit annual returns over long stretches, but you should weigh your CAGR against a benchmark and inflation rather than looking at it alone. ### Can CAGR be negative? It can. If the ending value comes in below where you started, CAGR turns negative, which just means the investment lost value on an annualized basis over that period. ### CAGR vs ROI: what is the difference? **ROI** measures total return against cost, while **CAGR** is the geometric mean annual growth rate. If you are working with actual calendar dates, try the [Exact Dates CAGR Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-exact-dates-calculator/); for forward projections, the [Future Value Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/cagr-future-value-calculator/) or [ROI Calculator](https://shoutingnow.com/tools/roi-calculator/) are worth a look. ### Does this calculator include dividends or fees? It does not. If you want an after-cost CAGR, enter net starting and ending values with fees already subtracted, since the tool does not model cash flows between purchase and sale. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"ShoutingNow","url":"https://shoutingnow.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://shoutingnow.com/wp-content/themes/shoutingnow-theme/assets/images/logo.png"},"sameAs":["https://x.com/makani20","https://www.linkedin.com/in/makani20/","https://post-see.com"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer support","email":"support@shoutingnow.com","url":"https://shoutingnow.com/contact/"},"slogan":"Learn. Build. Grow."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","name":"CAGR Calculator","description":"Find the smoothed annual return that connects a starting balance to an ending balance over any duration. 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