ROI Calculator
Enter what you put in and what you got back. The calculator shows your return on investment as a percentage, the gain or loss in dollars, and — where it helps — a Fox Insight about what that percentage is measured against.
How to calculate ROI
Return on investment is the gain divided by the amount invested, written as a percent:
ROI = (amount returned − amount invested) / amount invested × 100
A return rate doesn’t tell you how much you made — it tells you how much you made relative to what you put in. A $250 gain is a 25% ROI on $1,000, and a 5% ROI on $5,000.
Why ROI, not just the profit
Two investments can produce the same profit and still be very different. Put $1,000 in and get $1,250 back, and you’ve made $250 — a 25% ROI. Put $5,000 in for the same $250, and it’s a 5% ROI. ROI puts investments of different sizes on the same scale, so you can compare them. It does not, on its own, account for risk or for how long your money was tied up.
Worked examples
- $1,000 → $1,250: gain of $250, so 250 / 1,000 × 100 = 25% ROI.
- $500 → $700: gain of $200, so 200 / 500 × 100 = 40% ROI.
- $2,000 → $1,600: a $400 loss, so −400 / 2,000 × 100 = −20% ROI.
ROI reference
The same gain is a different ROI as the amount invested changes:
| Invested | Returned | Gain | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $1,100 | +$100 | 10% |
| $1,000 | $1,250 | +$250 | 25% |
| $1,000 | $1,500 | +$500 | 50% |
| $1,000 | $2,000 | +$1,000 | 100% |
| $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 | 0% |
| $1,000 | $800 | −$200 | −20% |
| $5,000 | $5,250 | +$250 | 5% |
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a good ROI?
It depends on the risk taken and how long the money was invested — ROI on its own captures neither. A higher ROI is only better when the risk and time frame are comparable. PercentFox does the arithmetic; it does not give investment advice.
Does ROI account for how long the money was invested?
No. A 25% ROI over one year and a 25% ROI over five years are the same ROI. To compare across different periods you need annualized ROI, which spreads the return over the number of years.
Can ROI be negative?
Yes. If you get back less than you put in, the gain is negative and so is the ROI. Getting $1,600 back on a $2,000 investment is a -20% ROI. Losing the whole investment is -100%.
Is ROI the same as profit margin?
No. Profit margin is profit as a percent of revenue or sales. ROI is gain as a percent of the amount invested. They answer different questions and usually give different numbers.