Garbage in, fantasy out. That is both the promise and the trap of an AR ROI calculator.
A decent one asks for the right inputs: 3D model costs per SKU, monthly traffic on the products you would cover, average margin, and an expected conversion lift plus any return reduction. Feed it guesses and it will hand you back a fantasy with decimal points.
Where these tools genuinely help is discipline. Most store owners do the AR math in their heads and round everything in their favor. A calculator forces the uncomfortable inputs. What if the lift is half the famous case study's. What if only a fifth of your traffic shops on a phone. What if model costs run over. The good ones let you slide the assumptions and watch the payback period move, which is the whole point of the exercise.
What no calculator can do is supply the lift figure. It does not know your category. For that you need published benchmarks, which is why ARCommerce's database exists: 68 brands with the conversion figures they actually published, so your calculator starts from something real instead of a vendor's slide.
One more honest note. The best calculator is the one you actually use. A plain spreadsheet with your real margins beats a slick app fed with fantasy inputs, every single time.
So yes, they help, as planning tools. Model the range before you commit, then measure the real thing after launch with a mobile app to measure AR performance. Calculate first, commit second, measure always.
Want help building the business case for your store? I consult e-commerce brands on AR implementation at arcommerce.fyi.