See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Australia’s app install costs told a two-act story: a brief surge early in the year, followed by a decisive slide that left the market well below global levels for most of 2025. While the global benchmark climbed into a mid-year peak and stayed elevated through Q4, Australia reset lower from August onward, closing the year at its most affordable point. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for all industries in Australia compared to the global benchmark.
For all industries in Australia, cost per app install (CPI) opened at 7.36 in January and ended at 3.52 in December, a 52% decline across the year. The annual average landed at 7.13, with a high of 14.23 in March and a low of 3.52 in December. The early-year spike was sharp: February to March nearly doubled (+99%), before easing 33% in April and 32% in May. June briefly rebounded to 10.92 (+69% vs. May), but by August the market reset to 4.82 and stayed low through the close.
Second-half CPI stabilized in a tight band: 4.82 in August, 4.49 in September, 4.68 in October, 5.39 in November, and 3.52 in December. Month-to-month volatility averaged 2.88 points, with the biggest step-change occurring from June to August (−56%). The late-year stretch was comparatively calm, with small moves of 0.19–0.72 points between September and November before the year-end drop.
Australia’s pattern diverged from a typical global rhythm. Q1 carried a clear March spike (14.23), lifting the quarter’s average to 9.58. Q2 was mixed—April and May pulled back, then June popped—before a pronounced second-half softening. From August onward, CPIs settled into sub-5 territory for most months, culminating in December’s low.
Globally, seasonality ran hotter. The world benchmark peaked in June (23.76) and remained elevated through Q3 and into Q4. By contrast, Australia’s Q4 was the softest period of the year, averaging 4.53—roughly half of its Q1 level and marking a clean downshift in country-specific ad costs for app installs.
Compared to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, Australia was significantly more affordable in 2025. The global average CPI was 13.43; Australia’s 7.13 sat about 47% lower. Australia was above market in only two months—January (+4% vs. global) and notably March (+60%). From April onward, Australia trailed consistently, with the gap expanding in the back half:
Volatility also differed: global month-to-month changes averaged 4.46 points, versus 2.88 in Australia—steadier locally, despite a midyear reset.
Taken together, these Facebook Ads benchmarks show that cost per app install for all industries in Australia trended lower and steadier than the global pattern, with a pronounced second-half discount relative to worldwide levels. Understanding CPI performance and country-specific ad costs helps contextualize app install efficiency against global CPM analysis, CPC trends, and CTR performance. This summary captures cost per app install benchmarks for all industries in Australia versus the global benchmark.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting Australia, advertisers typically see good engagement rates despite moderate costs. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
Late December (Christmas and Boxing Day), Early December (Cyber Monday), January (Back-to-school), May (Mother's Day)
Ad costs could spike around major holidays, especially Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas. Increased budgets and earlier scheduling may be necessary. Retailers should consider planning promotions around back-to-school and Mother's Day to maximize campaign effectiveness.
iOS CPIs often range from $2 to $5 or more. Android is usually cheaper, between $1 and $3. Your CPI will depend on geo, creative, and optimization goal.
Some regions like the US, UK, and Canada have higher competition and stricter privacy regulations, which drive up costs. Countries with lower purchasing power typically have cheaper CPIs.
Short videos showing app benefits, UGC-style content, and localized messaging tend to perform best. Clear CTAs and fast-paced visuals help lower your CPI.
Optimizing for installs gets volume, but optimizing for actions like signups or purchases brings higher quality users. It depends on your goals and how much post-install behavior matters.
Align your creative with the app experience, avoid misleading ads, and exclude users who already installed. You can also test lookalike audiences based on high-quality users, not just all installers.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
See how much it costs to get users to install an app