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July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Canada’s Cost per App Install (CPI) story over the last 13 months is one of sharp swings and a dramatic net decline versus a steadier global baseline. 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 available in Canada compared to the global benchmark.
Canada opened the window in June 2025 with an outsized CPI of roughly 88.8 — a clear outlier — and finished in June 2026 at about 2.09, a collapse of roughly 97.6% from the start. Across the 13-month series the Canadian average CPI was about 27.7, with a high of 88.76 (2025‑06) and a low of 2.09 (2026‑06). Monthly movement was volatile: the average absolute month‑to‑month change was ~25.5 points, and the series’ standard deviation is about 22.4, signaling large swings relative to the mean.
Key month-level moves: a massive drop from June to July 2025 (≈ −80.4 points), a rebound into August (≈ +42.7), repeated spikes in August and November 2025 (51.0 and 41.85), a mid‑winter climb in February 2026 (≈31.66), and a steep end‑point trough in June 2026 (≈2.09). The median-like behavior is skewed by early outliers; several months sit in the low‑teens to high‑twenties range.
The rhythm shows episodic spikes rather than a smooth seasonal curve. Summer 2025 featured extreme variability (June spike, July collapse, August rebound). Q4 2025 was mixed — October dipped to ~12.45, November spiked to ~41.85, December cooled to ~13.60. Early 2026 saw moderate activity: January around 15.5, February peaking near 31.7, then a March trough (~8.29) and a spring build into April–May (~25.7 and ~28.0) before the sharp June 2026 trough. Compared with typical ad cycles where Q4 competition can lift costs and Q1 can soften, Canada’s pattern reads as punctuated events with several short-lived surges.
Against the global baseline, Canada was more volatile and generally costlier on average. The global benchmark averaged about 15.55 over the same period (baseline high ~30.13 in Feb 2026, low ~9.34 in Dec 2025). Canada exceeded the global CPI in 9 of 13 months (notably June, August, September, November 2025 and Feb–May 2026) and trailed in 4 months (July and October 2025, March and June 2026). The gap ranged widely: the narrowest margin was in February 2026 when Canada was roughly +5% above the global level, while the widest gap was June 2025 when Canada’s CPI was about +383% above baseline. On the downside, Canada undercut the global benchmark most sharply in June 2026 (≈ −82% vs. baseline).
This time-series frames Cost per App Install volatility for All industries available in Canada, set against global Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends and CPM analysis context. For marketers and creative strategists tracking CPI performance, these country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance patterns for Canada highlight a year of episodic spikes, elevated average costs versus the global baseline, and unusually large month-to-month swings. Understanding Cost Per App Install Facebook Ads benchmarks for All industries available in Canada helps advertisers evaluate engagement trends and compare performance to global patterns.
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 Canada, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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.
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Late November (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), December (holiday shopping, Boxing Day), Back-to-school (August-September), Mother's Day (May)
CPM might increase during Canada Day, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving. Black Friday and Cyber Monday see heightened e‑commerce bidding. December holiday period may spike ad costs. Back-to-school and Mother's Day drive retail competition. Provincial holidays might alter weekday inventory availability.
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