See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
August 2025 - August 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Big-picture: Entertainment app-install costs ran well above the market this year, with a steady mid-year baseline and a dramatic spike at the end of the series. 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 Entertainment in All countries compared to the global benchmark.
COST_PER_APP_INSTALL for Entertainment began at $52.3 in July 2025 and finished at $133.5 in June 2026 — a 155% rise from start to finish. Across the 12-month window the Entertainment median was about $57.4, ranging from a low of $33.9 in August 2025 to a peak of $133.5 in June 2026. By contrast the global baseline averaged roughly $15.6 over the same months.
Month-to-month movement tells a textured story: an early dip into late summer (July → August −35%), a rebound into the mid‑50s across autumn and early spring, incremental rises through April–May (peaking around $61 in April), and then an outsized jump in June (+130% versus May). Excluding that June surge, the series held in a tighter band ($34–$61) with a typical monthly swing near 16%; including June, average monthly absolute change rises to about 26%, signaling higher volatility driven by the year‑end spike.
Seasonally, Entertainment app-install costs softened over the late-summer lull and then stabilized across Q4 and Q1, with December showing a modest dip to $44.0 before rebounding into January–March (mid‑$40s to mid‑$50s). April and May showed gradual lift into the high‑50s to low‑60s, which is consistent with higher mid‑year demand pressure observed in some verticals. June 2026 is a standout month — an abrupt elevation to $133.5 that departs from the prior rhythm and drives most of the year’s volatility.
These patterns sit alongside familiar ad calendar effects: softer pockets in late summer and specific Q4 softness in December, followed by a Q1 rebound and mid‑year competition that can push costs higher. In this Entertainment series the June spike represents an atypical peak rather than the seasonal climax.
Relative to the global benchmark, Entertainment app-install costs were consistently above market. The Entertainment median was roughly 3.7x the global median across the year. The narrowest gap occurred in February 2026, when Entertainment costs were about 1.6x the global median; the widest gap came in June 2026, when Entertainment was over 9x the global benchmark. On a monthly basis the multiple ranged from ~1.6x to ~9.0x, illustrating persistent premium pricing for Entertainment installs and a more volatile profile versus the baseline.
Across keyword lenses — Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis and CTR performance contexts — this dataset highlights a cost dimension where industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs diverge meaningfully from the aggregate market.
Understanding cost-per-app-install benchmarks for Entertainment across All countries clarifies how industry ad performance compares to broader Facebook Ads benchmarks and the global baseline for country-specific ad costs.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. In the Entertainment industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. 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.
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:
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Cost per lead across different markets
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See how much it costs to get users to install an app