See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
June 2025 - June 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline: Finance app-install costs were choppier and, on average, higher than the overall market across the year — punctuated by two extreme spikes. 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 Finance in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Cost Per App Install (CPI) for Finance started at $10.93 in June 2025 and finished at $21.63 in May 2026, a near doubling (+98%) from the opening month. Across the 12-month window the Finance median CPI averaged about $18.67, ranging from a low of $8.52 (August 2025) to a high of $39.85 (December 2025). By contrast the global baseline averaged roughly $15.86 over the same months.
Month-to-month momentum was dramatic: average absolute monthly movement was about $10.32 for Finance (roughly 54% average absolute percent swing month-to-month), signaling high volatility. Notable moves include the December 2025 surge to $39.85 (more than three times the baseline that month) and an April 2026 rebound to $37.44 after a dip in March. The trough in August (≈$8.52) and the January reset to $11.23 are the other anchors of the year.
Seasonality shows Q4 and early-Q1 turbulence rather than a smooth Q4 peak. November and December 2025 produced outsized lifts — November rose to about $22.57 and December exploded to nearly $39.85 — followed by a sharp decline into January 2026 ($11.23). A second large lift occurred in April 2026 ($37.44), then eased into May ($21.63). In contrast, late summer (August) was relatively soft, producing the year’s low. The pattern reads as a series of sharp lifts and declines rather than gradual seasonal drift.
Comparing Finance to the baseline each month shows a mixed relationship: Finance was below the global CPI in 7 of 12 months and above in 5 months. Over the year Finance averaged about 17.7% higher than the global benchmark ($18.67 vs $15.86). At the narrowest gap (October 2025) Finance sat only ~6% below the benchmark; at the widest gap (December 2025) Finance exceeded the baseline by roughly 327%. Other big divergences: April 2026 was about +94% above baseline, while February 2026 saw Finance run ~41% below the global CPI. The Finance series was meaningfully more volatile than the global benchmark — average absolute monthly moves were ~$10.32 (Finance) versus ~$5.82 (baseline), and average monthly percent swings were ~54% vs ~37%.
Understanding Cost Per App Install benchmarks for Finance across All countries available — within the context of Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance and country-specific ad costs — surfaces a pattern of high volatility and episodic spikes that distinguish finance industry ad performance from the global norm.
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 Finance industry, Facebook ad costs can be typically higher due to high competition and valuable conversions. 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:
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