Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks in Germany

Introduction

Cost per App Install (CPI) for all industries in Germany tracked far below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks for most of 2025, punctuated by a single pricing shock in May. Outside that spike, Germany’s country-specific ad costs were consistently low and relatively stable, with softer levels in Q3 and a typical year-end bump in December. In contrast, the global baseline climbed into mid-year and stayed elevated through early Q4.

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 Germany compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Germany began 2025 with a CPI of 2.88 in January and ended at 6.88 in December. The year’s low landed in November at 1.62, while the high surged to 164.20 in May. That May spike pulls Germany’s full-year average up to 17.83; however, the median month reads very differently: the year’s monthly median sits around 3.69, reflecting a typical operating range of roughly 2–7 outside the anomaly.

Month-to-month movement underscores the one-off nature of the shock: CPI rose steadily from February (2.16) through April (6.02), then spiked in May (164.20) before rapidly normalizing in June (12.38) and dropping back to low single digits by July (2.90). From August through November, costs hovered between 1.62 and 3.95 before a December rebound to 6.88, consistent with late Q4 competition.

Volatility averaged 30.25 points per month across the year, heavily influenced by the May surge and June unwind. Excluding the May–July whipsaw, underlying month-to-month volatility averaged about 1.65 points—noticeably smoother than the global pattern.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Germany’s CPI profile was subdued across Q1 (average 3.59) and Q3 (3.42), with similarly modest levels in Q4 when excluding December (October 1.87, November 1.62). December showed a clear lift to 6.88, consistent with intensified auction pressure late in the holiday period. Q2 was bifurcated: April’s mild 6.02, May’s severe spike, and June’s partial normalization at 12.38.

The global rhythm was more classically seasonal. The global baseline averaged 9.21 in Q1, accelerated sharply in Q2 to 16.53 with a June high of 23.76, stayed elevated through Q3 at 14.31, and remained high into Q4 at 13.44 before cooling slightly in December (9.32). In short, while CPC trends and CPM analysis typically show Q4 pressure, CPI performance globally peaked earlier—Germany’s May spike aside.

Country vs. Global

Germany’s CPI trailed the global Facebook Ads benchmarks in 11 of 12 months. Typical gaps ranged from 55% to 89% below market: January (−59%), April (−55%), August (−79%), October (−89%), and November (−89%). The narrowest gap came in December, when Germany was 26% below the global level. The lone outlier was May, when Germany’s CPI ran roughly 13× above the global median (164.20 vs. 12.32). Globally, average month-to-month volatility was about 4.57 points; Germany’s baseline was calmer in ordinary months but dominated by the May shock in the headline average.

Closing

In summary, Facebook Ads cost-per-app-install benchmarks for all industries in Germany were consistently below the global baseline in 2025, with a singular May surge and a year-end lift. Understanding CPI trends and country-specific ad costs for Germany helps contextualize industry ad performance against global patterns and sets a realistic frame for CPI and CTR performance comparisons across markets.