Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks for Hardware and Networking

Introduction

Across all countries, cost-per-app-install trends moved in clear waves: a steep softening into January, a sharp early-summer spike, and a late-Q3 lift that eased into October. For the period observed, median cost per install averaged 15.10, bottomed at 7.13 in January, and peaked at 27.90 in June. Monthly swings were pronounced, with the largest jump in early summer and a quick reversion in July—an up-and-down cadence that kept acquisition costs anything but static.

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 Hardware and Networking across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

The period opens at 15.83 in November, slides to 11.30 in December, and reaches the trough in January at 7.13. A rebound arrives in February (12.52), followed by a brief dip in March (8.83) and a return to mid-teens in April (12.59) and May (11.77). June marks the standout move: cost per install more than doubles from May to 27.90, the high for the window. The market then cools to 12.69 in July before climbing again through late Q3—18.24 in August and 23.31 in September—then easing to 19.14 in October.

Over the 12-month span, the average sits at 15.10, with roughly half the months below this line (December, January, March, April, May, July) and the remainder above it (November, June, August, September, October). The start-to-end shift runs +21% (15.83 in November to 19.14 in October). Volatility was elevated: the average month-to-month swing was about 6.23, with the sharpest moves clustered around June (May→June +16.13; June→July −15.21).

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Late Q4 softens from November to December. Q1 is the trough, with January at the lowest level of the year and a choppy rebound across February and March. Q2 stabilizes in the mid-teens before the June surge. Q3 opens with a reset in July, then steps higher in August and September. Early Q4 (October) cools from September’s high yet remains comfortably above the annual average.

This rhythm produces a clear split: January–June averages 13.46, while July–October averages 18.34—about one-third higher—signaling a heavier cost environment in the back half of the period.

Country vs. Global

Because this view aggregates Hardware and Networking across all countries and the category time series is not available in this cut, the global all-industry benchmark serves as the practical reference. That benchmark averaged 15.10, with a 7.13 low (January) and a 27.90 high (June). Relative to the annual mean, June sat 85% above average while January was 53% below—illustrating a year defined by outsized mid-year elevation and early-year softness. The overall slope from November to October was positive (+21%), but the path there was choppy, reflecting more volatility than a steady climb.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-app-install benchmarks for Hardware and Networking across all countries—framed against the global benchmark—helps teams interpret CPI trends, compare industry ad performance, and situate country-specific ad costs within broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance patterns.