See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all countries, the market-wide cost to acquire an app install moved through a clear 2025–early 2026 arc: a low-cost start, a sharp mid‑year surge, a late‑year softening, and a renewed lift in January 2026. Volatility clustered around mid‑year, with a standout spike in June followed by an equally forceful correction in July. 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 HR & Staffing in all countries compared to the global benchmark.
The global benchmark for Cost per App Install averaged $13.58 across Jan 2025–Jan 2026, ranging from a low of $7.10 in January 2025 to a high of $23.76 in June. The period began at $7.10 and ended at $15.39 in January 2026, a +117% increase from the starting point. The range over the year was wide—$16.66 between the trough and the peak—signaling meaningful shifts in competitive pressure and conversion efficiency across the calendar.
Momentum concentrated in a few decisive moves. Costs climbed from January’s $7.10 to $11.63 in February, dipped in March ($8.92), and then accelerated into April ($13.51) and May ($12.32) before surging in June to $23.76. July marked the sharpest reversal, dropping to $10.77—nearly a $13 swing month over month. From there, prices recovered into late summer and early fall, holding in a relatively tight band from August ($15.61) through October ($16.39). Q4 softened into a December trough of $10.43, then rebounded to $15.39 in January 2026. On average, monthly absolute movements were $4.50, with the June-to-July drop (−$12.99) the most dramatic shift and September-to-October the calmest (+$0.22).
Seasonality was pronounced. Q1 2025 was the value period, averaging $9.22 across January–March. Q2 shifted higher, averaging $16.53, led by the June peak. Q3 normalized at $14.18 as the market recalibrated post-spike. Q4 mixed steadier October levels with a December soft spot, averaging $13.80 across the quarter before a January 2026 lift to $15.39. This rhythm tracks common auction patterns: stronger pricing through mid‑year, steadier late summer/early fall, and softer December as conversion and auction dynamics reset.
This cut aggregates all countries for HR & Staffing, but the industry‑specific time series is not provided alongside the global, all‑industry benchmark. As a result, the precise gap between HR & Staffing and the market average cannot be quantified from this extract. Directionally, the benchmark itself rose from $7.10 in January 2025 to $15.39 in January 2026 and exhibited above‑average volatility around mid‑year ($4.50 average monthly swing), with the narrowest spread in early fall when costs hovered near $16.
Viewed through Facebook Ads benchmarks, this global Cost per App Install lens shows a clear mid‑year surge, late‑year softness, and an early‑2026 rebound—useful context for understanding industry ad performance even when country-specific ad costs by vertical are not available. Understanding Cost per App Install benchmarks for the HR & Staffing industry across all countries helps teams interpret CPI dynamics alongside broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance, and compare them 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. In the HR & Staffing 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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
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