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
India’s cost-per-app-install (COST_PER_APP_INSTALL) runs dramatically below the global benchmark and tells a story of low absolute spend but high percentage swings. 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 available in India compared to the global benchmark.
Across June 2025–March 2026 India’s median cost per app install averaged about $1.19, ranging from a low of $0.32 (September 2025) to a spike of $6.48 (October 2025). The series began at $0.52 in June 2025 and closed at $0.59 in March 2026 — a modest +14.5% net lift from start to finish, punctuated by sharp monthly moves. By contrast the global (baseline) median for the same months averaged roughly $15.66, with monthly values between about $9.35 (December 2025) and $30.13 (February 2026). India’s median sits at roughly 7.6% of the global median over this period — in other words, India trailed global cost levels by roughly 92% on a dollars-per-install basis.
Volatility in India is notable in relative terms: the month-to-month absolute change averaged about $1.56, driven largely by October’s surge. Measured as standard deviation, India’s CPI variability is around $1.8 (CV ≈ 150%), whereas the global series shows higher absolute dispersion (SD ≈ $5.6) but lower relative volatility (CV ≈ 35%).
The rhythm shows quiet, sub-dollar levels through early fall with a trough in September, followed by an abrupt October surge to $6.48 — an outlier more than five times India’s monthly mean. After October’s peak, values snap back into sub-dollar territory for November and December, with a small upward drift into Q1 2026. The global series also exhibits spikes: a February 2026 jump to about $30.13 that dwarfs other months, and softer mid-December baselines. Overall, there’s a pattern of episodic spikes interrupting otherwise low-cost months in India and larger-dollar volatility at the global level during Q4–Q1.
Relative comparisons emphasize scale and stability differences. India’s cost-per-app-install is consistently below market by a wide margin — typically 85–95% lower than global medians. In absolute dollars the global benchmark moves more violently month-to-month (larger swings), but India’s percentage swings are sharper: the October 2025 move in India represented a multi-thousand-percent uptick month-to-month, whereas the global February 2026 jump was a triple-digit percent move. These contrasts highlight different dynamics in country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance when viewed against Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance narratives.
This data-driven summary of COST_PER_APP_INSTALL for All industries available in India versus the global benchmark provides a clear view of country-specific ad costs and how India’s low absolute CPIs pair with higher relative volatility. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per app install in India helps frame industry ad performance and country comparisons.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting India, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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.
October (Diwali), Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas), July–August (Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi)
CPMs might spike significantly during Diwali, especially in electronics, apparel, jewellery, and gifts. Black Friday/Cyber Monday and December could drive elevated ad competition. State-specific festivals might see regional campaign spikes. Bank closures during holidays may push online shopping to cluster in end-of-week periods.
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