See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline: India’s cost-per-app-install sat far below the global median but showed pronounced month-to-month swings, driven by a large October spike. 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 India compared to the global benchmark, focused on COST_PER_APP_INSTALL (cost per app install).
India’s series started at roughly $0.52 in June 2025 and closed near $0.59 in March 2026, with an arithmetic average of about $1.19 per install across the 10-month window. The low point was roughly $0.32 in September 2025; the high point was a clear outlier at $6.48 in October 2025. That October jump accounts for much of the series’ dispersion: month-to-month absolute changes averaged about $1.56, but variation is skewed by the two large swings into and out of October (a ~6.16 increase into October and ~5.78 fall in November). Measured as standard deviation, the India series shows relative volatility — a standard deviation near $1.78 and a coefficient of variation around 150%.
The rhythm reads as mostly low-and-stable punctuated by a brief, sharp peak. June–August held modest growth from about $0.52 to $1.16, then a drop to $0.32 in September. October produced the dramatic spike to $6.48, followed by a rapid normalization to the sub-$0.70 range through December and early 2026. January–March 2026 settled in a narrow band around $0.50–$0.60. The pattern shows a brief high-cost episode in Q4 with an otherwise low-cost baseline throughout Q3 and Q1.
Compared to the baseline (global) median for the same months — about $15.66 per install on average — India’s costs were materially lower. India averaged ~$1.19 versus a global median near $15.66, meaning India ran roughly 92% below the global level across this period. In relative terms the gap narrowed in October (India at ~$6.48 vs global ~$16.43 — India ~39% of global, ~61% below) and widened most in February 2026 (India ~$0.50 vs global ~$30.13 — India ~1.7% of global, ~98% below). On an absolute scale the global series shows larger monthly swings (average absolute monthly change ~ $6.31), but India’s cost-per-install is more volatile in percent terms (India CV ~150% vs global CV ~36%), reflecting that a single supply/demand or bidding event can move a low-cost market more dramatically in percentage terms.
This snapshot of COST_PER_APP_INSTALL for All industries in India sits well under the global headline but carries higher relative volatility due to a Q4 spike. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis and country-specific ad costs within industry ad performance frameworks helps frame where India’s cost-per-app-install sits against worldwide patterns for All industries in India.
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.
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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