Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks in Italy

Introduction

Italy’s app install costs told a two-act story: a near‑parity start against the market, followed by an extended stretch far below global levels. Cost per App Install (CPI) opened 2025 elevated at 12.88, hovered near the benchmark through March, then broke sharply lower from April onward, landing at just 0.34 by January 2026. Meanwhile, the global benchmark climbed steadily through the year. Volatility clustered midyear in Italy, with a sharp June rebound and a July collapse standing out as the period’s defining 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 in Italy compared to the global benchmark.

Section 1: The story in the data

Across January 2025 to January 2026, Italy’s CPI averaged 5.02, ranging from a high of 12.88 in January 2025 to a low of 0.34 in January 2026. The period began at 12.88 and ended at 0.34, a 97% decline. After a steady early‑Q1 drift down (−12% in February, −21% in March), CPI plunged in April to 2.90 (−68% month over month) and held low in May (2.30). June delivered a brief surge to 12.58 (+448%), immediately followed by a July crash to 0.95 (−92%). From there, Italy rebuilt gradually: August 1.31, September 2.76, October 3.85, before softening into November 2.69 and December 2.24, and finally the period low in January 2026.

Volatility averaged 3.24 points of absolute month‑to‑month change, with the largest movements concentrated midyear: a May‑to‑June spike (+10.28 points) and a June‑to‑July drop (−11.62). Despite those shocks, more than 60% of months (8 of 13) sat below 3.00, reflecting a long low‑cost plateau once the market broke lower.

Section 2: Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm split cleanly by halves. Q1 2025 was the high‑cost phase (average 11.10), with Italy essentially at or above market levels. Q2 marked the break: April and May compressed sharply before a one‑month June rebound. Q3 (average 1.68) was the trough, bottoming in July and recovering modestly through September. In Q4, Italy stayed subdued (average 2.93) with a small October lift and softer November–December. Early 2026 reset to an extreme low.

In contrast with typical year‑end competition, Italy’s Q4 CPI remained restrained, even as the global benchmark held elevated levels.

Section 3: Country vs. Global

Relative to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, Italy’s CPI averaged 63% lower (5.02 vs. 13.58). Trajectories diverged: Italy fell 97% from January 2025 to January 2026, while the global benchmark rose 117% over the same window. The spread shifted dramatically over the year: Italy started above market in January (+82%) and hovered near parity in February (−2%) and March (+1%). From April onward, Italy consistently undercut global CPI—by 47% at the narrowest (June) and typically by 77–92% through H2, reaching a 98% gap in January 2026. Global volatility averaged 4.50 points per month, higher than Italy’s 3.24, but with steadier upward momentum and a midyear peak (June at 23.76).

Italy’s Q4 averaged 2.93 versus the global 13.80 (−79%), underscoring how country‑specific ad costs can diverge from broader CPM analysis, CPC trends, and CTR performance patterns.

Closing

In summary, Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost per App Install across all industries in Italy show a year that began near global pricing and finished at a sustained discount, marked by a midyear whipsaw and a low, stable second half. Understanding CPI benchmarks for all industries in Italy provides a clear view of country‑specific ad costs and how industry ad performance compares with global Facebook Ads benchmarks.