Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks for Legal

Introduction

Global cost-per-install for Legal apps told a story of surges and resets over the last 13 months. Costs opened 2025 at a low base, spiked sharply mid‑year, then settled into a mid‑teens plateau before softening in December and rebounding in January 2026. Volatility was meaningful, with a couple of standout swings that defined the year’s profile. 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 the Legal industry across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Median Cost per App Install (CPI) for Legal across all countries averaged $13.58 from January 2025 through January 2026, ranging from a low of $7.10 in January 2025 to a peak of $23.76 in June. The period ends at $15.39 in January 2026 — up 117% versus the start of 2025, reflecting a clear lift from the early‑year baseline despite the late‑year dip.

The year’s defining moves clustered around mid‑year. May to June delivered the largest month‑over‑month jump (+$11.43, roughly +93%), immediately followed by the sharpest pullback in July (−$12.99, about −55%). After that reset, the market found stability: August through November held in a tight band between $14.57 and $16.39, averaging $15.69. December marked the softest close since March at $10.43 (about 56% below June’s high), before a firm January rebound to $15.39 (+48% from December).

Across the full series, average month‑to‑month movement was $4.50, a swing of roughly 33% relative to the overall average — a profile that confirms a choppy first half, a steadier late Q3–Q4, and a pronounced year‑end reset.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

• Q1 2025 was soft, averaging $9.22, with CPI rising from $7.10 in January to $11.63 in February, then easing to $8.92 in March.
• Q2 was the high‑water mark, averaging $16.53, driven by June’s $23.76 peak after a gradual build in April–May.
• Q3 stabilized, averaging $14.18, with August–September inching higher and volatility narrowing.
• Q4 was mixed, averaging $13.80: October and November held near the mid‑teens, followed by a December dip to $10.43.
• January 2026 re‑accelerated to $15.39, rejoining the mid‑teens band that defined late Q3–Q4.

This rhythm aligns with a pattern where mid‑year competition and spend intensify CPI, followed by a second‑half normalization, a late‑Q4 softening, and a new‑year reset.

Country vs. Global

Because this view covers the Legal industry across all countries, it represents the global benchmark. In other words, there is no gap versus “market” levels by definition. The global Legal curve shows:

• A +117% rise from January 2025 to January 2026.
• A June peak 75% above the annual average ($23.76 vs. $13.58).
• A late‑Q3 to mid‑Q4 plateau around the mid‑teens, with minimal month‑to‑month drift (as low as +$0.22 from September to October).

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost per App Install in the Legal industry across all countries highlights a year defined by a mid‑year spike, late‑year steadiness, a December dip, and a January rebound. This CPI trendline offers a clear reference point for Legal industry ad performance, country‑specific ad costs, and how app install pricing evolved globally relative to broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance over the period.