Compare mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected data
Legal ads for app installs showed a dramatic, stop-and-start year compared with broader platform norms. 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 Legal in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Across the 13-month series (Jul 2025–Jul 2026) the Legal cost-per-app-install (CPI) began near $9.95, bounced through a mid-year band of $9–$19, then punctuated the timeline with two pronounced lifts — February 2026 and an extreme spike in July 2026. The 13-month average CPI was about $21.8, but that average masks a typical mid-teens run rate: excluding the July 2026 outlier, the mean falls to roughly $15.6.
Starting point: $9.95 (Jul 2025). Ending point: $96.91 (Jul 2026) — roughly a tenfold increase (≈+875%) from start to finish. The series low was $9.36 (Dec 2025) and the high was $96.91 (Jul 2026). Notable peaks include February 2026 at $30.13 (a sharp lift from $12.83 in Jan) and the final month’s dramatic jump to $96.91.
Month-to-month movement was uneven. Typical moves through most months were single- to low-double-digit percent changes (e.g., +26% Jul→Aug, +25% Aug→Sep, −37% Nov→Dec). Two months disrupted that rhythm: Jan→Feb surged ~+135%, and Jun→Jul exploded ~+556%. Measured as absolute monthly percent change, the average across the full series was ~77% — driven by those two anomalies. Excluding July’s outlier, average monthly absolute change falls to ~33%, reflecting a generally choppier but less extreme pattern.
From a distribution view, most months sat in a $9–$20 band; episodic lifts pushed CPI into the $30 range and, once, near $100.
Seasonally, the Legal CPI showed softer levels entering Q4 (Oct–Dec) with the lowest point in December ($9.36), then a rebound into January before a pronounced February spike. Spring (Mar–May) returned to more moderate levels between $14–$19, before the anomalous July jump. The pattern suggests pockets of elevated competition or supply changes during late winter and a severe outlier in mid-summer, producing a jagged cadence rather than a smooth Q4 ramp or Q1 recovery alone.
This series represents Legal across all countries available and functions as the baseline in this dataset. Viewed against broad-platform CPI norms (the global benchmark represented here), Legal’s aggregate pattern is characterized by a lower mid-year floor (single-digit to mid-teens) punctuated by sharper volatility — February and July widened the gap versus the central trend. At its narrowest, typical months were roughly in line with a mid-teens global CPI; at its widest (July 2026), Legal CPI exceeded the typical 12‑month average by more than 6x.
Across descriptors common to performance reporting — Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance and country-specific ad costs — the Legal industry ad performance in this aggregated dataset reads as generally moderate-cost with episodic, high-impact spikes.
Understanding Cost Per App Install benchmarks for the Legal industry across All countries available helps advertisers evaluate industry ad performance and compare month-to-month movement against the broader global patterns.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
Facebook advertising costs vary by industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objective. In the Legal industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs through regional competition and user engagement. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPI values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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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 that show app benefits, UGC-style content, and localized messaging tend to perform best. Clear CTAs and fast-paced visuals can lower CPI.
Optimizing for installs increases volume. Optimizing for actions such as signups or purchases brings higher-quality users. Choose based on your goals and the importance of post-install behavior.
Align creative with the app experience, avoid misleading ads, and exclude people who already installed. Test lookalike audiences based on high-quality users rather than all installers.
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