See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Marketing & Advertising app acquisition costs moved on two speeds across all countries: a bargain September followed by a sharp October reset. Cost per app install (CPI) in this industry averaged 8.20 across September and October 2025, well below the broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, which sat near 21.22 over the same two months. The jump from 2.68 in September to 13.73 in October marked a swift normalization, narrowing a large gap versus the global market. Meanwhile, the global baseline across all industries traced a choppy year, peaking in June and firming again into late Q3 before easing in October.
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 Marketing & Advertising across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Across all countries, Marketing & Advertising CPI started at 2.68 in September and closed October at 13.73 — a +412% month-over-month lift. Over these two months, the industry’s CPI averaged 8.20, with a low in September (2.68) and a high in October (13.73). The single-step swing of 11.05 points signals a sharper month-to-month move than the market typically shows.
The global baseline (all industries, all countries) averaged 15.10 from November 2024 through October 2025, ranging from a low of 7.13 in January to a high of 27.90 in June. The market’s average absolute month-to-month change was 6.23 points, underscoring that the industry’s September-to-October leap (11.05) was about 77% more volatile than the global norm.
The broader market’s rhythm followed familiar seasonality: a soft trough at the start of the year (January low at 7.13), rebounds through late Q1 and spring (February and April lifts), and a pronounced mid-year spike (June high at 27.90). After a summer reset in July (12.69), costs climbed through August (18.24) and September (23.31) before easing into October (19.14). Within that backdrop, Marketing & Advertising’s September CPI appeared unusually light, with October aligning more closely to the late-year tightening seen across country-specific ad costs.
Relative to the global benchmark, Marketing & Advertising CPI across all countries underperformed through this window:
On average across September–October, the industry’s CPI was 61% below the global CPI (8.20 vs. 21.22). Against the full-year global average of 15.10, the two-month industry average sat 46% lower. The gap was widest in September and narrowed materially in October as CPI rebounded.
In sum, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per app install show Marketing & Advertising across all countries running well below the global market in September before rebounding toward October’s broader CPM analysis and CTR performance context. Understanding cost-per-app-install trends for the Marketing & Advertising industry across all countries helps quantify how this vertical tracked against global CPI trends through late 2025.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. In the Marketing & Advertising industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. 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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
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.
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