See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
June 2025 - June 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across Marketing & Advertising for All countries available, cost-per-app-install (CPI) moved with clear momentum: a mid‑year starting point near $18, a deep mid‑year dip, a sharp spike in February 2026, and a calmer decline into June 2026. 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 in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
The annual median CPI averaged $15.54 across the 13 months measured (June 2025–June 2026). The series began at $18.36 in June 2025 and finished at $11.65 in June 2026 — a net decline of about 36.5% from start to finish. The highest monthly median was $30.13 in February 2026, while the lowest was $9.35 in December 2025. That creates a full swing of roughly $20.78 — a volatility span that exceeds the average monthly cost.
Key monthly movements read like a sequence of lifts and drops: a steep decline from $18.36 (June) to $9.95 (July), a gradual lift through autumn peaking near $16.43 in October, a slide into the December trough ($9.35), a rebound into January ($12.83) followed by the pronounced February spike (+~135% vs. January), and then a sharp correction in March down to $16.58 and a softer finish into June. Average month‑to‑month absolute movement was about $5.56, underscoring a high degree of choppiness across the year.
Rhythms emerge around common seasonal markers: softer pockets appear in mid‑summer (July) and in late Q4 (December), while early Q1 shows the strongest single-month disruption (February spike). The data shows the CPI dipping into two distinct troughs (July and December) before rebounding — and with an exceptional outlier in February that punctuates the early‑year window. April sits as a secondary lift ($19.33) before a measured slide into May and June.
Viewed against the global benchmark implied by this dataset (mean $15.54), the Marketing & Advertising CPI displays both periods above and below market: the February peak sat ~94% above the annual mean, while the December low sat about 40% below it. The series is demonstrably more volatile than a flat benchmark — month‑to‑month swings frequently exceeded $5 on average, and the peak-to-trough range was about 134% of the mean.
Understanding cost-per-app-install trends for Marketing & Advertising across All countries available provides a clear picture of seasonal troughs in July and December, a pronounced early‑year spike in February, and overall elevated volatility. This view complements Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance, country-specific ad costs, and broader industry ad performance conversations for Marketing & Advertising in All countries available.
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.
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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.
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