See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Headline: Marketplaces’ cost-per-app-install ran well above the global median for most of the year, then collapsed into unusually low levels in May–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 Marketplaces in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Across the 13 months from June 2025 to June 2026 the median Cost Per App Install (CPI) for Marketplaces (all countries) averaged about $57.2, versus a global baseline median of roughly $15.6 — roughly 3.7× the market benchmark. The Marketplaces series ranged dramatically, from a low of $1.78 (May 2026) to a peak of $146.84 (April 2026). The series began at $51.87 in June 2025 and ended at $1.92 in June 2026, a net decline of about 96% year‑on‑year from start to finish.
Volatility was high: standard deviation for Marketplaces was about $37.5 (coefficient of variation ~66%), roughly double the baseline’s variability (baseline std ≈ $5.1, CV ≈ 33%). Notable monthly moves include sharp rises into October 2025 ($84.79) and February–April 2026 (peaking at $101.69 in Feb and $146.84 in Apr), followed by a dramatic collapse to sub‑$2 CPIs in May–June 2026. The median Marketplaces CPI exceeded the baseline by 160–700% across most months — e.g., December 2025 was ~8× the global level — before flipping to about 84–88% below baseline in May–June 2026.
The cadence reads less like a smooth seasonal cycle and more like punctuated spikes and drops. Q4 2025 hosted a strong high in October ($84.8) and a rebound peak in December ($74.3), while early 2026 showed another high rhythm with February–April surges (Feb ≈ $101.7; Apr ≈ $146.8). Instead of a classic Q4‑peak / Q1‑trough pattern, Marketplaces saw multiple spike windows and then a sudden trough in late spring 2026. The single largest month‑over‑month swing was April→May 2026 (≈ −98.8%), one of the most extreme short‑term reversals in the series.
Viewed against the aggregate baseline, Marketplaces (all countries) were generally above market — often 2.6×–8× the global CPI during peak months — indicating consistently higher install costs through most of the period. However, the May–June 2026 collapse inverted that relationship: at its narrowest (May 2026) the Marketplaces CPI was roughly 88% below the global benchmark; at its widest (April 2026) it was about 660% above baseline. Overall, the Marketplaces series was materially more volatile and subject to larger outliers than the global benchmark.
Understanding Cost Per App Install benchmarks for Marketplaces in All countries available — and how they diverged from the global baseline — provides a data‑grounded view of late‑2025 to mid‑2026 CPI dynamics for Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance, country‑specific ad costs, and industry ad performance.
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 Marketplaces 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:
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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