Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks in Netherlands

Introduction

Across all industries in the Netherlands, cost per app install (CPI) traced a year marked by calm early gains, an outsized midsummer spike, and a sudden reset. Compared to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, the Netherlands mostly ran near or below market levels until June, then diverged sharply in July before plunging to the lowest point of the year in August. 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 all industries in the Netherlands compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

The period opens at 4.60 in November 2024 and climbs through winter: 6.92 in December, 11.09 in January, and 13.51 in February. A mild pullback in March (11.98) gave way to steady spring levels—14.03 in April and 12.81 in May—followed by a firmer June at 15.66. Then the outlier: July jumped to 68.72 before CPI collapsed to 1.51 in August, the series low.

Across November 2024–August 2025, CPI in the Netherlands averaged 16.08, with a median of 12.40. The average monthly movement was 15.2 points, but that number is dominated by the July surge and August reset; excluding those two months, the average swing was a much steadier 2.4 points. The highest month was July (68.72); the lowest was August (1.51). From the start (4.60 in November) to the end (1.51 in August), CPI declined 67%, despite the midyear lift.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm is clear: a Q1 build from December through February, a softer March, and a relatively balanced April–May range in the low-to-mid teens. June firmed, consistent with broader midyear cost pressure often seen in country-specific ad costs, before a one-month surge in July and a dramatic August reset. Globally, seasonality showed its own swings: a soft trough in January (7.22), a peak in June (27.90), and renewed cost pressure in August (19.88). Performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1; the Netherlands tracked portions of that pattern but with more dramatic Q3 variance.

Country vs. Global

Against the global benchmark, the Netherlands posted a mixed, often favorable profile:

• On average, the Netherlands came in slightly higher than global (16.08 vs. 14.62) due to July’s surge. Without July, the Netherlands would have averaged roughly 10.24 across the span—well below global levels.
• November and December ran well below market (−74% and −45% vs. global). April was near parity (5% below), while January (+53%), February (+5%), March (+31%), and May (+6%) landed modestly above. June undercut global costs by 44%.
• The gap was narrowest in April (about 5% below global) and widest in July, when the Netherlands was 5.6x the global CPI. August flipped to a 92% discount vs. global.
• Volatility was higher in the Netherlands (average monthly move 15.2 points) than globally (7.45), though the Netherlands’ underlying month-to-month cadence outside July/August was steadier than the global series.

Closing

In short, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per app install across all industries in the Netherlands show a largely affordable market with a pronounced Q3 whipsaw: a July spike followed by an August reset. This country-specific view of CPI—alongside related lenses like CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance—helps frame industry ad performance in the Netherlands against global patterns.