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February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across 2025, Cost Per App Install (CPI) in New Zealand traced a dramatic arc: an exceptionally expensive start, a sharp reset by April, then a mid-year rebuild and a late-year lift. Compared to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, New Zealand was both higher on average and meaningfully more volatile, with January and February standing out as extreme outliers. 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 New Zealand compared to the global benchmark.
New Zealand’s CPI opened at 44.65 in January and closed at 16.71 in December, a 63% decline from start to finish. The year’s high was January (44.65) and the low was April (2.53), producing a wide range of 42 points. The annual median hovered well below those extremes, with an average of 16.54 across the year.
Quarterly rhythm underscored the swing:
Month-to-month volatility averaged 7.8 points in New Zealand, notably choppier than the global benchmark’s 4.5. Globally, CPI averaged 13.43 for 2025, with a high in June (23.76) and a low in January (7.10)—a smoother, more centered profile compared with New Zealand.
The pattern in New Zealand diverged from typical Facebook Ads benchmarks. Instead of easing after the holidays, CPI was elevated through February before collapsing in April. Mid-year costs then rebuilt into June, softened into early Q4, and lifted again in December. Globally, CPI climbed into Q2, remained firm through Q3, and eased slightly into Q4—more in line with widespread CPM analysis that often reflects heavier competition in Q2–Q3 and mixed Q4 effects. New Zealand’s curve, meanwhile, showed a pronounced early-year surge, an April reset, and a late-year rebound.
On average, New Zealand’s CPI sat 23% above the global level in 2025 (16.54 vs. 13.43). The spread, however, moved widely month to month:
Understanding Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install benchmarks for all industries in New Zealand—alongside global CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance—helps contextualize country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance. These 2025 CPI patterns show how New Zealand’s market moved against global momentum at key points, offering a clear read on relative pricing dynamics over the year.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting New Zealand, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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.
Late November–early December (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), Christmas season (Boxing Day sales), Mid‑year promotions (Matariki in June), Back-to-school (late January/early February)
CPM and CPC might rise around Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day as public events increase media consumption. Matariki is new public holiday with growing awareness—advertising may see elevated competition. Late November–December Black Friday/Cyber Monday could drive ad costs significantly. Regional anniversary holidays may cause local inventory shifts.
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