Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks for Public Safety

Introduction

The headline in the data: cost per app install climbed sharply midyear, cooled into December, then rebounded as the calendar turned. Across all countries, the global Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost Per App Install (CPI) started low in January 2025 at about $7, spiked to a June high near $24, and finished the year closer to $10 before a January 2026 reset to roughly $15. The pattern shows a pronounced midyear peak, a softer Q4, and a clear rebound—hallmarks of a market that’s active and price-sensitive around major demand cycles.

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 Public Safety across all countries compared to the global benchmark. In this cut, a distinct Public Safety time series is not available, so the all-industry global benchmark offers the closest directional context for CPI.

Section 1: The story in the data

Starting point to endpoint: CPI moved from $7.10 in January 2025 to $15.39 in January 2026—an increase of roughly 117% year over year for January. The monthly median averaged $13.58 across the period, with a median month of $13.51, indicating most months clustered in the low-to-mid teens.

Highs and lows: the low arrived in January 2025 ($7.10) and the high in June 2025 ($23.76), a 3.35x swing and a $16.66 range. June stood 75% above the overall average, while January sat 48% below it.

Key movements: momentum accelerated from May to June (+$11.44, roughly +93%), then swung down from June to July (−$12.99, roughly −55%), the sharpest one-month contraction. After a stable late summer—August ($15.61) to October ($16.39) held within a narrow $0.78 corridor—costs eased into November ($14.57) and dropped in December ($10.43, −28% month over month) before rebounding in January 2026 (+$4.96, +48%). Average month-to-month absolute movement was about $4.50, signaling meaningful but not chaotic volatility.

Section 2: Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm follows a familiar arc: softer levels in early Q1, a strong lift through Q2 culminating in a June peak, and normalization through Q3. Q4 trended down overall, with December marking the period’s trough after midyear. Quarter averages underscore the shape: Q1 2025 averaged about $9.22, Q2 rose to $16.53, Q3 moderated to $14.18, and Q4 eased to $13.80, followed by a January 2026 rebound to $15.39. Late summer to early fall was the tightest stretch, with August through October hovering in a $15–$16.50 band.

Section 3: Country vs. Global

Because the Public Safety, all-countries series is not separately available in this cut, a precise gap to the global benchmark cannot be quantified. Directionally, the all-industry global curve suggests CPI across all countries typically lived between $7 and $24 over the last 13 months, with most months in the $13–$16 zone and the narrowest spread in late Q3–early Q4. While CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance often show their own seasonal cadence, the CPI profile here is defined by a prominent Q2 crest, a Q4 easing, and a new-year reset.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per app install in the Public Safety industry across all countries helps teams anchor CPI expectations against global patterns and identify when pricing tends to lift, normalize, or soften. This global CPI view offers a clear reference point for industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs relative to broader market momentum.