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
Big-picture: SaaS & Cloud Platforms show a volatile Cost Per App Install cadence versus the overall benchmark. 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 SaaS & Cloud Platforms in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Across the 12-month window (Jun 2025–May 2026) the story is split: most months sit in the low single digits per install, punctuated by extreme spikes in early 2026. That bimodal behavior drives a large gap between median and mean values and creates unusually high month-to-month swings.
Starting point in June 2025 was $4.07 per install and the series ended in May 2026 at $1.57 — a decline of about 62% from start to finish. The 12-month mean for SaaS & Cloud Platforms was roughly $37.4, but the median was only about $5.6, highlighting severe positive skew from outliers. The low for the period was $1.57 (May 2026); the peak was $245.57 in February 2026, with a secondary spike of $122.74 in March 2026. Outside of Jan–Mar 2026, monthly values clustered between about $1.6 and $32.6, most commonly in the $3–$12 range.
Volatility is pronounced: average absolute month-to-month percent swings were on the order of 170%, driven largely by the Jan → Feb jump (+~653%) and the Feb → Mar correction (−50%). Those three months (Jan–Mar 2026) account for most of the distributional distortion.
The rhythm shows relative calm mid‑year through December 2025, with modest rises and dips: July eased to ~$3.10, August rose to ~$11.78, then a gentle descent into November. A dramatic change occurs in January 2026 (≈$32.64) and accelerates to the February apex ($245.57), followed by a corrective March ($122.74) and a rapid fall to April ($4.74) and the May trough ($1.57). In this sample, late winter/early spring produced outsized spikes, while late spring returned to lower, tighter ranges.
Compared with the global baseline over the same months, the SaaS & Cloud Platforms series is more erratic. The baseline mean (Jun 2025–May 2026) is about $15.9 per install. On mean terms the SaaS & Cloud Platforms figure was roughly 136% higher ($37.4 vs $15.9), driven by the Feb–Mar 2026 outliers. On median terms SaaS & Cloud Platforms trailed the benchmark (median ≈ $5.6 vs the baseline mean of $15.9), about 65% lower — a sign that most months were below market but a few extreme months pushed the average above it. At its widest, the SaaS & Cloud Platforms cost was over 8× the baseline in February 2026; at its narrowest, costs were nearly 90% below the benchmark in May 2026.
This review of Cost Per App Install, SaaS & Cloud Platforms, All countries available shows a split personality: usually modest install costs with episodic, large spikes that lift the mean well above the global benchmark. For readers tracking Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance, country-specific ad costs, and industry ad performance, these numbers highlight how median and mean can tell very different stories for Cost Per App Install in SaaS & Cloud Platforms across 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 SaaS & Cloud Platforms 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