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
The headline: cost-per-app-install in the United Arab Emirates ran well below the global benchmark for most of the measurement window, but a dramatic March 2026 spike reversed that gap briefly. 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 United Arab Emirates compared to the global benchmark.
COST_PER_APP_INSTALL in the United Arab Emirates began at roughly $3.53 in June 2025 and finished at about $11.06 in April 2026. Across the 11-month series the mean was approximately $4.76 while the median sat much lower at roughly $1.88 — evidence of a heavily skewed distribution driven by an extreme high in March 2026. The low point arrived in December 2025 at about $0.74; the peak was $23.64 in March 2026.
Monthly movements were pronounced: modest declines through late 2025 (July–December fell from ~$1.88 down to ~$0.74), a Q1 rebound into February (~$4.59), then the sharp March spike (+$19 vs February) and a partial pullback in April to ~$11. Volatility averaged about $3.95 per month in absolute monthly change, with two outsized moves (Feb→Mar and Mar→Apr) accounting for most of that variability.
By contrast, the global baseline averaged roughly $16.00 over the same months (median ≈ $15.66), with its own seasonality but fewer single-month outliers than the UAE series.
Late 2025 shows a clear trough across United Arab Emirates app-install costs — October through December sit below $1 and represent the softest period in the year. Early 2026 begins to pick up: January rises to ~$1.57, February to ~$4.59, then the March surge produces the series’ highest reading. April’s decline to ~$11 represents a meaningful correction but still leaves costs above the mid‑2025 starting point.
The baseline timeline also shows a Feb elevation (baseline peak in February ~$30.13) and elevated Q4 to Q1 movement, illustrating a cross-market pulse where cost pressure shifts between months but not always in lockstep with the UAE pattern.
On average the United Arab Emirates ran about 70% below the global cost-per-app-install benchmark across these months (mean $4.76 vs global mean ~$16.00). Month-to-month the gap ranged widely: UAE costs were typically 80–95% lower than global in mid-to-late 2025, narrowed slightly in early 2026, and inverted in March 2026 when UAE was roughly 43% above the global level. The UAE series appears more volatile in absolute terms due to the March spike and subsequent correction, even though most months remain materially below global levels.
Understanding cost-per-app-install benchmarks, as part of broader Facebook Ads benchmarks and country-specific ad costs reporting for All industries in the United Arab Emirates, clarifies how local CPI trends diverge from global CPM analysis, CPC trends, and CTR performance norms and helps frame industry ad performance comparisons across markets.
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 United Arab Emirates, 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.
Ramadan + Eid (Mar–Apr), End of November–December (UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year), Dubai Shopping Festival (mid-Dec through Jan)
CPMs may rise sharply during Ramadan and Eid, especially in e‑commerce, gifting, F&B, and beauty sectors. UAE National Day campaigns could lead to high local bidding activity in travel, banking, and luxury retail. Dubai Shopping Festival drives elevated CPMs from mid-December to mid-January. Islamic holidays shift each year, affecting year-over-year comparisons.
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