See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline: app-install costs in the United Arab Emirates ran well below the global benchmark for most of the 11-month window, with a quiet low-cost stretch through late 2025 and a dramatic spike in March 2026 that temporarily flipped the gap. 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 (CPI) in the United Arab Emirates averaged roughly $4.76 across June 2025–April 2026, starting at $3.53 in June 2025 and finishing at $11.06 in April 2026. The UAE series hit its low of about $0.74 in December 2025 and its high of $23.64 in March 2026. By contrast, the global benchmark over the same months averaged about $16.00 per install.
Month-to-month dynamics were uneven. From June through December 2025 the UAE CPI sat very low (mostly under $3), dipping under $1 from October–December. January brought a modest lift to $1.57, February rose to $4.59, and March registered an extreme surge (+~415% vs. February) to $23.64 before declining ~53% into April. Across the period, absolute monthly moves averaged about $4.0 in the UAE; the dataset shows an extreme single-month swing in March that dominates the volatility profile.
There’s a clear seasonal rhythm: a low-cost summer-to-winter run (June→Dec) with the softest point in late Q4, followed by a modest rebound in early Q1 and then a concentrated spike in late Q1 (March). The Q4 troughs produced sub-dollar CPIs in October–December, creating a deep contrast with the March peak. April showed a partial reversion from the March spike but remained well above the late‑2025 lows. The pattern reads as a prolonged low-cost lull across Q3–Q4 of 2025, a bounce into Q1 2026, and a sharp, short-lived stretch of elevated acquisition cost in March.
Relative to the global benchmark, the United Arab Emirates trailed for most months — on average roughly 70% below global CPI across the window. In percentage terms UAE was typically 80–95% below global levels through much of late 2025 (examples: October–November showed ~94% below global). The gap narrowed in April and inverted in March, when UAE’s $23.64 exceeded the global $16.57 by about 43% — the narrowest (and only positive) gap in the series. While the global benchmark displayed larger average absolute monthly moves (~$5.9), the UAE series combined a long, low-cost stretch with a more concentrated, dramatic spike, making it more episodically volatile despite lower average CPI.
Understanding Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install benchmarks for All industries in the United Arab Emirates clarifies how local acquisition costs compared to global CPM/CPC and CPI trends during a year of low-cost windows punctuated by a sharp March 2026 spike.
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