See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Cost Per App Install in the United Arab Emirates told a two-act story in 2025: a dramatic surge early in the year followed by a steep, sustained comedown to some of the lowest levels in the dataset. Against the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, the United Arab Emirates started far above market and then flipped decisively below, settling into a prolonged period of inexpensive installs from late Q2 onward. 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.
The year opened elevated in January at 13.04, climbed to 23.85 in February, and spiked to a towering peak of 170.72 in March—the clear outlier and annual high. From there, costs unwound quickly: 31.30 in April, 6.59 in May, 3.53 in June, and below 3 through the summer. By early Q4, Cost Per App Install dipped under 1.00 (0.93 in October and 0.75 in November), marking the annual low in November.
Across January–November, the United Arab Emirates averaged 23.29, but that mean is skewed by March. Excluding March, the average drops to 8.55; from May through November, installs averaged just 2.47. Month-to-month volatility averaged 32.9 points, again distorted by the March spike; excluding March-adjacent swings, average monthly movement was closer to 5.3 points, with October and November nearly flat (changes under 0.2). From January to November, costs fell roughly 94%, highlighting the magnitude of the second-half reset.
Seasonality played out in reverse locally. Q1 was heavily inflated by March, while Q2 marked the correction—a step-down from 31.30 in April to 3.53 in June. Q3 stabilized in a tight 1.1–2.5 band, and Q4 continued the compression with sub-1.0 levels by October and November. Typical global patterns (tighter auction dynamics in Q2 and Q4) didn’t carry through in the United Arab Emirates after May; instead, the local market settled into a long stretch of unusually inexpensive installs.
The global benchmark averaged 13.86 across January–November, with a high in June (23.76) and a Q4 plateau near 16–17. In contrast, the United Arab Emirates averaged higher overall due to March, but ran far below global levels for most of the year. Month-by-month:
Volatility diverged as well. Globally, average month-to-month movement was 4.4 points. The United Arab Emirates averaged 32.9 points, but excluding March’s outsized moves, sat closer to 5.3—slightly more variable than the global pattern early on, then calmer into Q4.
These Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost Per App Install show a sharp early-year spike and a sustained, low-cost run for all industries in the United Arab Emirates, diverging meaningfully from global CPI trends. Understanding country-specific ad costs and CPI dynamics helps frame industry ad performance alongside broader CPM analysis and CTR performance patterns worldwide.
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