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 States ran consistently above the global baseline and showed sharper swings — a dramatic mid-winter spike and a pronounced drop into early summer. 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 States compared to the global benchmark.
Across the 13-month window (June 2025–June 2026) the United States median Cost Per App Install averaged about $25.22, starting at $20.02 in June 2025 and finishing at $11.65 in June 2026 — roughly a 42% decline from start to finish. The US series hit its high in February 2026 at $55.49 and its low in June 2026 at $11.65. By contrast the global (baseline) series averaged about $15.54, rising from $18.36 to the same $11.65 ending point (a ~36% drop).
Notable monthly moves: the US climbed from $22.63 in January 2026 to $55.49 in February (+145%), then retreated to $28.81 in March (−48% from February). Other sizable swings include the autumn rise to $26.93 in October and the steep fall from May 2026 ($29.87) to June 2026 ($11.65), a drop of about 61%.
Volatility quantifies the narrative: average absolute month-to-month change in the United States was roughly $9.26, compared with about $5.56 for the global baseline — the US series was roughly 67% more volatile by that measure.
Rhythm across the year shows compressed extremes. Late summer and early autumn (Aug–Oct) saw elevated CPLs in the US, with an October plateau near $27. December softened — US December median fell to about $16.36 — before a strong rebound into January and the large February spike. The February peak is a shared feature with the baseline (global peak at ~$30.13), but the US magnitude in February was far greater. The sequence ends with a steep easing into June 2026, where both US and baseline align at $11.65.
This timeline reads as a cycle of Q4 softening into a winter rebound and a concentrated mid-winter peak, followed by a spring correction and a summer trough.
Relative framing: the United States trended above the global benchmark for most months. On average US costs were about 62% higher than the baseline ($25.22 vs $15.54). The gap widened most in February 2026 (US $55.49 vs global $30.13 — roughly +84% gap) and narrowed by June 2026 when both converged to $11.65. US monthly swings were also larger, producing a more jagged time series compared to the steadier baseline.
Closing
Understanding Cost Per App Install benchmarks for All industries in the United States provides a clear lens on country-specific ad costs, Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends and broader industry ad performance for comparing seasonal pressure and volatility against a global CPM/CTR-informed baseline.
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 States, advertisers often face higher costs due to high competition and purchasing power. 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.
Late November (Thanksgiving & Black Friday weekend), December (Christmas), Back-to-school (July–September), Summer travel season (Memorial Day onwards)
CPM and CPC might rise around major holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, especially in travel and entertainment. Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend triggers massive spikes in retail ad competition. December ad demand typically peaks—retail campaigns require significantly higher budgets. Back-to-school promotions drive increased competition. Juneteenth may see regional engagement rise.
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