See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all countries, Cost Per Lead for the Design industry ran far hotter than the global Facebook Ads benchmarks for most of 2025, then staged a dramatic Q4 reversal before a late-year rebound. The year opened elevated, surged to a spring peak, compressed through summer, spiked in September, collapsed to single digits in October–November, and recovered in December. Volatility was the defining feature, with abrupt month-to-month swings far sharper than the broader market.
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 Design across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Design CPL averaged 242.6 in 2025 (median 254.6), versus a 41.5 global average—roughly 5.8x higher on the year. The range was extreme: a high of 528.5 in April and a low of 7.23 in October, a 521-point spread. Month-to-month volatility averaged 119.5 points, far above the global benchmark’s 3.13.
The year tracked in distinct phases:
Despite the Q4 whiplash, the year closed slightly below where it began (−12% from January to December).
Typical platform seasonality shows rising costs into Q3 and Q4 as competition increases, with engagement and conversion efficiency often softening late in the year. The global benchmark reflected this pattern: averages climbed from 36.2 in Q1 to 46.5 in Q4. Design diverged: Q1 and Q2 were similarly elevated (≈349 and 346), Q3 cooled (194), and Q4 averaged just 81 due to the October–November trough, with December’s rebound not fully offsetting the earlier collapse.
The rhythm within Design’s year was pronounced: spring strength (March–April), a summer cooldown (June–August), a September spike, then an exceptional Q4 dip followed by a year-end recovery.
Relative to the global benchmark, Design was consistently above market in 10 of 12 months:
Overall, the global trend rose steadily (+28% from Q1 to Q4), while Design’s path was far more volatile, ending the year lower than it started despite sizable mid-year peaks.
Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost Per Lead in the Design industry across all countries highlights a year marked by outsized CPLs, sharp mid-year compressions, and an anomalous Q4 dip against a rising global backdrop. This CPL-focused view complements CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance to frame country-specific ad costs within broader industry ad performance and global patterns.
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 Design 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.
A good CPL usually ranges from $10 to $50, depending on your industry and target audience. B2C offers tend to be cheaper, while B2B or high-ticket services may see CPLs over $100.
Your CPL could be high due to weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that doesn't resonate. Low engagement or poor conversion rates on your landing page can also drive up costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate cheaper and more qualified leads compared to traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook needs clear signals to find the right users.
Focus on improving your offer, targeting the right audience, and using high-converting creative. Test native lead forms, but make sure you're still qualifying users properly.
If your goal is sales or revenue, optimizing for deeper funnel conversions is better. Optimizing for leads alone can inflate volume but hurt quality.
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