See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline: Cost per lead (CPL) for Design ran materially above the global benchmark and showed extreme volatility across the 13‑month window. 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 in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Design CPL started at about $154 in June 2025 and finished at roughly $925 in June 2026 — a roughly sixfold increase from the opening month. Across the period the median CPL for Design averaged about $212, with values ranging from a low near $60 (November 2025) to a peak of $925 (June 2026). By contrast the global baseline averaged about $46 and stayed in a much narrower band (~$35–$53).
Key monthly movements: an early pullback from $154 to $92 (June→July 2025), a spike to $184 in September, a trough of ~$60 in November, a dramatic surge to $482 in January 2026, a mid‑spring rise to ~$214 in April, and an enormous jump to $925 in June 2026. On average Design CPL ran roughly 4.7x the global benchmark; monthly multiples varied from about 1.3x at the narrowest gap (November 2025) to more than 26x at the widest gap (June 2026).
Volatility was a defining feature: the average absolute monthly change in Design CPL was roughly 130% month‑over‑month, versus about 7.5% for the global baseline — roughly 17 times more volatile. Several double‑ and triple‑digit month swings punctuated the series (January’s +281% from December; June’s +712% from May).
Rhythm in the series is jagged rather than smooth. Late Q3 and late Q4 saw alternating spikes and retracements (September and December highs around $184 and $126 bookended by lower months). Q1 2026 included an extreme surge into January ($482) followed by a steep correction in February. Spring showed a secondary lift (April ~$214) before the extreme outlier in June 2026. The baseline series displayed milder seasonal moves and a modest downward drift over the same period.
Compared to the global benchmark, Design CPL was consistently above average — sometimes modestly (25% higher in November 2025) and at other times overwhelmingly (over 2,500% higher in June 2026). While the global trend edged down (~‑19% June‑to‑June), Design moved the opposite direction overall (roughly +500% June‑to‑June), and with far greater month‑to‑month volatility.
Understanding Cost Per Lead benchmarks for Design in All countries available provides a data‑grounded view of how industry ad costs diverge from broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance expectations 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. 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.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
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