See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Legal lead generation ran hot in 2025. Across all countries, Cost per Lead (CPL) in the Legal industry averaged about $173, more than four times the global all‑industry benchmark at $41. The year opened comparatively soft and then accelerated, with a sharp late‑summer spike and a higher plateau through Q4 before easing in December. Volatility was the defining feature: monthly swings in Legal were roughly twelve times larger than the global 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 Legal across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Legal CPL started at $84.86 in January and finished at $175.35 in December—an overall lift of 107%. The annual low was January ($84.86), while the high arrived in September at $254.46. The full‑year average landed at $172.72, with a range of nearly $170, underscoring the amplitude of monthly moves.
Momentum built through spring: $131.61 in February, $166.46 in March, $177.06 in April, and a spring high of $209.39 in May. A mid‑year cooldown followed—$188.58 in June, then a deeper step‑down to $136.35 in July and $131.49 in August. September reversed course decisively, surging 94% month over month to $254.46, the year’s peak. From there, costs moderated but stayed elevated: $201.36 in October, $215.63 in November, and a seasonal dip to $175.35 in December.
Volatility averaged a $39 move per month in Legal CPL, compared with about $3.24 in the global benchmark—signaling far choppier dynamics in Legal than the broader market.
The Legal pattern showed a classic spring build, a summer trough, and a dramatic late‑Q3 spike, followed by a higher‑than‑average Q4. September was the pivotal inflection point, marking the tightest supply‑demand squeeze of the year for leads. December softened from November’s level but remained well above the first half. In contrast, the global all‑industry curve climbed steadily through the year, peaking around October–November and dipping into December—consistent with platform‑wide seasonality where competition intensifies in Q4.
Relative to the global all‑industry benchmark, Legal CPL carried a persistent premium. On the year, Legal averaged 316% above market ($173 vs. $41). The monthly gap ranged from 2.4x in January to 5.36x in May, with other wide spreads in March (5.0x) and September (5.25x). At its narrowest, Legal still sat more than double the global level; at its widest, it was more than five times higher. The global trend was orderly (+17% from January to December), while Legal was distinctly choppier (+107% over the same span) with sharper mid‑year dips and outsized rebounds.
Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost per Lead highlight how Legal industry ad performance across all countries diverges from the broader market—higher costs, sharper swings, and a pronounced late‑summer spike. While this report centers on CPL, it complements CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance for a fuller read on country‑specific ad costs and industry ad performance. Understanding Facebook Ads cost‑per‑lead benchmarks for the Legal industry across all countries helps advertisers evaluate lead‑gen efficiency against 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 Legal 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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
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:
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