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
Legal’s lead-gen costs sit well above market, but the bigger story is the swing: cost per lead steadily climbed through 2025, spiked in September, stayed elevated into Q4, then reset sharply in January 2026. Compared to the global all‑industry benchmark, the Legal category was consistently pricier and markedly more volatile, with two standout moments—the September surge and the January cooldown—bookending the year’s arc.
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.
Across all countries, Legal’s Facebook Ads cost-per-lead (CPL) averaged $164 over the period, ranging from a low of $67 in January 2026 to a high of $254 in September 2025. The year began at $85 in January 2025 and ended at $67 in January 2026—about 20% lower—despite a powerful mid‑year build. The steepest single-month lift came in August to September (+$123), while the biggest drop landed in December to January (−$101, −60%).
The monthly rhythm shows the climb clearly: $132 in February, $166 in March, $178 in April, and $209 in May. Costs eased into July and August (mid‑$130s) before the September peak at $254. Q4 remained elevated—$201 in October and $216 in November—then cooled to $169 in December.
Volatility was a defining feature. Legal’s average absolute month‑to‑month move was about $45, or 28% of its median level—far choppier than the global benchmark.
Seasonally, Legal’s CPL rose from a softer Q1 average of $128 to stronger mid‑year levels: $192 in Q2, a slight breather to $174 in Q3 despite the September spike, and the year’s highest quarterly average in Q4 at $195. The pattern aligns with typical platform dynamics—costs intensify into late Q3 and Q4 as demand concentrates—followed by an early‑year reset, visible here in the January 2026 trough at $67.
Against the global benchmark (all industries, all countries), which averaged $41 and ranged $33–$49, Legal’s CPL ran at a sustained premium: roughly 4x on average. Month by month, Legal tracked between 2x and 5.4x the global level. The premium was narrowest in January 2026 (+96% vs. global) and widest in May 2025 (+436%), with another extreme gap in September (+426%).
Trend lines diverged as well. The global benchmark rose steadily through 2025 (+21% from January to December) before a measured January pullback (−18%). Legal’s trajectory was choppier: nearly doubling from January to December (+99%), then resetting more abruptly in January 2026 (−60%). Volatility underscored the contrast: Legal averaged a $45 month‑to‑month swing versus just $3.5 globally.
These Facebook Ads benchmarks highlight cost‑per‑lead realities for the Legal industry across all countries: a high absolute cost structure, pronounced late‑year pressure, and deeper swings than the global norm. While CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance provide broader context, this CPL view maps industry ad performance and country‑agnostic ad costs against the global benchmark to clarify how Legal lead prices moved through 2025 into early 2026.
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.
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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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