Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks for Legal

Introduction

The headline in the data is clear: median cost per purchase (CPP) for the Legal industry across all countries ran dramatically above the global benchmark and moved with outsized volatility. Legal CPP averaged about $652 over the last 12 months, peaking at an extreme $2,009 in January and troughing near $203 in June. By contrast, the global benchmark sat in a narrow $43–$54 band and averaged roughly $49. The year closed with Legal CPP at $257 in October, down 47% from November’s starting point, suggesting a market that repeatedly surged and reset.

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 in all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Legal CPP opened at $482 in November and ended at $257 in October, a net decline of 47%. The period’s high came in January at $2,009, followed by secondary spikes in March ($772), May ($777), July ($1,173), and September ($634). Lows clustered in early summer and late summer: June ($203) was the bottom, with softened levels again in August ($232) and October ($257). Across the full window, Legal CPP averaged $652, with monthly movements that were anything but incremental.

The month-to-month rhythm featured sharp reversals. December climbed 16% over November, then January vaulted another 260%. February collapsed 86%, March rebounded 167%, and April eased 44%. That pattern repeated through summer: May +79%, June −74%, July +477%, August −80%, September +173%, October −60%. On average, Legal CPP swung by about $698 per month, or 138% in percentage terms—whiplash relative to most Facebook Ads benchmarks.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Q4 2024 was elevated but contained (averaging ~$520 across November–December) before the exceptional January surge. Q1 (Jan–Mar) averaged ~$1,024, the highest quarter, driven primarily by January’s spike and a March uplift. Q2 (Apr–Jun) cooled materially to an average near $471, including the cycle low in June. Q3 (Jul–Sep) re-accelerated to ~$680, propelled by a July spike and a September resurgence. Early Q4 (October) landed back in the low-$200s, mirroring late-summer softness.

These movements diverge from typical gentle seasonal slopes—where auction pressure often intensifies in Q4 and normalizes in Q1—by delivering abrupt inflection points rather than gradual climbs or declines.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the global benchmark, Legal across all countries was consistently above market. On average, Legal CPP of ~$652 was about 1,220% higher than the global median of ~$49. The gap ranged widely month to month: at its narrowest in June, Legal was still +323% versus global (4.2×); at its widest in January, it was +3,755% (38.6×). Other notable spreads included July at 24.9× and March at 14.7×.

Volatility also separated the two series. Global CPP drifted within a tight range, with average monthly changes of roughly $2.58 (about 5.4%). Legal’s average monthly swing was roughly $698 (about 138%), underscoring a market that oscillated far more aggressively than the global composite. Trendwise, the global series was broadly stable—peaking modestly in February and easing into October—while Legal declined 47% from start to finish, but did so through pronounced surges and pullbacks rather than a smooth descent.

Closing

Taken together, these Facebook Ads benchmarks show that cost per purchase in the Legal industry across all countries is structurally higher and meaningfully more volatile than the global norm. Understanding CPP trends for the Legal industry globally provides a clear read on country-specific ad costs, industry ad performance, and how acquisition economics compare to the broader market.