Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks for Software Development

Introduction

Software Development shows a very different Cost Per Purchase (CPP) profile than the overall market: markedly cheaper for most of the year, faster rising through the summer, and notably more volatile. The year opens with unusually low CPP in November–December, lifts steadily into a September peak, then cools sharply in October. Across all countries, this industry’s purchase costs mostly sit below the global benchmark, with a single late-year month briefly running above 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 Software Development across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

• Starting point to finish: Software Development CPP moved from $12.19 in November 2024 to $32.90 in October 2025—up roughly 170% from its unusually low starting base.
• Highs and lows: The low was that razor-thin $12.19 in November; the high arrived in September at $59.47. The full-year average landed at $34.13.
• Key moves: The first big swing came early—CPP more than doubled from November to December (+106%), dipped in January (−8%), then climbed through February–March. Q2 was mixed, with a soft April–May and a June rebound. Q3 accelerated: +23% July to August, then another +22% into September’s peak. October brought the sharpest single-month correction (−45%).
• Volatility: Absolute month-to-month moves averaged $7.78, about 23% of the industry’s mean CPP—roughly three times the global benchmark’s $2.58 average swing.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The pattern traces a long build toward late Q3. After the December spike off a very low November, CPP eased in January and stabilized through early spring. Q2 showed a shallow trough before momentum gathered: prices firmed in June, pushed higher in July–August, and culminated in a September high. The initial October reading marked a significant cooldown. In contrast, the global benchmark featured steadier costs: elevated in late Q4 2024, a mild rise into early Q1, and relatively contained movements across summer before easing into October.

While CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance often shape the pathway to purchases, this view isolates the Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost Per Purchase to capture conversion-cost pressure specifically.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the global benchmark, Software Development CPP averaged $34.13 versus $49.33—about 31% lower across the period. The industry stayed below market for most months: −71% in November, −50% in December, −40% to −16% through spring and early summer, narrowing to just −3% in August. The gap flipped in September, when Software Development ran 21% above the global CPP, before falling back to −24% in October. Trend shapes diverged: the global series was comparatively steady (roughly +2% from November to October), while Software Development advanced rapidly into Q3 and then corrected, with materially higher volatility.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost Per Purchase in Software Development across all countries reveals a year defined by below-market costs, a Q3 surge, and a sharp October reset. This industry ad performance view provides a clear CPP baseline to compare against broader market dynamics and country-specific ad costs, complementing adjacent signals like CPC trends, CTR performance, and CPM analysis.