Compare CPC benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected data
Headline: Software Development CPCs ran below the global benchmark for most of the year, with a sharp spike in March and above-average month-to-month swings.
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 in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Cost-per-click (CPC) for Software Development across All countries available began the period at $0.67 in July 2025 and closed at $0.60 in June 2026 — an overall decline of roughly 10.6%. The 12‑month median CPC averaged about $0.71, with a low of $0.44 in January 2026 and a pronounced high of $1.11 in March 2026. That March jump represented a roughly 59% lift from the January trough.
Month-to-month movements were material: the single largest increase was February → March (+$0.48), and the steepest fall occurred April → May (−$0.32). On average, absolute monthly change was about $0.16, indicating notable volatility within the year.
The cadence shows a soft winter low (January $0.44) followed by a rapid rebound into spring, peaking in March ($1.11). After that spike the metric eased through late spring and early summer (April $0.90 → May $0.58 → June $0.60). The pattern reads like a winter trough, a strong spring lift, then a reversion toward the mid‑year baseline. Several sharper swings (Dec→Jan drop, Feb→Mar surge) punctuate what would otherwise look like moderate seasonality.
Q4 into Q1 showed contrasts: December held near $0.61, then January dropped sharply, signaling a clear early‑year trough before the spring rebound.
Compared with the baseline (global) benchmark, Software Development CPCs in All countries available ran lower for most months. The global 12‑month median for the same window was roughly $1.07, making the Software Development sample about 33% below the global average across the period. Monthly gaps ranged widely — at the narrowest in March the Software Development CPC was ~3.6% above the global level; at the widest in January it was roughly 52% below global CPCs. Typical monthly deficits clustered around 30–40% below the global benchmark.
Volatility accentuates that gap story: Software Development CPCs moved about $0.16 on average month-to-month vs. a global monthly movement of roughly $0.075, meaning the Software Development series was materially more volatile than the baseline.
Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks and CPC trends for Software Development across All countries available offers a clear view of how industry ad performance compares to the global baseline, with a year marked by a deep January trough, a strong March spike, and overall below-market CPCs for most months.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Software Development industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs through regional competition and user engagement. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPC values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
The dataset updates as new ad data is available.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
CPC varies by region, industry, and campaign objective. Use the filters to compare benchmarks that match your campaign. The US is one of the more expensive markets.
Audience targeting, industry competition, ad relevance score, and creative performance affect CPC. Low engagement or relevance can increase CPC.
CPC can increase with more competition in your target audience, seasonal trends such as holidays, lower ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check whether your audience is too narrow or your creative is showing fatigue.
Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop CPCs because there is more mobile inventory. Segment performance by placement to see where clicks come from.
For most businesses, conversion optimization produces better ROI than CPC alone. CPC optimization can suit awareness campaigns or content promotion when clicks are the goal.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher because of purchase intent and advertiser competition. Results also depend on the audience and creative.
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