Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all countries, Software Development ads ran cheaper than the market throughout the period, with cost per click consistently below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks and a discernible downtrend into early 2026. The category showed a few sharp swings—an early-year lift, a spring dip and rebound, a flat summer, and a soft Q4 that culminated in a pronounced January trough—while the global benchmark stayed steadier aside from a predictable November spike. 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.
Software Development CPC started 2025 at $0.84 and ended January 2026 at $0.37, a 56% slide from start to finish. Over the full 13 months, CPC averaged $0.70 versus the global average of $1.11, putting the category about 37% below the broader market. Within 2025 specifically, Software Development averaged $0.72, again well under the global $1.13 average.
Highs and lows framed the year’s arc. The category peaked at $0.89 in February 2025, then fell for two consecutive months to $0.61 in April. A notable rebound arrived in May (+29% month over month to $0.79), followed by a calm Q3 plateau around $0.72. October marked a renewed dip to $0.60, with a modest November recovery ($0.67) and a softer December ($0.64). The sharpest single-month movement came in January 2026, down 42% from December to the period’s low of $0.37.
Volatility averaged $0.09 in absolute monthly change, showing sharper swings than the global benchmark’s $0.07 average. The biggest category moves were April-to-May (+$0.18) and December-to-January (−$0.27). By contrast, the quietest stretch was mid-summer, with just $0.01 of cumulative movement across July to September.
The rhythm of Software Development CPC followed a familiar but softened seasonal pattern. Early-year CPCs lifted into February before easing through April. Q2 ended with a rebound in May, then settled into a steady Q3 plateau—typical for periods when auction pressure and demand stabilize. In Q4, rather than spiking, the category dipped in October, partially recovered in November, and cooled again in December. Early Q1 often brings softer engagement and auction costs, and January 2026 aligned with that pattern, landing at the period’s absolute low.
Relative to the global benchmark, Software Development CPC stayed below market every month. The tightest gap appeared in February 2025, when CPCs were 21% under the global level; the widest gap arrived in January 2026 at 57% below. Across 2025, the global trend was broadly flat to slightly down (−6% from January to December), punctuated by a pronounced November surge to $1.32. Software Development, by contrast, never mirrored that surge: it fell 24% from January to December and hovered in the $0.60–$0.68 range through Q4. Momentum-wise, the global line was steadier with a single Q4 bulge, while Software Development was choppier in spring and ended far softer.
In sum, Facebook Ads CPC trends for Software Development across all countries show consistently lower country-aggregated ad costs versus the global benchmark, a mild mid-year plateau, and a marked softening into January. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks for Software Development globally helps teams gauge industry ad performance and compare CPC levels to broader market patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
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 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.
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).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
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 due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
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