Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Software Development CPC trends in South Africa told a two-act story: a costly Q4 spike followed by a sharp reset and an extended period of low, steady costs. Compared to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, the South Africa market ran briefly “above market” into the holidays, then spent the rest of the year significantly cheaper, with CPCs stabilizing around the mid-$0.50s. Volatility was front-loaded, with January marking an extreme trough before a measured rebound and a tight mid-year range.
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 South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
The pattern aligns with familiar seasonal rhythms in country-specific ad costs. Q4 2024 was elevated (November–December averaging roughly $1.49), consistent with holiday competition. Performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1; here, January 2025 marked an extreme trough at $0.20 before costs recovered into March. From late Q2 onward, the Software Development CPC in South Africa settled into a low, stable range near $0.56, with a late-Q3/early-Q4 bump in September ($0.66) and a mild retreat in October ($0.54).
Relative to the global benchmark, South Africa’s Software Development CPCs were markedly lower for most of the year:
In summary, Facebook Ads CPC trends for the Software Development industry in South Africa were characterized by a Q4 2024 cost peak, a dramatic January trough, and an extended mid-year period of low, steady pricing. Against the global benchmark, South Africa stayed substantially below average for most of 2025, with narrower gaps late in Q3. Understanding cost-per-click Facebook Ads benchmarks for Software Development in South Africa helps quantify country-specific ad costs and benchmark industry ad performance against global CPC 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. For campaigns targeting South Africa, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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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Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
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:
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Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
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