Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Germany’s cost-per-click (CPC) pattern over the past year ran slightly below the global benchmark on average, but with far sharper swings. The market climbed quickly into spring, dipped hard through the summer, then surged to a year high in November — a cadence that contrasts with steadier global CPCs. 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 all industries in Germany compared to the global benchmark.
Across all industries in Germany, CPC averaged about 1.11 over the period from December 2024 to November 2025, ranging from a low of 0.84 in December to a high of 1.39 in November. That’s a 66% span from trough to peak. The year opened with a sharp lift: from 0.84 in December to 1.21 in January (+44%), a brief ease in February (−5%), then another jump to 1.32 in March (+16%). Spring held elevated levels — 1.29 in April and 1.25 in May — followed by a slight uptick in June (1.28).
The middle of the year marked the sharpest inflection: July’s CPC dropped to 0.92 (−28% month over month), with August at 0.86, one of the softest points of the year. The market then stabilized near 0.88–0.90 in September and October before a pronounced November surge to 1.39 (+55% month over month), the period high. Volatility averaged 0.15 points per month in Germany — roughly three times the global average monthly movement.
The rhythm aligns with familiar platform behavior: a rebound from post-holiday lows into Q1 and early Q2, softer CPCs through the summer, and renewed intensity in late Q4. In Germany, the plateau across March–June sustained higher-than-average CPCs, while July–October offered a prolonged dip and stabilization. November’s spike punctuated the year with the largest single-month increase.
Globally, CPC averaged about 1.14 with comparatively mild monthly swings and a modest climb into November (1.31). Germany’s average (1.11) sat just below that, but the path was choppier. Germany ran above market through much of Q1–Q2: +7% in January, near parity in February, +16% in March, +15% in April, +10% in May, and +19% in June. The gap flipped in Q3–early Q4: −15% in July, −22% in August, −17% in September, and −18% in October versus global CPCs. November closed slightly above market (+6%). At its narrowest, Germany matched the global level in February; at its widest, it was 34% below in December and 19% above in June.
Overall, Facebook Ads benchmarks show Germany’s CPC trends for all industries as slightly below global levels on average but notably more volatile, with a spring peak, summer softness, and a decisive November surge. Understanding country-specific ad costs and CTR performance alongside CPC and CPM analysis helps contextualize industry ad performance in Germany against the global benchmark.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting Germany, 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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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.
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Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), Christmas shopping (late December), Back-to-school (August/September), Spring promotions (Easter period)
Media consumption might rise during Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost, especially for travel campaigns. Late November and December bring pronounced spikes in retail advertising. German Unity Day often triggers localized campaigns. Regional holidays may create unique local competition. Sunday/holiday retail restrictions may contract ad inventory.
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
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