Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
The story is clear: Software Development CPMs run leaner than the market, holding a steady mid-year rhythm before a sharp Q4 surge. Across all countries, Facebook Ads benchmarks for this industry averaged around half of the global, all‑industry CPM—consistently efficient with a single standout spike in November 2025. Volatility stayed contained most months, punctuated by a brief October dip and an abrupt rebound into peak season.
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 worldwide compared to the global benchmark.
CPM for Software Development opened at $11.89 in November 2024, then fell to $9.28 in December (−22%), setting the tone for a cost-efficient first half of 2025. The metric hovered in a tight band from January through September—mostly $9.6 to $10.3—with a yearly average of $10.07. The low arrived in October 2025 at $8.64, followed by the year’s high in November at $13.96, a +62% month-over-month jump and a +17% lift versus November 2024.
Across the 13-month window, the industry’s CPM ranged $5.32 end to end, but typical movement was modest: average month-to-month volatility was $1.12. The largest declines appeared in November to December 2024 (−$2.61) and September to October 2025 (−$1.26), while most other shifts were within a third to three‑quarters of a dollar—evidence of a relatively calm market outside of late Q4.
Seasonality read as restrained for most of 2025. The first quarter was steady (January–March between $9.58 and $10.28), and mid-year CPMs held close to that line (April–September largely $8.81 to $9.90). The inflection came late: an October soft spot ($8.64) preceded a pronounced November surge ($13.96), aligning with broader Q4 competition while arriving more abruptly than the gradual climbs seen in many industries. December 2024 sits as an earlier example of softening after peak pressure, mirroring the pattern of elevated Q4 followed by relief.
Against the global, all‑industry baseline, Software Development CPMs remained consistently lower. The industry averaged $10.07 versus the global $20.10—roughly 50% of market levels. The gap typically ranged 43% to 59% below the global benchmark, narrowest in February and November 2025 (about 43% below) and widest in October 2025 (about 59% below). While the global CPM climbed mildly from November to November (+3%, $24.05 to $24.72), Software Development posted a stronger year-over-year lift (+17%), driven by the late‑year spike. Despite that pop, the industry was less volatile overall, with average monthly swings of $1.12 compared to $1.39 for the global benchmark.
As a CPM analysis, these Facebook Ads benchmarks show that Software Development worldwide typically clears below market ad costs, with calm mid-year dynamics and a sharp Q4 crescendo. Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-thousand-impressions benchmarks for Software Development across all countries helps teams contextualize industry ad performance against global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of 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.
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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.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
CPMs are heavily influenced by competition, seasonality (e.g., Q4 costs more), audience size, and ad quality. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Different campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and even time of day can change your CPM. For example, conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic ones. Also, broad targeting tends to drive lower CPMs.
In most industries, CPMs range from $5 to $18 depending on the region and objective. Retail and e-comm campaigns often sit at the higher end. Our live data above shows a breakdown by country and industry.
Both matter, but audience quality (intent + match with your offer) usually has more impact than pure size. However, extremely tight audiences often lead to expensive CPMs due to limited delivery opportunities.
Depends on your goal. For awareness, CPM is more relevant. For performance campaigns, CPC and CPA matter more. But all are connected—inefficient CPMs can inflate your entire funnel.
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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