Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Software Development advertising showed a persistent gap versus the global CPM benchmark, with a long stretch of low, steady rates followed by sharp momentum late in the year. 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 thousand impressions (CPM) for Software Development began the period modestly at $9.46 in July 2025 and finished at $21.35 in June 2026 — a full +126% lift from start to finish. Across the 12-month window the software vertical averaged about $11.93 CPM, with a low of $9.23 (December 2025) and a high of $21.35 (June 2026). The series spent most months clustered under $11 through January, then jumped into the mid-teens in February–April and surged in June.
Key monthly movements include a pronounced jump from $9.54 in January to $14.39 in February (+$4.85), a mild extension to $14.76 in March, a gradual drift down to $11.54 by May, and an outsized spike of nearly $9.81 from May to June. Average monthly absolute movement — a simple volatility gauge — was roughly $1.94, driven largely by the Feb and June moves.
By contrast the global baseline CPM averaged about $20.93 over the same months (July 2025–June 2026), with baseline highs in November and spring months. Baseline figures ran higher throughout most of the year, making the software vertical a lower-cost outlier for much of the period.
Seasonally, Software Development held a low, steady band through Q3 and Q4 2025 and into early Q1 2026, unlike the baseline which showed a notable November uptick. February–March represented a clear rebound window for software CPMs, followed by a mild correction in April–May. June’s dramatic spike punctuated the period and erased much of the year’s gap with the global market.
This rhythm shows two distinct regimes: a stable sub-$11 regime (July–Jan) and a higher, more variable regime (Feb–Jun). The late-spring into early-summer volatility contrasts with the quieter autumn and winter months.
Across months, Software Development CPM trailed global levels by a wide margin for most of the year — averaging about 43% below the baseline CPM ($11.93 vs $20.93). Monthly gaps ranged from roughly 3% below global in June (the narrowest) to about 59% below in November (the widest). The global benchmark was smoother in some high-movement months but also experienced its own spikes (notably November and March), making software CPMs comparatively more volatile over this twelve-month span (avg monthly swing $1.94 vs baseline $1.59).
Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPM analysis, CPC trends, CTR performance, country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance for CPM in Software Development across All countries available provides a clear quantitative picture of how this vertical sits versus global advertising norms.
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:
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