Compare CPM benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected 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.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
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 through regional competition and user engagement. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPM values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
The dataset updates as new ad data is available.
Competition, seasonality, audience size, and ad quality affect CPM. Q4 can cost more. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and time of day can change CPM. Conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic campaigns, while broad targeting tends to 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.
Audience size and targeting both matter. Audience quality, including intent and fit with your offer, usually has more impact than size. Extremely tight audiences can raise CPM because delivery opportunities are limited.
Use CPM for awareness campaigns and CPC or CPA for performance campaigns. A high CPM can increase costs across the funnel.
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