Paid Social Benchmarks
Enter your CPM, CPC, or CTR and see how it compares to current published benchmarks for Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube — segmented by campaign objective where the source splits them. Free, no login, every figure cited with source and year.
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Paid Social Benchmarks
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The cited benchmark tables
Every figure the tool compares against, with its source and year. Ranges span the cited report’s lowest to highest industry figure unless a band is marked directional; medians are the report’s cross-industry figure. YouTube CPC is omitted deliberately — no current source publishes a typical band for it.
CPM benchmarks by platform(lower is better)
| Platform | Typical range | Median | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook) | $7.19–$14.68 | $11.54 | Digital Applied 2026 Facebook Ads Benchmarks |
| TikTok | $5.40–$14.10 | $9.16 | Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks |
| $31–$38Directional | $34.50 | Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks | |
| YouTube | $5–$10Directional | $7.50 | Store Growers 2026 YouTube Ads Benchmarks |
Methodology, sources & caveats per band
- Meta (Facebook): Objective drives the band: reach campaigns median $7.19, conversion campaigns $14.68, cross-industry average $11.54. Lebesgue’s 2026 per-industry spread ($6.96–$12.46) sits inside the same range. (Digital Applied 2026 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Q1 2026 medians))
- TikTok: Dataset mix moves TikTok CPM a lot: Lebesgue’s 2026 conversion-optimized e-commerce average is $4.80 (typical $3–$15) while Triple Whale’s 2025 e-commerce dataset averages $13.26 — both fall inside this band. (Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks (in-feed industry span))
- LinkedIn: Directional — the source publishes a median band ($31–$38), not a low–high spread; the stored median is the band midpoint. High-competition sectors (SaaS, healthcare) run $50–$100. (Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks (aggregated 2025 reports))
- YouTube: Directional — cited as “$5–$10 for most advertisers” with no central anchor; the stored median is the band midpoint. Connected-TV inventory prices materially higher. (Store Growers 2026 YouTube Ads Benchmarks (updated Feb 2026))
CPC benchmarks by platform(lower is better)
| Platform | Typical range | Median | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook) · Traffic | $0.34–$1.22 | $0.70 | WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks |
| Meta (Facebook) · Leads | $0.74–$9.78 | $1.92 | WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks |
| TikTok | $0.74–$1.92 | $1.02 | Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks |
| $2.50–$8.04 | $3.94 | Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks |
Methodology, sources & caveats per band
- Meta (Facebook) · Traffic: Band spans the lowest ($0.34, Shopping/Collectibles & Gifts) to highest ($1.22, Finance & Insurance) industry medians; $0.70 is the cross-industry median. (WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians))
- Meta (Facebook) · Leads: Band spans the lowest ($0.74, Restaurants & Food) to highest ($9.78, Dentists & Dental Services) industry medians — high-LTV service verticals stretch the top far above the $1.92 cross-industry median. (WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians))
- TikTok: Band spans the lowest ($0.74, Beauty & Personal Care) to highest ($1.92, Legal Services) industry figures. Lebesgue’s broader 2026 typical range is $0.20–$2.00 depending on bidding and audience. (Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks (in-feed industry span))
- LinkedIn: Median CPC $3.94; band spans the cheapest cited industry (Finance & Insurance, from $2.50) to the most expensive (SaaS/Software, up to $8.04). US-only campaigns typically price above the global figures. (Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks (aggregated 2025 reports))
CTR benchmarks by platform(higher is better)
| Platform | Typical range | Median | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook) · Traffic | 0.83%–4.13% | 1.71% | WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks |
| Meta (Facebook) · Leads | 1.05%–3.92% | 2.59% | WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks |
| TikTok | 0.5%–1.5% | 1% | Lebesgue 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks; Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks |
| 0.42%–0.8% | 0.52% | Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks | |
| YouTube | 0.5%–2% | 0.65% | Store Growers 2026 YouTube Ads Benchmarks |
Methodology, sources & caveats per band
- Meta (Facebook) · Traffic: Band spans the lowest (0.83%, Physicians & Surgeons) to highest (4.13%, Shopping/Collectibles & Gifts) industry medians; 1.71% is the cross-industry median, up from 1.57% the prior year. (WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians))
- Meta (Facebook) · Leads: Band spans the lowest (1.05%, Dentists & Dental Services) to highest (3.92%, Arts & Entertainment) industry medians; 2.59% is the cross-industry median. (WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians))
- TikTok: Lebesgue’s conversion-optimized e-commerce dataset averages 0.61% while Triple Whale’s 2025 cross-brand dataset averages 1.77% — objective and vertical mix move TikTok CTR more than most platforms, so read the verdict directionally. (Lebesgue 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks (typical range); Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks (cross-industry average))
- LinkedIn: Median 0.52%; band spans the lowest cited industry (Education, 0.42%) to the highest (Retail, 0.80%). Single-image Sponsored Content typically lands at 0.50%–0.60%. (Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks (aggregated 2025 reports))
- YouTube: Overall average 0.65% with skippable in-stream typically 0.5%–2.0% — YouTube CTR behaves like display, not search; view rate is the primary engagement metric for in-stream. (Store Growers 2026 YouTube Ads Benchmarks (updated Feb 2026))
Definitions, formulas, and per-industry tables live in the glossary: What is a good CPM? · What is a good CPC? · What is a good CTR?
Platform averages only help if you compare like with like: a $14 CPM is routine for Meta conversion campaigns and triple the norm for TikTok in-feed, and a 1% CTR is strong on LinkedIn but below par for Meta traffic campaigns. This tool keeps the comparison honest — pick the metric, platform, and (on Meta) objective, and it verdicts your number against the cited typical range, with the full source tables rendered below. Ranges come from currently published benchmark reports (WordStream/LocaliQ, Digital Applied, Lebesgue, Closely, Store Growers) and keep each source’s precision exactly. For definitions, formulas, and per-industry tables, see the CPM, CPC, and CTR glossary entries; when a cost metric drifts out of range, the usual root cause is creative — benchmark your hook rate next.
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