# 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. **Kind:** Free creative/strategy analyzer from AdSights — evaluates your inputs and returns a benchmark verdict or actionable recommendations. **Category:** Performance Analytics **Difficulty:** beginner **Estimated time:** 1 min **Last updated:** 2026-07-12 ## Overview 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](/resources/glossary/metrics/cost-per-mille-cpm), [CPC](/resources/glossary/metrics/cost-per-click-cpc), and [CTR](/resources/glossary/metrics/click-through-rate-ctr) glossary entries; when a cost metric drifts out of range, the usual root cause is creative — benchmark your [hook rate](/resources/tools/analyzers/hook-rate-benchmark) next. ## The cited benchmark tables Ranges span the cited report’s lowest to highest industry figure unless marked directional; medians are the report’s cross-industry figure. Bands marked *directional* are aggregate bands (a published median band or “most advertisers” band) rather than published low–high spreads, with the median stored as the band midpoint. ### CPM benchmarks by platform (lower is better) | Platform | Typical range | Median | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Meta (Facebook) · all objectives | $7.19–$14.68 | $11.54 | Digital Applied 2026 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Q1 2026 medians) | | TikTok · In-Feed | $5.40–$14.10 | $9.16 | Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks (in-feed industry span) | | LinkedIn · Sponsored Content | $31–$38 *(directional)* | $34.50 | Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks (aggregated 2025 reports) | | YouTube · skippable in-stream | $5–$10 *(directional)* | $7.50 | Store Growers 2026 YouTube Ads Benchmarks (updated Feb 2026) | - **Meta:** 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. - **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. - **LinkedIn:** the source publishes a median band ($31–$38), not a low–high spread. High-competition sectors (SaaS, healthcare) run $50–$100. - **YouTube:** cited as “$5–$10 for most advertisers” with no central anchor. Connected-TV inventory prices materially higher. ### 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 (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians) | | Meta (Facebook) · Leads | $0.74–$9.78 | $1.92 | WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians) | | TikTok · In-Feed | $0.74–$1.92 | $1.02 | Digital Applied 2026 TikTok Ads Benchmarks (in-feed industry span) | | LinkedIn · Sponsored Content | $2.50–$8.04 | $3.94 | Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks (aggregated 2025 reports) | - **Meta Traffic:** band spans the lowest ($0.34, Shopping/Collectibles & Gifts) to highest ($1.22, Finance & Insurance) industry medians. - **Meta Leads:** band spans Restaurants & Food ($0.74) to Dentists & Dental Services ($9.78) — high-LTV service verticals stretch the top far above the $1.92 cross-industry median. - **TikTok:** Beauty & Personal Care ($0.74) to Legal Services ($1.92); Lebesgue’s broader 2026 typical range is $0.20–$2.00. - **LinkedIn:** Finance & Insurance from $2.50 to SaaS/Software up to $8.04; US-only campaigns typically price above the global figures. - **YouTube CPC is omitted deliberately** — the only current published figure is a full observed span ($0.05–$10.71), not a typical band. ### 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 (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians) | | Meta (Facebook) · Leads | 1.05%–3.92% | 2.59% | WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 medians) | | TikTok · In-Feed | 0.5%–1.5% | 1% | Lebesgue 2026 (typical range); Digital Applied 2026 (cross-industry average) | | LinkedIn · Sponsored Content | 0.42%–0.8% | 0.52% | Closely 2026 LinkedIn Ad Benchmarks (aggregated 2025 reports) | | YouTube · skippable in-stream | 0.5%–2% | 0.65% | Store Growers 2026 YouTube Ads Benchmarks (updated Feb 2026) | - **Meta Traffic:** Physicians & Surgeons (0.83%) to Shopping/Collectibles & Gifts (4.13%); the cross-industry median rose from 1.57% to 1.71% year over year. - **Meta Leads:** Dentists & Dental Services (1.05%) to Arts & Entertainment (3.92%). - **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. - **LinkedIn:** Education (0.42%) to Retail (0.80%); single-image Sponsored Content typically lands at 0.50%–0.60%. - **YouTube:** behaves like display, not search; view rate is the primary engagement metric for in-stream. ## FAQs ### How does the comparison work? You enter one metric value; the tool places it against the cited typical range for the platform (and objective) you selected and returns a range-relative verdict — below, within, or above the typical range. The marker position is an interpolation through the published low/median/high anchors, not a statistical percentile: the cited data is a range, not a distribution, and a value outside the band can still be viable for a specific account. For cost metrics (CPM, CPC) the direction flips — below the range is good. ### Where do these benchmark figures come from? Every band cites its publisher and year next to the number: Meta CPC/CTR from the WordStream/LocaliQ 2025 Facebook Ads Benchmarks (Apr 2024–Jun 2025 campaign medians), Meta and TikTok CPM/CPC spans from Digital Applied’s 2026 benchmark reports, TikTok CTR from Lebesgue’s 2026 dataset, LinkedIn from Closely’s 2026 aggregation of 2025 reports, and YouTube from Store Growers’ 2026 benchmarks. Bands marked “directional” are aggregate bands rather than published low–high spreads. Figures are re-verified against the sources roughly quarterly. ### Why is Meta split into Traffic and Leads objectives? Because the cited source publishes them separately, and they are different auctions: the 2025 WordStream/LocaliQ medians put traffic-objective CPC at $0.70 with a 1.71% CTR, versus $1.92 and 2.59% for leads campaigns. Comparing a leads campaign against the traffic band (or vice versa) would misgrade both, so the tool keeps the objective axis wherever the source splits it. ### Why is there no YouTube CPC benchmark? The only current published YouTube CPC figure is a full observed span (roughly $0.05–$10.71 across campaigns), which is not a typical range — grading your number against it would be meaningless. Rather than carry a junk band, the tool omits YouTube CPC until a source publishes a usable typical range. YouTube CPM and CTR bands are cited and included. ### My number is outside the typical range — what should I do? First check the comparison is like-for-like: same platform, same objective, link-based CTR/CPC rather than all-clicks, and a similar audience temperature — retargeting always looks cheaper than prospecting. If the gap is real, the highest-leverage lever on paid social is creative: platforms price impressions against engagement, so a stronger hook lifts CTR and pulls CPM and effective CPC down together. Benchmark your hook rate next, then plan a controlled creative test before touching bids or budgets. ## Related Tools - [Hook Rate Benchmark](/resources/tools/analyzers/hook-rate-benchmark) - [ThruPlay Rate Benchmark](/resources/tools/analyzers/thruplay-rate-benchmark) - [CPM Calculator](/resources/tools/calculators/cpm-calculator) - [ROAS Calculator](/resources/tools/calculators/roas-calculator) --- [View the live Paid Social Benchmarks tool →](/resources/tools/analyzers/paid-social-benchmarks)