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2026 ad costs: CPM, CPC and CTR benchmarks for Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and ChatGPT

The Perroly team·September 23, 2026·9 min read

In 2026, TikTok is still the cheapest platform per impression, Facebook the most efficient for ecommerce, LinkedIn the most expensive but most precise for B2B, and ChatGPT Ads the least predictable. Here are the ballpark figures published by the reference studies, platform by platform, and how to read them.

Key takeaways

TikTok: $4.80–$13 CPM, median CPC around $0.50–$1, 0.6–0.8% CTR.
Facebook / Instagram: $7–$12.50 CPM, $0.70–$1.70 CPC, 1.5–2.9% CTR.
LinkedIn: $39–$59 CPM, $13–$16 CPC on standard formats but $2.29 on Thought Leader Ads.
ChatGPT Ads: $3–$22 per click in the US, €0.51–€2 in France in early tests.
No average replaces your own test: industry gaps can be two-fold.

The 2026 comparison table

Ranges from the studies cited at the bottom of the article. Gaps reflect different methodologies (industries, campaign objectives, countries).

2026 ad benchmarks by platform

CPMCPCCTRBest for

TikTok$4.80–$13$0.20–$20.6–0.8%Awareness, young ecommerce

Facebook / Instagram$7–$12.50$0.70–$1.701.5–2.9%Ecommerce, lead gen

LinkedIn$39–$59$2.29–$15.610.24–2.68%B2B, hiring

ChatGPT Ads (US)$25–$65+$3–$220.7–0.9%High intent, testing

ChatGPT Ads (FR)€10–12€0.51–€2up to 2.1%Low-competition tests

Meta (Facebook, Instagram): the best cost-to-conversion ratio

Lebesgue’s March 2026 study across eleven ecommerce industries puts Facebook CTR between 1.94% (pets) and 2.92% (art and home decor), CPM between $6.96 (hardware, automotive) and $12.46 (beauty, health), and customer acquisition cost between $20.47 and $39.03. Other aggregators give an all-industry average around $11.54 CPM, 1.49% CTR and $0.77 CPC.

What changed in 2026: with the Andromeda engine, the creative does the targeting, not the audience. Details in our Meta Ads 2026 guide.

TikTok: cheapest impressions, less qualified clicks

Lebesgue measures a $4.80 CPM on purchase-optimised ecommerce campaigns, with a 0.61% CTR and 1.92% conversion rate. WebFX cites $9.16 for In-Feed, and Triple Whale’s ecommerce cohort $13.26. The gap comes from campaign type and industry: TikTok is cheap to be seen on, less so to get clicks. See our TikTok Ads 2026 guide.

LinkedIn: expensive, unless a person is talking

The ZenABM report (211 B2B companies, $5.5M in spend) is clear-cut: a standard single-image ad costs $13.23 per click at a 0.42% CTR, while a Thought Leader Ad (an employee’s or executive’s post, sponsored) drops to $2.29 at a 2.68% CTR. Details in our LinkedIn Ads 2026 article.

ChatGPT Ads: the newcomer

No official benchmark and widely scattered results: $3–$22 per click in the US according to Search Engine Journal, but €0.51–€2 in France in early tests, for lack of competition. All the numbers in our ChatGPT Ads benchmark.

Which platform for which goal

Selling a product under $100: Meta first, TikTok second if your audience is under 35.
Generating B2B leads: LinkedIn, with Thought Leader Ads and native Lead Gen forms.
Starting conversations (bookings, quotes, local business): Meta’s Click-to-Message ads. See our Click-to-DM guide.
Capturing conversational search intent: a ChatGPT Ads test, while competition is low.

The rule that holds on every platform

An ad performs better when it amplifies content that already works organically. Before spending, find the posts that clearly beat your averages: that’s exactly what Perroly’s analytics show, account by account. Our organic vs paid article details the method.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest ad platform in 2026?

Per impression, TikTok (CPM from $4.80 according to Lebesgue). Per click, Facebook and TikTok sit around $0.50–$1.70. LinkedIn is the most expensive, except for Thought Leader Ads.

What is a good Facebook CTR in 2026?

Between 1.5% and 3% depending on industry. Lebesgue’s March 2026 study gives 1.94%–2.92% across ecommerce industries.

Why is LinkedIn so expensive?

Because the audience is professional and targeting by job title, company or industry is unique. Median CPM tops $39 and reaches $62.67 in the US according to ZenABM.

Should you test ChatGPT Ads in 2026?

Yes, with a small test budget if your industry is eligible: competition is still low in newly opened markets. Not as a main channel: volumes and conversion measurement are still limited.

Does Perroly manage ad campaigns?

Not yet: Meta and Google ads management is in the works. Today, Perroly helps you find the organic posts worth promoting and automatically answers the Instagram and Facebook conversations your ads generate.