2025 cost per acquisition benchmarks across platforms
SaaS CPA must always be evaluated against LTV, not monthly revenue. A $116 CPA for a $99/month product with 24-month average retention yields $2,376 LTV — a 20× return.
Typical SaaS CPA falls between $60 and $200. Google Search average: $134. Meta average: $88.
| Platform | Avg. CPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search | $110–$160 | Trial/demo intent — highest quality |
| $140–$220 | B2B — expensive but precise | |
| Meta Ads | $75–$110 | Retargeting + lookalikes |
| Bing Search | $85–$130 | Lower volume, lower CPA |
| Display | $40–$80 | Awareness — low conversion rate |
| YouTube | $50–$90 | Product demo pre-roll |
| Year | Average CPA |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $94 |
| 2023 | $102 |
| 2024 | $109 |
| 2025 | $116 |
| 2026E | $124 |
2026E = projected estimate.
| Quarter | Index | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 112 | |
| Q2 | 104 | |
| Q3 | 83 | |
| Q4 | 101 |
SaaS advertisers should set target CPA at no more than 20–30% of first-year contract value. For freemium products, calculate CPA to paid conversion, not just signup.