TikTok vs Meta Ads: The Cost Comparison Has Flipped in 2026
TikTok CPM at $9.00 vs Meta CPM at $7.80 — see how the cost dynamics between these two social platforms have evolved. Full 2026 benchmark comparison and what it means for budget allocation.
Q3 2026 benchmarks · refreshed July 1
Know what a click costs before you buy it.
Free calculators and quarterly CPC, CPM and CPA benchmarks across 11 ad platforms and 8 industries. No signup, no gate — just the numbers and the math.
11 platforms
8 industries
12 free tools
57 guides
10 named sources
The board · Q3 2026
USD · median
| Platform | CPC | CPM |
|---|---|---|
| Programmatic Display | $0.55 | $2.75 |
| Google Display Network | $0.75 | $3.50 |
| YouTube Ads | — | $7.00 |
| Meta Ads | $1.10 | $7.80 |
| TikTok Ads | — | $9.00 |
| Pre-Roll Video | — | $15.00 |
| Streaming Audio | — | $18.00 |
| OTT (Over-The-Top) | — | $28.00 |
| LinkedIn Ads | $6.50 | $36.00 |
| Bing Ads PPC | $2.71 | — |
| Google Ads PPC | $5.42 | — |
Sorted by CPM · full table & sources
next refresh 2026-10-01
12 tools · no account
Calculators & tools
Plan a budget, sanity-check a report, or build a tracking link. Each tool ships with the formula and a worked example.
ROASROAS calculatorRevenue ÷ ad spend, with targets→
CPMCPM calculatorCost per 1,000 impressions→
CPACPA calculatorCost per acquisition & channel mix→
CTRCTR calculatorClicks ÷ impressions→
CVRConversion rateVisitors to conversions→
BE·RBreak-even ROASMinimum ROAS to stay profitable→
MIXBudget allocatorSplit spend across channels→
DAYDaily budgetPace a monthly budget by day→
UTMUTM builderConsistent campaign tracking links→
SPECCreative specs checkerAd sizes & fatigue by platform→
SCHDCampaign schedulerFlight timing & A/B windows→
ICOFavicon generatorBrowser tab icons in every size→
9,750 comparisons
Compare any two platforms, in any industry.
Side-by-side CPC, CPM and estimated CPA, with the math shown. Pick two and we'll tell you which is cheaper for what.
Most compared this quarter
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Cost per acquisition · cross-platform
What a customer costs, by industry
Real-estate leads cost about 2.3× what a retail order does. Every industry page breaks this down per platform, with the cheapest channel called out.
57 guides
All guides →
Latest guides
Google Display Network vs Programmatic Display: Cost, Control, and Performance Compared
GDN and programmatic display are often confused but work very differently. Compare CPM ($3.50 vs $2.75), targeting capabilities, inventory, and brand safety to decide which is right for your campaigns.
LinkedIn Advertising Costs: CPM, CPC, and ROI Benchmarks for 2026
LinkedIn CPM averages $33.80 and CPC $5.26 — the most expensive major ad platform. Here's when the cost is justified, how ROI works for B2B, and how to reduce CPC without sacrificing audience quality.
About the data
Weighted medians from ten named sources, refreshed every quarter.
Per-industry platform figures are estimates: baseline platform cost × (industry metric ÷ cross-industry average). Your account will differ — use these to set expectations, then check against your own reports.
Last refresh2026-07-01
Next refresh2026-10-01
- WordStream/LocaliQ 2026 Google Ads Benchmarks (May 2026, n=13,000 campaigns)
- LocaliQ 2026 Search Advertising Benchmarks
- WordStream Comprehensive Guide to Online Advertising Costs 2026
- WordStream Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2025
- WordStream 2026 TikTok Ads Cost Guide
- LocaliQ 2026 YouTube Advertising Cost Guide
- WordStream LinkedIn Ads Cost Guide (2026)
- WordStream Microsoft (Bing) Ads Guide (2026)
- MarketingScoop OTT Advertising Strategies 2026
- EMARKETER Digital Media Commentary (Q2 2026)