How much more do Facebook ads cost in Q4? CPM by month

How much more do Facebook ads cost in Q4?

Between a fifth and a half more, depending on the month and the dataset. Gupta Media, which tracks CPM across tens of millions of impressions over a range of industries, lists a 2024 average of $7.43 for Meta and monthly figures of $8.94 for October, $9.61 for November and $10.83 for December.^[1] Against the annual average that is a premium of 20% in October, 29% in November and 46% in December (our arithmetic). Gupta Media states that “The most expensive month for Facebook and Instagram ads is December.”^[1]

Superads, whose benchmarks come from more than $3 billion of Facebook spend across thousands of ad accounts, shows a sharper November and a softer December. Its global CPM went from $18.86 in July 2025 to a high of $24.26 in November 2025, then dipped in December and fell to $16.47 by July 2026, with a mean of $20.59.^[2] November was 29% above July (our arithmetic). Its United States series ran from $21.10 in July 2025 to a $27.47 peak in November 2025, with a $23.42 average.^[3]

The trackers disagree on the level of CPM because they measure different advertisers. Gupta Media blends awareness campaigns with conversion campaigns; Superads and Triple Whale measure accounts buying conversion inventory, which is why Triple Whale’s median across more than 40,000 brands for August 2025 to July 2026 is $15.06, up 13.24% on the year before.^[11] Read the shape of the curve, not the dollar figure.

Facebook CPM by month: the datasets

The table is Gupta Media’s monthly average CPM for Meta (Facebook and Instagram), from its Social Media Ads Cost page, last updated in October 2025.^[1] It is the longest open monthly series we could find; Superads publishes only a few monthly points in its text.

Two patterns hold in both years. November is always above the months before it: 25% above the January to September average in 2023 and 30% above it in 2024 (our arithmetic). December is the swing month: it fell back to the October level in 2023 and climbed further in 2024.^[1] Superads’ 2025 series behaves like Gupta Media’s 2023: a November spike to $24.26, then what it calls a deeper correction in December.^[2] Plan for November to be the expensive month and treat December as uncertain.

What happens in the weeks around Black Friday?

The monthly table hides the real peak, which is about ten days long. Gupta Media reports that the most expensive week of 2024 was ISO week 48, the Thanksgiving and Black Friday week, at a $13.42 average CPM, with the next week at $12.53. Cyber Monday, December 2, 2024, was the most expensive day at $17.70, which Gupta Media calls 138% more expensive than Meta’s 2024 average; Black Friday was second at $16.85.^[1] Against the $7.43 average, the Black Friday week cost 81% more per thousand impressions (our arithmetic).

Meta’s own holiday analysis, published in July 2026 from every purchase-optimized campaign running from October through mid-January, confirms the shape. On Black Friday, “campaigns using 9:16 vertical video with sound saw lower CPM inflation, 48% versus 61% for other formats.”^[9] In mid to late December, “Western European markets saw CPMs drop 15-30% as advertisers pulled back, and conversion rates fell in step.”^[9] The same page says 14% of shoppers start before October, 54% in November, and 47% are buying between mid-November and early December.^[9]

Why are Facebook ads more expensive in November and December?

Because the inventory is sold at auction and more money chases it. Meta’s help page on ad auctions says the winner “is the ad with the highest total value, subject to a price floor,” where total value combines the bid, an estimate of whether the person will act, and ad quality.^[8] When retailers raise bids for the same people in November, the clearing price rises for everyone, including a dentist or a gym with nothing to do with gifts.

Meta’s results releases say the same thing in its own words. For the fourth quarter of 2024 Meta reported a 14% year-over-year rise in average price per ad while impressions grew only 6%.^[5] For the fourth quarter of 2025 the price per ad rose 6% with impressions up 18%,^[4] and on the earnings call Meta’s chief financial officer said the increase was “benefiting from increased advertiser demand,” which she put down to improved ad performance.^[12] In the first two quarters of 2026 the average price per ad rose 12% year over year each quarter.^[6][7]

“Average price per ad increased by 14% and 10% year-over-year for the fourth quarter and full year 2024, respectively.”

Those figures compare a Q4 with the previous Q4, not with the months before it; the seasonal step sits on top of a rising year. Meta’s auction page also notes that “an ad that’s more relevant to a person could win an auction against ads with higher bids,”^[8] which is the lever a small account still holds when it cannot outbid a retailer.

What can a small business do about Q4 ad costs?

1. 1

   Start in early October, not November

   Meta says 14% of holiday shoppers begin before October and 54% start in November,^[9] and October CPMs sit between September and the November peak in both of Gupta Media’s years.^[1] Our advice: buy reach and fill retargeting audiences while an impression is 20% dearer rather than 46%.
2. 2

   Shift the peak weeks to retargeting and an offer

   Meta’s auction weighs the estimated chance that a person acts,^[8] and people who visited or bought before carry a higher estimate than strangers. Our advice: around Black Friday, spend on warm audiences with a clear offer.
3. 3

   Make the 9:16 version with sound, and refresh more often

   Meta reports 48% CPM inflation on Black Friday for 9:16 video with sound against 61% for other formats.^[9] Frequency climbs fast when budgets rise; our post on ad frequency and fatigue covers when to swap creative.
4. 4

   If you do not sell gifts, sit out the Black Friday week

   The Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday stretch cost 81% more per thousand impressions than the 2024 average.^[1] Our advice: a plumber, a dentist or a gym gains little from those ten days and can drop to a retargeting budget until December.
5. 5

   Keep spending into January

   Meta’s small business holiday playbook describes “scaling through January when ad costs are at their lowest,”^[10] and Gupta Media’s table shows January as the cheapest month of 2023 and of 2024.^[1]
6. 6

   Connect your conversion data before the season

   Meta says advertisers with a Conversions API setup see an average 17.8% lower cost per result.^[10]

How to budget for a Q4 that costs 30% more

Treat Q4 as a different price list. If your account averaged a $9 CPM from January to September, plan on about $11 in October, $12 in November and $11 to $13 in December, following Gupta Media’s 2024 steps and its smaller 2023 December.^[1] The same multiplier applies to cost per result if your conversion rate holds, and Meta’s data says it often does not for younger audiences: cost per result for 18 to 24 year olds rose roughly 50% in Christmas week.^[9]

The learning-phase arithmetic does not change: a budget that was marginal in September is below the line in November. How much a small business should spend on Facebook ads works through the figures; multiply the result by 1.3 for the quarter, or concentrate it in early October and January with a retargeting-only budget between.

Creative is the cost you control. In an auction that charges 30% more per impression, an ad that gets 30% more of its viewers to act costs what it did in September. Showfolk makes static ads from your brand kit, four varied versions of each, so you can refresh through the quarter without a design bill; see how it cuts wasted spend.

Questions people ask

How much do Facebook ads go up in Q4?

About 20% in October, 30% in November and up to 46% in December against the year’s average, going by Gupta Media’s 2024 monthly CPM figures ($8.94, $9.61 and $10.83 against a $7.43 average). Superads’ 2025 global median peaked at $24.26 in November, about 29% above July.

What is the most expensive month for Facebook ads?

Gupta Media says December, based on its 2024 data, where December averaged $10.83. In Superads’ 2025 data and in Gupta Media’s 2023 data, November was the peak and December fell back. November is the safe assumption; December varies by year.

What is the most expensive week for Facebook ads?

The Thanksgiving and Black Friday week. Gupta Media reports ISO week 48 of 2024 at a $13.42 average CPM, with Cyber Monday (December 2, 2024) the most expensive day at $17.70, 138% above Meta’s 2024 average, and Black Friday second at $16.85.

Why are Facebook ads more expensive in November?

Because ad slots are sold in an auction and more advertisers bid for them in November. Meta’s help page says the winner is the ad with the highest total value, which combines bid, estimated action rate and ad quality.

When do Facebook ad costs drop after Christmas?

In the second half of December and into January. Meta’s holiday analysis says Western European CPMs dropped 15 to 30% in mid to late December, and its small business playbook describes January as the time when ad costs are at their lowest.

Sources

Every figure above points at one of these. Facts were last checked on October 9, 2026.

1. [1]Gupta Media: Social media ads cost in 2025 (Social Media CPM Tracker). Monthly Meta CPM table from September 2022 to September 2025; the $7.43 2024 average and $8.19 2025 average; week 48, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024 figures; “The most expensive month for Facebook and Instagram ads is December”; sample of tens of millions of impressions; updated October 2025
2. [2]Superads: Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks (all industries, all countries). July 2025 $18.86, November 2025 peak $24.26, July 2026 low $16.47, $20.59 mean; over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts
3. [3]Superads: Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks in the United States. July 2025 $21.10, November 2025 peak $27.47, July 2026 $20.24, $23.42 average; median values
4. [4]Meta Investor Relations, January 28, 2026: Meta reports fourth quarter and full year 2025 results. Average price per ad up 6% and 9% year over year for Q4 and full year 2025; ad impressions up 18% and 12%
5. [5]Meta Investor Relations, January 29, 2025: Meta reports fourth quarter and full year 2024 results. Average price per ad up 14% and 10% year over year for Q4 and full year 2024; ad impressions up 6% and 11%
6. [6]Meta Investor Relations, April 29, 2026: Meta reports first quarter 2026 results. Average price per ad up 12% year over year; ad impressions up 19%
7. [7]Meta Investor Relations, July 29, 2026: Meta reports second quarter 2026 results. Average price per ad up 12% year over year; ad impressions up 14%
8. [8]Meta Business Help Center: About ad auctions. The winner is the ad with the highest total value, subject to a price floor; bid, estimated action rates and ad quality; a more relevant ad can win against higher bids
9. [9]Meta for Business, July 2026: 5 holiday marketing trends (Meta Holiday Insights Center). Every purchase-optimized campaign from October through mid-January; 14% start before October, 54% in November, 47% buying mid-November to early December; 48% vs 61% Black Friday CPM inflation; Western European CPMs down 15-30% in mid to late December; cost per result up roughly 50% for 18-24 in Christmas week
10. [10]Meta for Business, July 27, 2026: Getting your small business holiday-ready. “scaling through January when ad costs are at their lowest”; Conversions API setups see an average 17.8% lower cost per result
11. [11]Triple Whale: Facebook ad benchmarks by industry (updated August 17, 2026). Over 40,000 brands, August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026; median CPM $15.06, up 13.24% from $13.30
12. [12]Investing.com, January 28, 2026: Earnings call transcript, Meta Platforms Q4 2025. Susan Li: the average price per ad increased 6% year over year, benefiting from increased advertiser demand, largely driven by improved ad performance; a transcript published by a news site