The published figures for a lead on Facebook run from under £10 to about £60, depending on your trade, your country and who did the measuring. A widely quoted 2026 benchmark, from WordStream, puts the typical figure at $27.39 across US industries. The tables below show the published numbers and where each one comes from. A lead here means an enquiry: a form sent, a message, a call.
Cost per lead by industry, United States#
These figures are from WordStream's 2026 report, updated on 14 September 2026. It covers 452 US campaigns aimed at leads that ran from April 2025, with at least four campaigns in each category. Each figure is a median, which means the middle value, so half of the campaigns paid more.
| Industry | Typical cost per lead, 2026 | Same report a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| All industries | $27.39 | $27.66 |
| Career and employment | $12.30 | $17.64 |
| Real estate | $13.74 | $16.61 |
| Education and instruction | $26.31 | $28.22 |
| Health and fitness | $27.11 | $52.98 |
| Physicians and surgeons | $32.14 | $47.47 |
| Home and home improvement | $42.95 | $41.26 |
| Beauty and personal care | $50.91 | $51.42 |
| Dentists and dental services | $61.56 | $76.71 |
Two industries appear in the 2025 report and are missing from the 2026 leads tables: restaurants and food at $3.16, and attorneys and legal services at $18.17. Treat the restaurant figure with care. In the 2025 report a category could rest on as few as two campaigns.
Look at health and fitness. It fell from $52.98 to $27.11 in one year. The trade did not change that much. The sample did. A benchmark built from a few campaigns per category moves a lot from year to year.
Cost per lead in the United Kingdom#
We found no UK table by industry that states its sample. These are the general UK figures published in 2026.
| Source and date | What it says | What it is based on |
|---|---|---|
| Whito, updated September 2026 | £8 to £25 per lead, with under £10 called good | Labelled as UK averages. No sample stated |
| Startups.co.uk, updated February 2026 | £10 to £40 or more, with an average of £17.60 | No sample stated |
| Superads, read 6 October 2026 | Monthly medians for July 2025 to July 2026 that average about £37.80 | Ad accounts that use Superads. No UK sample stated |
| Trade2Base, updated June 2026 | £15 to £50 per lead for UK trade services | A vendor's own estimate. No data cited |
The lowest and highest of these differ by about six times. That is normal for this kind of figure.
Why do the sources disagree?#
- They count different things. A lead can be a form filled in on Facebook, an enquiry on a website or a message. Forms are quick to send, so they are counted more often.
- They measure different advertisers. One source reports its own customers. Another reports a general average with no sample named.
- They use different sums. A median and an average give different answers when a few campaigns pay a great deal.
- Samples are small. A category built from four campaigns says little about your business.
- Months differ. Superads' own monthly figures for the UK swing widely within one year.
What a benchmark cannot tell you#
A benchmark cannot tell you what your own leads will cost. Your price, your photos, your page and your area decide that, and only running the ads shows it. It also says nothing about whether a lead is any good. A £5 lead that never answers the phone costs more than a £30 lead that books.
The figure that matters is the most you can afford to pay. Work that out from what a customer is worth and how many enquiries become customers. The sums and a calculator are in What can you afford to pay for a lead?.
How to use these numbers#
- Work out the most you can pay for a lead from your own figures.
- Compare it with the range for your trade and country above.
- If your figure is far below the range, the plan is tight before you spend anything. Look at your price or your page first.
- If your figure is inside or above the range, a small test is reasonable. See How much should you spend on Facebook ads?.
- After a month of ads, replace the benchmark with your own number.
Does Madder have its own figures?#
No. Madder is in early access and has no figures of its own to publish yet. When enough accounts exist to say something honest, they will appear here with their sample and dates.
In the product, Madder shows your own cost per lead, counted only from the actions you confirmed as real enquiries. Until you have confirmed them it shows no lead count at all. See Deciding what counts as a lead. Its daily check-up, if you switch it on, compares each campaign with your own account's cost per lead, not with an industry average. See Autopilot.
Questions people ask#
What is the average cost per lead on Facebook ads?
WordStream's 2026 report puts the typical figure at $27.39 across US industries, based on 452 campaigns. UK sources published in 2026 run from £8 to £25 (Whito) up to £15 to £50 for trades (Trade2Base). Superads' monthly medians average about £37.80.
What is a good cost per lead in the UK?
One that leaves you money after the customer pays. Whito's 2026 guide calls under £10 good, and Startups.co.uk gives an average of £17.60, but neither states a sample. Your own break-even figure is the better test.
Which industries pay the most for a Facebook lead?
In WordStream's 2026 US report, dentists and dental services pay the most at $61.56, followed by beauty and personal care at $50.91 and home improvement at $42.95. Career and employment is lowest at $12.30, then real estate at $13.74.
Why is my cost per lead higher than the benchmark?
Often because you count differently. If you count only enquiries from your website and the benchmark counts quick forms, yours will look higher. A strict count gives a higher and more honest figure.