Facebook Ads Spend Benchmarks
How much do businesses spend on Meta ads? Monthly spend data from 1.3M active advertisers across Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network.
Last updated: May 10, 2026
B2C SaaS spends significantly more than B2B on Facebook ads ($1,156 vs $502 median). The biggest spenders are in Weight Loss categories—averaging $26,333/month. Only 1.3% of advertisers have real spend data.
Ad Spend Distribution
Verified DataAd spend distribution is heavily right-skewed. While median spend is $611/mo, the average of $5,457 is pulled up by large advertisers. The top 10% spend $8,622+ per month.
Ad Spend by Business Category
Verified Data| Category | Businesses | Median Spend | Avg Spend | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Platform | 43 | $20,191 | $118,212 | $165,497 |
| Payment Fintech | 16 | $14,360 | $14,360 | $21,519 |
| Gaming | 295 | $1,269 | $16,231 | $4,174 |
| B2C SaaS | 8,700 | $1,156 | $9,496 | $5,155 |
| E-commerce | 132,968 | $740 | $7,227 | $4,479 |
| Ride Sharing | 51 | $645 | $645 | $645 |
| Nonprofit & Gov | 9,872 | $567 | $1,996 | $1,827 |
| B2B SaaS | 7,780 | $502 | $4,007 | $1,912 |
| Other | 13,391 | $468 | $4,933 | $2,083 |
| Travel Booking | 300 | $435 | $3,060 | $3,107 |
| Courses & Info Products | 13,876 | $385 | $1,846 | $1,331 |
| Content & Media | 13,509 | $381 | $2,346 | $1,243 |
| Agency & Services | 9,752 | $355 | $1,352 | $983 |
| Real Estate Tech | 477 | $204 | $632 | $394 |
| Hr Recruiting | 13 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
B2C SaaS leads in median ad spend at $1,156/mo. E-commerce has the most advertisers (132,968) but lower median spend.
Ad Spend by Vertical (Top 20)
Verified Data| Vertical | Businesses | Median Spend | Avg Spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Score | 20 | $35,926 | $47,466 |
| Weight Loss | 70 | $2,873 | $26,333 |
| AI Chatbot & Assistant | 195 | $1,067 | $22,076 |
| Insurance | 69 | $7,829 | $19,527 |
| Finance & Banking | 776 | $1,858 | $16,694 |
| AI Writing & Content | 96 | $875 | $15,607 |
| Mental Wellness | 305 | $1,710 | $14,665 |
| Home Services | 32 | $119 | $12,638 |
| Accounting & Finance | 226 | $658 | $12,513 |
| Health & Fitness | 1,979 | $1,100 | $12,388 |
| Gaming | 527 | $1,938 | $11,817 |
| Photo & Video Editing | 82 | $2,063 | $11,282 |
| Investing & Trading | 389 | $1,329 | $10,959 |
| Payment & Fintech | 328 | $1,879 | $10,690 |
| Vpn Security | 39 | $3,737 | $10,387 |
| Nutrition Diet | 102 | $4,685 | $8,961 |
| AI Personal Tutor | 482 | $1,479 | $8,625 |
| Entertainment & Streaming | 238 | $372 | $8,586 |
| Language Learning | 184 | $1,464 | $8,026 |
| Productivity & Notes | 112 | $799 | $7,436 |
Finance & Banking leads in average spend—$16,694/mo average. The gap between median and average indicates a few massive spenders skewing the data.
Ad Spend by Activity Level
Verified Data| Activity Tier | Businesses | % of Total | Median Spend | Avg Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power (100+ ads) | 20,813 | 1.6% | $1,191 | $10,605 |
| Growth (20-99 ads) | 75,985 | 5.9% | $433 | $2,347 |
| Active (5-19 ads) | 222,446 | 17.3% | $429 | $2,073 |
| Testing (1-4 ads) | 842,541 | 65.6% | $1,000 | $4,265 |
| Inactive (0 ads) | 122,432 | 9.5% | $4,525 | $4,525 |
Power advertisers (100+ active ads) dominate spend. They represent only ~1% of advertisers but spend significantly more than testing-phase businesses.
Ad Spend by Reach/Size
Verified Data| Size Tier | Businesses | Median Spend | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise (100M+ reach) | 191 | $65,491 | $159,115 |
| Large (10M-100M) | 3,641 | $9,777 | $25,525 |
| Mid-Market (1M-10M) | 29,808 | $1,280 | $3,823 |
| Growing (100K-1M) | 150,305 | $338 | $1,143 |
| Small (10K-100K) | 391,904 | N/A | N/A |
| Micro (<10K) | 708,368 | N/A | N/A |
Ad spend scales dramatically with reach. Enterprise advertisers (100M+ reach) spend $65,491/mo median—vs N/A for small businesses.
Key Takeaways
Median ad spend is $611/mo. But the average is $5,457—pulled up by large advertisers spending $8,622+.
B2C SaaS outspends B2B. $1,156 vs $502 median—reflecting higher volume, lower-touch sales models.
Most advertisers are testing. ~65% run only 1-4 active ads at any time.
Finance & Banking are big spenders. Averaging $16,694/mo—driven by high-value customer acquisition.
Methodology & Data Sources
Primary data source: Meta Ad Library API. Continuous monitoring across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network.
Sample: 1,284,217 businesses with active Meta advertising.
Spend data: 16,178 advertisers (1.3%) have real spend data.
Update frequency: Weekly. Last refresh: May 10, 2026.
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