TikTok Advertising Rates — CPM and CPC Benchmarks

TikTok Advertising Rates — CPM and CPC Benchmarks. Tiktok advertising rates with data, benchmarks, and expert analysis.

9 min readFebruary 17, 2026By CalculateCreator Team

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TikTok advertising rates average $6.50 to $10.00 CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) and $0.50 to $1.50 CPC (cost per click) across all industries, making the platform competitively priced against Instagram and Facebook while typically costing less than YouTube pre-roll ads. TikTok ad costs vary significantly by industry, ad format, and targeting parameters, with CPMs ranging from as low as $4.00 for broad entertainment targeting to over $15.00 for narrowly targeted finance and insurance audiences. These benchmarks matter to creators because advertising rates directly determine Creator Rewards payouts and brand deal budgets.

Key Findings

Our analysis of TikTok advertising rates across 2,800 campaigns and 14 industry verticals reveals the current cost landscape for brands and the downstream implications for creators.

The median TikTok CPM across all industries is $8.00, up from $6.50 in early 2025. This increase reflects growing advertiser demand as more brands shift budget to short-form video. CPMs are highest in finance ($13.50), insurance ($14.00), and legal services ($12.00), and lowest in entertainment ($4.50), gaming ($5.00), and general lifestyle ($5.50).

TikTok CPC averages $0.80 across all industries, with a range of $0.30 to $2.50 depending on vertical and campaign objective. Click-through rates (CTR) average 0.9% for In-Feed ads, which is higher than Facebook's average of 0.7% but lower than YouTube's 1.5% for skippable in-stream ads.

Ad format significantly impacts cost. In-Feed ads (the most common format) average $6.50 to $10.00 CPM. TopView ads (the premium full-screen placement that appears when users first open the app) command $15.00 to $25.00 CPM. Spark Ads (which boost existing organic posts) cost $5.00 to $8.00 CPM and deliver higher engagement rates because they blend into the native feed.

For creators, these advertising rates matter in two ways. First, higher CPMs in your niche mean higher Creator Rewards payouts, since TikTok's program is funded by ad revenue. Second, brands with larger ad budgets are more likely to invest in sponsored content, meaning higher CPM niches also tend to offer more brand deal opportunities.

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TikTok Advertising Rates — Primary Data

CPM Benchmarks by Industry

The table below shows median CPM rates for TikTok In-Feed ads by industry, alongside CTR and average cost-per-view (CPV) for video completion.

IndustryMedian CPMCPM RangeAvg. CTRAvg. CPV (6s view)
Finance / Banking$13.50$10.00 – $18.000.7%$0.08
Insurance$14.00$11.00 – $20.000.6%$0.09
Legal Services$12.00$9.00 – $16.000.5%$0.08
Technology / SaaS$10.50$8.00 – $14.000.8%$0.06
E-commerce / Retail$8.50$6.00 – $12.001.1%$0.05
Beauty / Skincare$8.00$5.50 – $11.001.2%$0.04
Health / Wellness$9.00$6.50 – $12.000.9%$0.05
Food / Beverage$7.50$5.00 – $10.001.0%$0.04
Fashion / Apparel$7.00$5.00 – $10.001.1%$0.04
Travel / Hospitality$9.50$7.00 – $13.000.8%$0.06
Education / Online Courses$8.50$6.00 – $12.000.9%$0.05
Automotive$11.00$8.00 – $15.000.7%$0.07
Gaming / Apps$5.00$3.50 – $8.001.3%$0.03
Entertainment / Media$4.50$3.00 – $7.001.4%$0.02

Industries with high customer lifetime values (finance, insurance, legal) pay the most per impression because acquiring a single customer can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Consumer-facing industries with lower margins (entertainment, gaming) pay less but benefit from higher click-through rates.

The CPM data above represents In-Feed ad placements. For other ad formats, apply the following multipliers:

Ad FormatCPM Multiplier vs In-FeedTypical Use Case
In-Feed Ads1.0x (baseline)Standard awareness and traffic campaigns
Spark Ads0.8x – 1.0xBoosting organic creator content
TopView2.0x – 3.0xPremium brand awareness, product launches
Branded Hashtag ChallengeFixed fee ($50K – $150K)Mass engagement campaigns
Branded EffectsFixed fee ($30K – $100K)Interactive brand experiences

CPC and Cost-Per-Conversion Benchmarks

While CPM measures awareness costs, CPC and cost-per-conversion measure how efficiently TikTok ads drive actions.

IndustryMedian CPCCPC RangeAvg. Conversion RateAvg. Cost per Conversion
E-commerce / Retail$0.60$0.30 – $1.002.5%$24
Beauty / Skincare$0.55$0.25 – $0.902.8%$20
Finance / Banking$1.80$1.00 – $2.501.2%$150
Technology / SaaS$1.50$0.80 – $2.201.0%$150
Gaming / Apps$0.35$0.15 – $0.604.0%$9
Fashion / Apparel$0.50$0.25 – $0.852.2%$23
Health / Wellness$0.70$0.40 – $1.201.8%$39
Education$0.90$0.50 – $1.501.5%$60

Gaming and app-install campaigns show the lowest CPC ($0.35 median) because TikTok's young user base is highly responsive to game advertising. Finance and SaaS have the highest CPC because the target audience is more selective and the decision process is longer.

TikTok Advertising Rates — Extended Data

Understanding how TikTok ad costs compare to other platforms helps both brands allocating budget and creators evaluating which platforms offer the best monetization potential.

Cross-platform CPM comparison places TikTok in the middle of the pack for social media advertising costs.

PlatformAvg. CPM (2025-2026)Avg. CPCAvg. CTR
TikTok (In-Feed)$8.00$0.800.9%
Instagram (Feed)$9.50$1.100.7%
Facebook (Feed)$7.50$0.900.7%
YouTube (Skippable In-Stream)$12.00$0.151.5%
YouTube (Shorts)$5.00$0.400.8%
Snapchat$5.50$0.600.6%
X (Twitter)$6.00$0.700.5%

TikTok's CPM is lower than Instagram and YouTube long-form but higher than Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube Shorts. For creators, this comparison explains why YouTube long-form RPM exceeds TikTok RPM — YouTube charges advertisers more, and a larger share of that revenue flows to creators through the Partner Program.

Seasonal CPM variation is substantial. TikTok CPMs follow the same calendar as all digital advertising, with Q4 representing the annual peak.

QuarterAvg. CPMvs Annual Average
Q1 (Jan – Mar)$5.50-31%
Q2 (Apr – Jun)$7.50-6%
Q3 (Jul – Sep)$8.50+6%
Q4 (Oct – Dec)$12.00+50%

This Q4 CPM surge is the fundamental reason why TikTok creator earnings peak in Q4. When brands pay more for impressions, both the Creator Rewards Program and brand deal budgets expand accordingly.

Targeting precision affects cost. Broadly targeted campaigns (all adults 18-34) run 20% to 30% cheaper than narrowly targeted campaigns (CFOs in the finance industry, ages 30-45). Creators whose audiences match high-value targeting criteria are more valuable to advertisers, which translates to higher earnings per view.

Ad spend trends show continued growth. Total TikTok ad revenue grew approximately 35% year-over-year in 2025, reaching an estimated $25 billion globally. This growth is positive for creators because it means more money flowing into the ecosystem — higher CPMs, more brand deals, and a growing Creator Rewards Program budget. As the platform matures, CPMs are expected to continue rising toward Instagram and YouTube levels, which would further increase creator earnings.

Methodology

Advertising rate benchmarks in this article are compiled from the following sources.

Primary ad cost data comes from three ad-management platforms (anonymized per data-sharing agreements) that collectively manage over $800 million in annual TikTok ad spend. These platforms provided anonymized, aggregated CPM, CPC, CTR, and conversion rate data by industry vertical, ad format, and month for the period January 2025 through January 2026.

Secondary sources include TikTok's published advertising documentation, case studies from TikTok's business blog, and rate benchmarks published by major digital marketing agencies.

Normalization. All cost figures are in USD. Where source data was reported in other currencies, we converted using the average monthly exchange rate for the reporting period. CPM figures represent the "effective CPM" — total spend divided by total impressions times 1,000 — rather than the bid CPM, which can differ due to auction dynamics.

Limitations. Ad costs vary significantly based on targeting parameters, creative quality, bid strategy, and campaign objective. The benchmarks in this article represent medians across a large number of campaigns and should be used as directional guidance rather than exact predictions. Individual campaign results will vary. We also note that TikTok's ad platform is evolving rapidly, with new ad formats and auction mechanisms being tested regularly, which may cause benchmarks to shift.

We update these benchmarks quarterly. For the latest figures, check our earnings data hub.

Calculate Your Own Numbers

Use the CPM and CPV Calculator to estimate advertising costs for your specific campaign parameters. The calculator factors in your industry, target audience, ad format, and campaign objective to generate a customized cost projection.

For creators, understanding advertising rates helps you set appropriate pricing for sponsored content. If a brand's typical TikTok CPM is $8.00, they are effectively paying $8.00 per 1,000 impressions through ads. A sponsored post that reaches 100,000 followers should therefore be worth at least $800 in advertising-equivalent value — and often more, because creator content carries higher trust and engagement than standard ads. Use our brand deal rate calculator to translate these benchmarks into your personal sponsorship pricing.

For brands evaluating whether to run TikTok ads or partner with creators (or both), compare your campaign CPM against the effective CPM of a creator partnership. In many cases, Spark Ads that boost creator content deliver better engagement per dollar than standard In-Feed ads, making creator partnerships a cost-effective strategy. Learn more in our TikTok monetization guide.

About the Author

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CalculateCreator Team

Editorial Team

Our team of experienced creators, data analysts, and industry experts work together to provide accurate, up-to-date information for TikTok creators. All content is thoroughly researched and based on real creator data.

TikTok MonetizationCreator AnalyticsIndustry Trends
  • Collective 20+ years creator experience
  • Data from 50,000+ creator accounts
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