Average CPM: $5-$9 in 2026
Down from $10-$15 peak in 2021, up from $3-$5 trough in 2023. The auction is rebuilding but still cheaper than peer platforms.
Source: eMarketer + AutoTweet research · 2026
Advertising · Pricing benchmarks
X (Twitter) advertising statistics 2026
X ad pricing dropped 40-60% after the 2022 ownership transition and has only partially recovered. The auction is still less competitive than Facebook or LinkedIn. Here are the realistic CPMs, CPCs, and benchmarks for 2026.
Last updated 2026-05-17
X generated approximately $3.5B in ad revenue in 2025, down from ~$5.1B peak in 2021 but rebuilding. Most categories of advertiser have returned; the major brands paused 2022-2023 are largely back. Here are the realistic ad pricing benchmarks.
Key takeaways
- ▸X CPM averages $5-9 — about 50-60% of Facebook's rate, 30-40% of LinkedIn's rate.
- ▸Small business minimum: $50/day budget produces enough auction wins to learn. $500+ test budget per campaign.
- ▸B2B SaaS pays the highest CPCs ($1.50-$4.00) but converts at the highest rates for LTV-positive products.
- ▸Promoted Trends are $200k-$300k/day in the US — major-brand-only tier. Most advertisers stick with Promoted Tweets.
- ▸Tech, financial services, and media are the top 3 industries by X ad spend (54% combined).
Cost-per-thousand (CPM) benchmarks
CPM is the most common ad pricing model on X. You pay per 1,000 impressions, regardless of clicks. Best for awareness campaigns.
B2B audience CPM: $7-$12
Higher than average because B2B audiences are more valuable per impression. Targeting CFOs, founders, engineers cost more than general audience.
Source: AutoTweet research · 2026
Consumer audience CPM: $3-$6
Lower than B2B. Consumer brand awareness campaigns get more impressions per dollar.
Source: AutoTweet research · 2026
X vs Facebook CPM: ~50-60% of Facebook's rate
Facebook averages $11-$18 CPM. X is cheaper but produces different audience quality.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
X vs LinkedIn CPM: ~30-40% of LinkedIn's rate
LinkedIn averages $20-$50 CPM. X is dramatically cheaper for similar professional audiences.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Cost-per-click (CPC) benchmarks
CPC is the pricing model for click-driving campaigns. You pay per click, not per impression. Best for traffic and conversion-led campaigns.
Average CPC: $0.30-$2.50 in 2026
Wide range driven by audience quality and competition. Most B2B campaigns land $1.00-$2.50; consumer campaigns $0.30-$1.00.
Source: eMarketer + AutoTweet research · 2026
B2B SaaS CPC: $1.50-$4.00
Highest CPCs on X. Competition is dense for tech-buyer attention. Worth it for high-LTV SaaS products; not for low-margin businesses.
Source: AutoTweet research · 2026
Consumer ecommerce CPC: $0.30-$1.00
Lowest CPCs on X. Often cheaper than Facebook for similar audiences.
Source: AutoTweet research · 2026
Click-through rate (CTR) average: 1.0-2.5%
Comparable to Facebook (~1-2%). LinkedIn averages 0.5-1%. X CTR is solid for the audience.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Promoted Trends and premium placements
Promoted Trends are the highest-tier X ads — sponsored placement in the trending sidebar. Premium pricing for brand-awareness campaigns.
Promoted Trend: $200,000-$300,000 per day (US market)
One day of sponsored placement in the US trending sidebar. Major brand-launch tier.
Source: X Ads documentation · 2026
Promoted Trend: $50,000-$150,000 per day (other major markets)
UK, Germany, Japan, Brazil. Smaller markets even cheaper.
Source: X Ads documentation · 2026
First View (video) Ad: $200,000+ per day
Reserved video ad placement at the top of the home timeline for all users for 24 hours. Highest impression count of any X ad.
Source: X Ads documentation · 2026
Spend by industry
The industries that spend most on X advertising in 2025-2026. Mix reflects which buyers genuinely show up on X.
Tech / SaaS: ~22% of total X ad spend
Largest single industry. B2B SaaS, dev tools, AI services drive most spend here.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Financial services: ~18% of total X ad spend
Banking, fintech, crypto, trading. X's professional audience is highly valuable for finance advertisers.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Media and entertainment: ~14% of total X ad spend
News organizations, streaming services, movie launches. Real-time platform fits these advertisers naturally.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Consumer brands (CPG, retail): ~12% of total X ad spend
Recovering from 2022-2023 trough. Mostly large brands testing X again as the auction normalized.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Travel and hospitality: ~8% of total X ad spend
Airlines, hotels, online travel agencies. Strong on X because the audience over-indexes on business travel.
Source: eMarketer 2025 · 2025
Common questions
How much does X (Twitter) advertising cost in 2026?+
X ad pricing varies widely by goal: CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) averages $5-$9, CPC (cost per click) averages $0.30-$2.50, and Promoted Trends start at $200,000/day in major markets. For most small businesses, a meaningful test budget is $500-$2,000/month. Daily minimum to generate learning signal is $50.
Are X ads cheaper than Facebook or LinkedIn?+
Yes. X CPM is roughly 50-60% of Facebook's rate ($11-$18 typical Facebook CPM) and 30-40% of LinkedIn's rate ($20-$50 typical LinkedIn CPM). The audience is different — X over-indexes on tech, finance, news, professional adults. For audiences that match X's strengths, the price-quality tradeoff is the best of the three platforms in 2026.
What industries spend the most on X advertising?+
Tech/SaaS (22% of ad spend), financial services (18%), media/entertainment (14%), consumer brands (12%), and travel (8%) — combined ~74% of X's ad revenue. These reflect industries with target audiences that genuinely show up on X. Industries that underperform on X (fitness, beauty, fashion) typically allocate more to Instagram/TikTok.
Is the minimum daily budget for X Ads $50?+
Yes — $50/day is the practical minimum for a Promoted Tweet campaign to generate enough auction wins to learn from. You can technically go lower, but X's optimization needs at least $50/day worth of impressions to determine what works. Most small business test campaigns run $50-$100/day × 30 days = $1,500-$3,000/month for a real test.