LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks 2026
LinkedIn Ads in 2026: 121% company-level B2B ROAS (Dreamdata, Mar 2026), roughly €5.98 CPC, and 41% of B2B paid budgets. We do not publish per-industry LinkedIn benchmarks — here is why.
Updated July 2026.
LinkedIn is the only major ad platform posting positive B2B ROAS in 2026 — 121% at the company level, up from 113% a year earlier (Dreamdata, March 2026). It is also the most expensive platform per click (roughly €5.98 CPC versus €1.60 on Meta) and the slowest to convert, at 281 days from first touch to closed-won.
What are the current LinkedIn Ads benchmarks?
The most credible public dataset is the Dreamdata B2B Benchmarks Report (published March 10, 2026), built on 66M+ tracked sessions. It measures company-level return rather than last-click, which is why LinkedIn looks different here than in older cost-per-click reports.
| Metric | For context | |
|---|---|---|
| Company-level ROAS | 121% (top quartile 279%) | Google 67%, Meta 51% |
| Average CPC | ~€5.98 | Meta ~€1.60 |
| Share of B2B paid budget | 41% | — |
| First-touch → closed-won | 281 days | — |
Source: Dreamdata Benchmarks Report, March 2026 (66M+ sessions) — vendor data.
Why don’t we publish per-industry LinkedIn benchmarks?
Because no credible public per-industry LinkedIn dataset exists. The per-vertical CPC/CPL numbers that circulate for SaaS, finance, healthcare and the rest share a fabricated provenance — they cannot be traced to a real, sampled study. Rather than repeat numbers we cannot stand behind, we publish the one benchmark set that is sourced (Dreamdata, above) and say plainly where the data runs out. That candor is itself the useful signal: if a vendor quotes you a precise "healthcare LinkedIn CPL," ask for the sample.
Lead Gen Forms
LinkedIn’s own (older) internal figures put Lead Gen Form conversion around 13% on average — roughly 5x a typical landing page (LinkedIn, internal, older data — treat as directional, not current).
Legacy regional CPLs (historical, c. 2021)
Older regional numbers still circulate. We keep them only for historical reference, clearly labeled. They are approximately 2021 agency data (The B2B House, ~$1M spend) and should not be read as current.
| Region | CPL | CPM |
|---|---|---|
| North America | $230 | $33.80 |
| EMEA | $120 | — |
| APAC | $80 | — |
Source: The B2B House agency data, c. 2021 — historical, not current. Note: the $5.74 CPC / $33.80 CPM / $94 CPL cluster once cited for LinkedIn traces to defunct AdStage data and should not be used.
FAQ
Is LinkedIn advertising worth it in 2026?
For B2B, the return case is the strongest of any platform: 121% company-level ROAS versus 67% on Google and 51% on Meta (Dreamdata, March 2026). The trade-off is a high CPC and a long sales cycle (281 days), so it rewards patient, measurement-driven programs over last-click optimization.
Why is LinkedIn CPC so high?
LinkedIn prices against professional targeting and B2B intent; average CPC runs ~€5.98 versus ~€1.60 on Meta (Dreamdata, March 2026). The higher click price is offset by higher-value pipeline, which is why company-level ROAS still leads.
Does LinkedIn publish industry benchmarks?
No. There is no credible public per-industry LinkedIn benchmark dataset, which is why any precise per-vertical CPL you see should be treated with suspicion unless its sample is disclosed.