LinkedIn Ads has a reputation for being expensive. The data supports that at first glance.
Across the client accounts analyzed for this study, LinkedIn’s average CPC was $11.12 compared with $5.45 on Google Ads.
However, that comparison doesn’t tell the whole story.
When we compare the cost of reaching new, high-intent B2B buyers, the gap narrows considerably. Non-branded Google Search campaigns averaged a $12.48 CPC, while comparable LinkedIn prospecting campaigns averaged $13.94.
To see how LinkedIn CPCs compare with Google Ads across campaign types and industries, I analyzed more than $700,000 in LinkedIn ad spend and CPC data from the same accounts on Google Ads.
What’s included in this analysis
I looked specifically at CPC and performance data for clients who had active campaigns on both LinkedIn Ads and Google Ads over the past year.
The questions to answer:
- What are the real CPCs we’re seeing?
- Do CPCs differ by ad set objective and industry?
- How do these CPCs compare with those on Google Ads?
For LinkedIn Ads, I analyzed more than $700,000 in spend across 63,000+ clicks and 8.1 million impressions.
Clients fell into two main business categories:
- B2B SaaS (approximately 97% of spend)
- Professional services.
I looked at CPCs by ad set objective and by business category.
In Google Ads, I pulled CPC data for the same client accounts across branded search, non-branded search, Demand Gen, and display campaign types.
Client names are withheld. The date range for this analysis was May 2025 through May 2026.
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LinkedIn is more expensive at first glance, but the comparison is more nuanced
LinkedIn’s blended average CPC across all objectives was $11.12. Google’s blended average CPC across all campaign types was $5.45.
On the surface, LinkedIn costs about twice as much per click.
There’s a big caveat, though. On Google Ads, a large portion of those clicks comes from display ($0.89 average CPC) and branded search ($1.71 average CPC). Both tactics are inherently low-cost because you’re either fishing in low-intent waters (display) or capturing searches for your own brand name.
However, if we look at the cost of reaching new, high-intent audiences, the CPC gap starts to close.
- The average CPC for Google Ads non-branded search across clients in this study was $12.48.
- On LinkedIn Ads, the average CPC for prospecting campaigns (excluding retargeting) with lead generation, website conversion, or website visit objectives was $13.94.
I chose these objectives because they most closely represent high-intent direct-response campaigns, putting…
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