Quick Takeaway
Industry benchmarks are useful as directional guidance — not as targets. A fashion brand comparing itself to a software company's ROAS is comparing apples to asteroids. The most useful benchmarks are your own historical data: what was your ROAS last quarter, last month, and last week? Track your trend line rather than chasing someone else's numbers. That said, if your ROAS is consistently below 2x across all campaigns, something structural needs fixing — either your margins, your targeting, or your funnel.
Master ROAS Benchmark Table
This table shows ROAS benchmarks across major industries. Use it to compare your performance:
ROAS Benchmarks by Platform
Different advertising platforms have different typical ROAS ranges:
Google Ads Benchmarks
Meta/Facebook Ads Benchmarks
Amazon Ads Benchmarks
Amazon uses ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale) which is the inverse of ROAS:
Understanding Benchmark Variations
Why Benchmarks Vary
Profit Margins
High-margin businesses can be profitable at lower ROAS
Customer LTV
SaaS has high LTV, justifying higher acquisition costs
Competition
Highly competitive industries have lower ROAS
Seasonality
Travel and retail vary significantly by season
Geography
US typically has higher CPCs than other markets
Factors Affecting Your ROAS
- Your product profit margins
- Customer repeat purchase rate
- Business stage (growth vs. profit)
- Brand awareness level
- Target audience specificity
How to Use These Benchmarks
Follow these steps to effectively use industry benchmarks:
Find Your Industry
Locate the industry category that best matches your business. If you're between categories, use the more conservative estimate.
Adjust for Your Margins
If your margins are higher than industry average, you might be profitable at lower ROAS. Calculate your break-even ROAS for a precise target.
Consider Your Goals
Growth-stage companies can accept lower ROAS for market share. Profitability-focused companies should target 'Good' or higher.
Set Realistic Targets
Start by targeting 'Average', then optimize toward 'Good'. Don't expect to hit 'Excellent' immediately.
Need to calculate your break-even ROAS? Use our calculator to find your minimum profitable ROAS based on your margins.
Break-even ROAS CalculatorData Sources & Methodology
Our benchmarks are compiled from multiple authoritative sources:
| Source | Reliability | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks 2026 | High | 13,474 campaigns · 23 industries · Apr 2025 – Mar 2026 · CTR/CPC/CVR/CPL · published May 19, 2026 |
| Tinuiti Digital Ads Benchmark Report Q1 2026 | High | $4B+ ad spend under management · same-client growth methodology · retail focus · Google Shopping/PMax/Meta/Amazon/Walmart · published April 2026 |
| AdAmigo.ai Meta Ads ROAS Benchmarks 2026 | Medium | Meta-specific · 6 e-commerce verticals · median ROAS + Advantage+ vs manual comparison · published May 24, 2026 |
| Hawky.ai ROAS Benchmarks by Industry 2026 | Medium | Cross-platform · 16 industries · 3 detailed case scenarios (DTC skincare 65% margin / B2B SaaS $15K ACV / fast-fashion 35% margin) · published Dec 2025 |
| WebFX Average ROAS by Industry | Medium-High | Paid search only · 13 industries · 2.26× average across verticals · published Sept 25, 2025 |
| Foundry CRO ROAS Benchmarks 2026 | Medium | Aggregate of Databox / Nest Scale / White Label Agency / Store Growers · 11 industries with trend direction (stable/declining/recovering) · 2026 |
⚠️ Disclaimer: Benchmarks are for reference only. Where sources disagreed by more than 50% on the same vertical, we cite the median in the main columns and note variance in the row's Notes field. Inter-source variation typically reflects sampling scope: paid-search-only sources (e.g., WebFX 2025) show lower numbers than blended-channel sources (e.g., Hawky 2026) because organic-assisted attribution is excluded. Actual performance varies sharply by profit margin, customer LTV, business stage, and creative quality. Always compare your own ROAS to your own historical trend first, then sanity-check against these benchmarks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
What is a Good ROAS?
Understand ROAS evaluation
How to Improve ROAS
Optimization strategies
ROAS Formula Guide
Master the formula
ROAS Calculator
Calculate your current ROAS
Break-even ROAS Calculator
Find your minimum target
Ecommerce ROAS Calculator
Calculate true ROAS after COGS for your store