Benchmarks
Spotify Ads Benchmarks 2026: What We Know About CPM & Results
Last updated: November 2026 · Data period: Q1–Q3 2026 (Spotify-reported business figures); no independent performance benchmark exists for 2025–2026
Spotify spent 2025 and 2026 turning its ad business into a self-serve and programmatic platform. Advertisers can now buy audio, podcast and video inventory through Ads Manager or through major DSPs, test creative against each other and generate ads with AI. That makes it far more practical for performance-minded teams.
What it doesn't have is public benchmarks. We compiled the most reliable 2025–2026 benchmark sources we could find, and the honest result is this: there is no independent, methodology-disclosed 2025–2026 benchmark for Spotify CPM, CTR or listen-through rate. Spotify publishes no benchmark tables, and the ranges circulating on vendor blogs have no stated data basis. We don't repeat them here.
Instead, this guide covers what we do know (Spotify's own business figures, clearly marked as such), the 2025–2026 feature timeline, and a practical framework for setting your own baseline. Looking for last year's post? See the 2025 edition.
Key takeaways
Data caveat: there is no independent, methodology-disclosed 2025–2026 benchmark for Spotify Ads CPM, CTR or listen-through rate, and Spotify publishes no benchmark tables.
Spotify had 761M monthly active users and 483M ad-supported users in Q1 2026, according to Spotify figures reported by PPC Land.
Spotify's ad revenue was €482M in Q3 2026, +9% in constant currency, with automated channels up €91M year over year and direct sales down €53M (PPC Land).
Active advertisers on Spotify grew 68% year over year in Q1 2026, according to Spotify (PPC Land), which can push auction prices up over time.
Spotify said at its 2026 Investor Day that EMEA ad growth was nearly +10% year over year (PPC Land), but no country-level CPM or performance data for Europe or the Netherlands is publicly available.
Why do Spotify Ads benchmarks matter in 2026?
Even without industry averages, benchmarking still does its job: it tells you where a campaign is breaking. Your own baseline helps you answer:
Am I reaching enough of the right people at a cost I can defend (reach, frequency, CPM)?
Is my creative holding attention (completion or listen-through rate)?
Does anyone act on it (clicks, site visits, conversions)?
Is Spotify adding something my other channels don't (brand lift, incremental reach)?
Without trustworthy external figures, compare against your own earlier campaigns and a control.
What are the key Spotify Ads metrics (and how do they connect)?
Reach and frequency: unique listeners reached, and how often each one heard or saw your ad
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions): spend ÷ impressions × 1,000
Completion or listen-through rate: completed ads ÷ ads started. This is your core creative-quality signal for audio and video.
CTR (click-through rate): clicks ÷ impressions. Audio is often heard while people aren't looking at the screen, so CTR undercounts impact.
CPA (cost per acquisition): spend ÷ conversions, where you have conversion tracking in place
Brand lift: change in ad recall, awareness or consideration versus an unexposed control group
For most advertisers, Spotify sits between awareness and consideration. Judge it on reach, completion and lift first, and on clicks and CPA second.
Spotify Ads benchmarks by industry (2026): what exists?
No reliable industry split exists, and no reliable overall CPM, CTR or listen-through benchmark either. Spotify's own brand-lift averages are roughly three years old, so we don't treat them as a 2026 reference (Spotify Advertising).
What Spotify does publish is data about its ad business. These are Spotify's own claims, not performance benchmarks, but they show how the platform is changing.
Table 1 - Spotify ad business figures (Spotify-reported)
Claim | Value | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly active users / ad-supported users | 761M / 483M | Q1 2026 | |
Biddable (programmatic + self-serve) share of ad revenue | More than one third | Q1 2026 / Investor Day, 21 May 2026 | |
Active advertisers growth | +68% YoY | Q1 2026 | |
Spotify Ad Exchange monthly active advertisers | +222% since launch (Apr 2025–Jan 2026, internal data) | 19 Feb 2026 | |
Gen-AI-created ads | 20,000+ ads by 7,000+ advertisers | 21 May 2026 | |
Ad revenue | €482M, +9% constant currency; automated channels +€91M YoY, direct sales −€53M | Q3 2026 |
Note: all figures are self-reported by Spotify and not independently verified. They describe the ad business, not campaign performance. The Q3 2026 revenue figures come from earnings coverage.
What this data is really telling you
Spotify is becoming an auction-style channel. In Q3 2026, automated channels grew by €91M year over year while direct sales fell by €53M, according to Spotify's results.
More advertisers are competing for the same listeners. Spotify reports +68% active advertisers in Q1 2026. More demand in an auction can push prices up, which is one more reason to track your own CPM over time.
Creative production is getting cheaper, judging by the 20,000+ AI-created ads Spotify reports. That makes frequent creative testing realistic for smaller teams.
Europe notes
Spotify said at its 2026 Investor Day that EMEA ad growth was nearly +10% year over year (PPC Land). No country-level CPM or performance data for Europe or the Netherlands is publicly available. If you run in several European markets, set a separate baseline per country.
New Spotify ad features in 2025–2026
Table 2 - Spotify Ads feature timeline, 2025–2026
Date | Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
3 Apr 2025 | Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX) via DV360, Magnite and The Trade Desk | Buy Spotify inventory inside the DSP you already use |
Apr 2025 | Gen-AI script and voiceover creation in Ads Manager | Faster, cheaper audio creative |
Jul 2025 | Automated podcast buying (170M listeners in 12 markets) | Podcast reach without direct deals |
Sep 2025 | Smartly integration | Creative automation alongside other social channels |
1 Oct 2025 | Amazon DSP added to SAX (9 markets) | More programmatic access |
Feb 2026 | Programmatic Guaranteed / fixed-price buying | Predictable pricing for planned campaigns |
31 Mar 2026 | Carousel Ads, revamped Sponsored Playlists (100% share of voice), split testing and automated bidding in Ads Manager | Native A/B tests and bid automation |
By May 2026 | Yahoo DSP added to SAX | More programmatic access |
Sources: PPC Land; fixed-price buying via Mediaweek.
Split testing in Ads Manager is the most useful launch for benchmarking: you can now compare creative and setups inside Spotify instead of guessing.
Playbooks: how should you approach Spotify by goal?
Ecommerce and DTC
Use Spotify to build demand, then capture it on search and social. Watch branded search and direct traffic during flights.
Test Carousel Ads or video for products that need to be seen, and audio for brand recall.
B2B and considered purchases
Test automated podcast buying around topics your buyers listen to.
Measure with brand lift and assisted conversions, not last-click CTR.
How do you set your own Spotify baseline?
1) Decide what success means before launch
Pick one primary goal per campaign: reach, completion, traffic or conversions.
Use Spotify's own reach estimates in Ads Manager to plan budget and frequency.
Set up conversion tracking and UTM parameters so Spotify traffic shows up correctly in your analytics.
2) Track the same five numbers every flight
CPM (are you paying more for the same audience over time?)
Reach and frequency (are you reaching new people or repeating to the same ones?)
Completion or listen-through rate (is the creative holding attention?)
CTR and site visits (does anyone act right away?)
CPA or lift (does it move the business?)
3) Run a 30-day test plan
Week 1: launch one audience with 2–3 creative versions; record CPM, reach, frequency and completion.
Week 2: use split testing to compare the strongest script against a new hook.
Week 3: test a format (audio vs video or Carousel) or a buying method (Ads Manager vs DSP).
Week 4: compare branded search, direct traffic and conversions against the weeks before launch, then document your baseline.
4) Diagnose with the CPM → completion → CTR → CPA ladder
High CPM: audience too narrow or inventory too competitive; broaden targeting or test another buying route.
Low completion: weak opening seconds; rewrite the hook.
Low CTR with good completion: normal for audio; check site visits and branded search before changing anything.
High CPA: check landing page match and attribution windows before cutting the channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average CPM for Spotify Ads in 2026?
No reliable average exists: there is no independent, methodology-disclosed 2025–2026 benchmark for Spotify CPM, and the ranges on vendor blogs have no stated data basis. Use Spotify's reach estimates in Ads Manager to plan, then track your own CPM over time.
What is a good listen-through rate for Spotify Ads?
No reliable 2025–2026 listen-through benchmark is public, and Spotify's own brand-lift averages are roughly three years old (Spotify Advertising). Use split testing in Ads Manager to compare creative and build your own completion baseline.
How many people can you reach with Spotify Ads?
Spotify reported 483M ad-supported users out of 761M monthly active users in Q1 2026 (PPC Land). These are Spotify's own figures and describe the platform, not campaign performance.
Are Spotify Ads worth it for B2B?
They can be for awareness and consideration, especially with automated podcast buying, which reached 170M listeners in 12 markets at launch in July 2025 (PPC Land). No B2B performance benchmark exists, so measure with brand lift and assisted conversions rather than last-click CTR.
How do Spotify Ads compare with Meta or Google?
No reliable benchmark compares Spotify performance with Meta or Google in 2025–2026. Spotify usually sits between awareness and consideration, so judge it on reach, completion and lift, and watch branded search and direct traffic during flights.
Are there Spotify Ads benchmarks for Europe or the Netherlands?
No country-level CPM or performance data for Europe or the Netherlands is publicly available. Spotify did report nearly +10% year-over-year EMEA ad growth at its 2026 Investor Day (PPC Land); set a separate baseline per country.
Conclusion: what "good" Spotify performance looks like in 2026
Nobody can honestly tell you what an average Spotify CPM or listen-through rate is in 2026, because the data isn't public. What we do know is that Spotify reports more advertisers, more biddable revenue and a much richer self-serve toolset, including split testing. Use those tools to build your own baseline, track the same metrics every flight, and judge Spotify on reach and lift as much as on clicks.
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More 2026 ad benchmarks
Comparing channels? See all headline numbers side by side on our Ad Benchmarks 2026 hub, or jump to another guide in the series:
