CPM vs CPC
Pay per impression when the goal is reach or when your own optimization is better than the seller's; pay per click when you want the seller to carry the risk of an ignored ad and the objective is traffic. Sellers price CPC at a premium over the equivalent CPM because they absorb that risk. Most social platforms bill on CPM regardless of objective, so the choice there is which event to optimize toward rather than which unit to pay for.
| CPM | CPC | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay for | 1,000 impressions | Each click |
| Risk of a bad ad | Yours | Seller's, priced in |
| Best for | Reach, frequency, video, awareness | Traffic, consideration, search |
| Reported as | CPM; convert to eCPC to compare | CPC; convert to eCPM to compare |
| Gaming risk | Unseen impressions | Accidental and bot clicks |
Terms in this comparison
Cite this page:
Agency Echelon. "CPM vs CPC." Agency Echelon Reference, reviewed September 2026. https://agencyechelon.com/reference/compare/cpm-vs-cpc/