Maximum delivery costs 103% more per click than a manual bid.
When the same advertiser runs the same objective both ways, letting LinkedIn bid on maximum delivery roughly doubles the cost of a website click. Maximum delivery was cheaper in only 24 of 102 pairs.
By Phil Ilic · Published 21 Oct 2026 · From Kiin Labs Report No. 5, How Much Do LinkedIn Ads Cost
Kiin Labs (2026). LinkedIn maximum delivery bidding costs 103% more per website click than a manual CPC bid in the same account and objective (95% interval +52% to +131%; 102 pairs), 8 Sep 2025 to 7 Sep 2026. https://kiin.co/research/linkedin-maximum-delivery-cost
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The click rate does not move. The price does.
Where the extra cost comes from
On maximum delivery the CPM rises 36% (interval +21% to +78%) and the click-through rate stays the same, so the whole difference is LinkedIn paying more for the same impressions. The effect holds when both sides have 30+ clicks (+83%) and on the website visits objective alone (+113%).
What it is not
Enhanced conversions are a different setting. Against maximum delivery, enhanced conversions cut CPM by 15% across 119 accounts; on cost per lead the gap is 30% and not significant.
What to do
Start campaigns on a manual CPC bid and raise it only if the campaign underspends. Use maximum delivery when spending the budget matters more than the price, and know that you are paying roughly double for the clicks.
Where the number comes from
Finding 01 of Kiin Labs Report No. 5: every pair is the same advertiser and the same objective, single image ads, twelve months to 7 September 2026, LinkedIn Audience Network excluded.
Questions about this number.
Is maximum delivery or manual bidding cheaper on LinkedIn?
Manual bidding. In the same account and objective, maximum delivery cost 103% more per website click than a manual CPC bid across 102 paired comparisons, and maximum delivery was cheaper in only 24 of them.
Why does maximum delivery cost more?
Because LinkedIn bids whatever it takes to spend the budget. CPM rises 36% while click-through rate stays the same, so you pay more for the same impressions.
When should I use maximum delivery on LinkedIn?
When spending the full budget matters more than the price, for example a time-bound event. For always-on campaigns, start manual.
Does this apply to enhanced conversions?
No. Enhanced conversions cut CPM by 17% against maximum delivery across 119 accounts, and the cost per lead difference was not significant.
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