App installs
App install ads, judged on the users who stay.
We run user acquisition for consumer and fintech apps on Meta, Google App campaigns and TikTok. Cheap installs are easy to buy. We optimize for what happens after them: registrations, verified accounts and first payments.
How we run app install campaigns
Optimize past the install
An install is a download, not a user. For Canva, we optimized for registrations: install, open and sign up. For UGLYCASH, optimizing for identity verification instead of installs cut the cost of a funded account by 43%, from $151 to $86.
Climb the optimization ladder
Ad platforms need volume to learn, so we start with the deepest event that gets enough of it, then step deeper as volume grows. We call it the optimization ladder.
Test markets, not just ads
Where you buy users matters as much as how. Ground News installs cost $0.75 in the UK against $2 to $3.75 in the US, so the budget followed. For UGLYCASH, we graded seven Latin American markets on small test budgets before scaling any of them.
Kill rules written before launch
Every ad gets an exit before it spends. Canva's ads had 3,000 impressions to prove themselves, and cost targets tightened step by step, from $1 down to $0.10 per registration. Several ads reached $0.03.
One variable at a time
We build ads as templates and change one element per test: the face, the hook, the headline or the offer. That's how we found which single change lifted Ground News installs the most.
Attribution you can trust
Before scaling, we check your SDK events, your mobile measurement partner, such as AppsFlyer, Branch or Singular, and SKAdNetwork on iOS. If a platform can't see the event, it can't optimize for it.
Proof
- CanvaRegistrations in French-speaking markets for as little as $0.03 each
- Ground NewsFive years of app installs: Twitter, Meta, a UK pivot, then Google App campaigns
- UGLYCASHSeven markets graded, and first fundings 43% cheaper once optimization moved past the install
- Food is GoodA diet app grown one diet at a time, with web-to-app free trials from $18.62 on Android
When app install ads are the right move, and when they aren't
Right for
Consumer, fintech and subscription apps with a clear in-app event to optimize for, tracking that reports it back to the ad platforms, and enough budget for each campaign to see dozens of those events a week.
Not right for
It's the wrong time if your in-app events aren't tracked yet, if your app store listing converts poorly, or if most new users leave in the first week. More installs would only fill a leaky bucket, so the fix comes first.
What it costs
$5,000 to $25,000 a month, plus a one-time $5,000 setup. One fee covers every channel we run.
One time. Every channel, tracking, funnel and creative, with a ranked action list.
No retainer. A senior second opinion for your team, buyer or agency.
Full details, a fee calculator and terms are on the pricing page.
Questions
Do you optimize for installs?
Only at the start, if at all. We move to registrations, verified accounts or purchases as soon as there's enough volume, because optimizing for installs alone attracts the cheapest, least engaged users.
Which platforms do you use for app installs?
Mostly Meta and Google App campaigns, plus TikTok when it fits. For Ground News, we scaled Meta first, then Google.
How do you handle iOS tracking?
With SKAdNetwork, your mobile measurement partner and, where possible, server-side events. We also compare platform numbers against your own analytics, because on iOS the platforms see less than they report.
What budget do app install campaigns need?
Enough for each campaign to see about 50 optimization events a week, or the algorithm never finishes learning. Full management starts at $5,000 a month, so it makes most sense from about $50,000 a month in spend. Below that, start with an audit.
Further reading: Mobile App Ads: User Acquisition Strategies That Work · Meta & Google Ads in 2026: Creative Is the New Targeting · How Long Do Paid Ads Take to Work?. Also from OuiGrowth: Paid media · Ad account audit · Restricted categories. By channel: Meta · Google · TikTok · Reddit.
Want more users, not just more installs?
Book a free 30-minute consultation and we'll tell you what we'd change first. Want to know what it costs before we talk? Our pricing is public.
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