Cost per install (CPI) is a type of CPA model. It implies charging for an instance when a mobile app copy is installed on a smartphone or tablet computer. To calculate the cost per install total, expenditure on ads to drive app installs should be divided over a total number of installs that were generated with those ads. Currently, the average cost per install is roughly $1.24 / per install.
Featured CPI Advertising Networks
Among all payment models established in mobile advertising, this is one of the most important for app developers, because it allows them to calculate ROI of their investments in-app advertising.
You may be asking, how can I optimize my app’s user acquisition potential? We have a mobile expert team with a playbook of best practices to answer that.
Picture This: Fully-Optimized CPI, User Acquisition at Scale
In this directory, we’ve curated all the best CPI Advertising Networks for you.
CPI formula
Source: The Online Advertising Guide
CPI Benefits
CPI is a model that is largely specific to mobile applications. Primarily, a brand is charged a fixed rate only when the user installs the app. A key benefit of this model is that advertisers can target an app niche’s audience.
For app developers looking to create a quick and reliable buzz around their new app, CPI campaigns are often a great way of achieving fast results for them.
One potential drawback of CPI marketing is that you don’t know how many people are using your mobile app. Just because they installed the app doesn’t always mean they are going to spend money on additional purchases or even stick around for long.
Other benefits include:
- You only pay for results with the CPI model
- App developers will be able to gain visibility on the app stores
Featured CPI Advertising Networks
CPI Rates
Here are some CPI offers along with their platform and country in the table below.
| Platform/Network | Country | CPI Rates |
| Facebook Ads | US | $1.8 |
| Twitter Ads | US | $2.53 |
| Instagram Ads | US | $2.23 |
| Search Ads | US | $1 |
| Average iOS App | US | $2.07 |
Source: Business of Apps
Below we’ve listed the best CPI ad networks and platforms so you can get up and running without a problem.
List of cost per install (CPI) ad networks and traffic sources
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 101 - 200 |
AdAction
A full-service ad platform that connects mobile marketers to high-intent users worldwide.
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 10-50 | - | 2,000+ | - |
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 400 | $192m+ | 25k | 4m+ |
ADEX
Ad Fraud Detection Tools, Ad Servers, Mobile Ad Network, Mobile DSP, Social Ads, SSP
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 10-50 |
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 51 - 100 |
AdMaven - the premier ad network that brings together cutting-edge technology and unrivaled expertise to catapult your online advertising endeavors to new heights. AdMaven provides diverse ad formats and solutions for advertisers and publishers.
Learn more about AdMaven
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 101-200 | - | 37k | 1.5m |
Adsterra is a world-renowned ad and CPA-network with Partner Care approach, serving over 30 billion ad impressions per month worldwide (70% of traffic is mobile). It works with 21K+ direct publishers and 13K+ brands, affiliates, media agencies, and ad networks dealing with mainstream and non-mainstream verticals.
Learn more about Adsterra Network
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10-50 | 2.5m | 129 |
Appitate LLC is an international mobile affiliate network. Members of our team are high-skilled professionals in the sphere of mobile promotion and traffic monetization.
Appitate works with CPI and CPA models, supports both IOS and Android OS, and covers more than 100 GEOs. Moreover, our network works with direct App-developers and Advertisers, exclusive and direct Publishers only. With the help of advanced technology and exceptional technology, Appitate LLC easily matches all needs of each publisher and meets the advertiser’s goals.
Learn more about Appitate
Apple Search Ads is the Apple Inc. iOS app promotion platform for app developers to drive traffic for their apps via search. The platform features two plans – Basic and Advanced, with the Basic plan, currently available only for US market, developers can set their app ad campaigns with a specific CPI they want to stick to and let it run automatically with minimal management on their part. The minimum budget for the Basic plan is $5,000 per app per month. The Advanced plan implies developers need to set up keywords they target and audiences they need to reach, set bids and budgets they plan to spend and pay only when mobile users tap on their ads.
- Mobile platforms: iOS
- Campaign types: CPI, CPC
- Ad formats supported: auto-generated ads with creatives an app has on the App Store.
- Targeting: iOS version, device (iPhone / iPad), location, gender, age, new / existing customers for other apps from the same advertiser
- Key markets: global, the Basic plan is US only.
Appnext is one of the largest independent app discovery platforms, offering the only recommendation engine on the market, which encompasses both in-app and on-device discovery. Appnext discovery platform powers 4B daily app recommendations via over 20 interactions along users’ daily mobile journey.
Through its direct partnerships with top OEMs, operators and app developers, Appnext creates a discovery experience in over 10,000 mobile touchpoints. Powered by proprietary AI technology, Appnext ‘Timeline’ predicts the type of apps users are likely to utilize next and recommends which ones to install. Appnext’s recommendations are helping app marketers reach more engaged users and get their apps discovered, used and re-used.
As of June 2020, Appnext is part of the Affle group. Affle (India) Limited trades on the Indian stock exchanges (BSE: 542752 & NSE: AFFLE).
- Mobile platforms: Android
- Campaign types: CPI, CPC
- Ad formats supported: Premium on-device Placements, Interstitial, Native Ads, Rewarded videos,
- Targeting: City, Device Model, Time of day, OS, Placements
- Key Markets: Global
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - |
Mobile ad planning, execution and analysis are complicated for startups because they cannot reach all available app marketing tools. App Samurai makes it easy for them without requiring in-depth mobile advertising knowledge!
Thanks to App Samurai, you can easily create, manage, and measure acquisition campaigns, boost campaigns, and video campaigns to acquire qualified users.
Learn more about AppSamurai
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 101 - 200 |
Appska is a full-service performance marketing agency specializing in In-App advertising, Influencer Marketing, Media buying, and Affiliate marketing. It provide partners with a continuous flow of users and can promote mobile apps in any GEO and vertical.
Learn more about Appska
| Employees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-50 |
Aragon Premium is a mobile app marketing agency that focuses on cost-per-acquisition marketing. They offer a range of services, including display and paid social advertising, influencer marketing, content marketing, direct carrier partnerships, programmatic advertising, and loyalty and rewards programs.
Learn more about Aragon Premium
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 50-100 | - | 3k+ | - |
Bidease is a mobile DSP platform for mobile marketers. Its built on a foundation of proprietary programmatic advertising technology, Machine Learning, and first party data. Bidease team optimizes campaigns across all major mobile formats for desired post-install behaviors at no risk to its clients’ bottom line.
- Mobile platforms: iOS, Android, Mobile Web
- Campaign types: CPI, CPA, CPM
- Ad formats supported: Banners, Interstitial, Native, Rewarded Video, Video
- Targeting: Carrier, Device, Gender, Geo, Interests, IP, OS
- Key Markets: global
CPAlead
100 million mobile app installs delivered and daily payments to all publishers. CPAlead delivers VALUE for App Owners & Mobile Affiliates
Digital Turbine is a mobile app advertising platform for app delivery and discovery. The company is double down on a mobile native format to allow advertisers cut through the noice and reach out their target audience. Digital Turbine bypasses app stores and partners with major global telecom companies to introduce apps to mobile users with sponsored recommendations and native preloads.
- Mobile platforms: iOS, Android, Mobile Web
- Campaign types: CPC, CPI
- Ad formats supported: Banners, Interstitial, Native, Offer Wall
- Targeting: Geo, OS
- Key Markets: Asia, Europe, USA