The short version
Cost per install in 2026 depends far more on vertical, platform, and country than on the year. The most useful current dataset is Admiral Media's Mobile App Marketing Benchmarks 2026 (published April 19, 2026, refreshed quarterly from the agency's own portfolio), which gives Tier 1 ranges for 20 sub-verticals on both platforms. The consistent findings:
- iOS CPI is 2.0 to 3.5 times Android across verticals.
- Tier 1 CPIs are 3 to 8 times Tier 3, but Tier 1 lifetime value is 4 to 12 times higher, so cheap installs are not automatically better installs.
- Meta runs 20 to 40% above Google App Campaigns on CPI, and TikTok varies 10 to 50% against Meta depending on how native the creative is.
- Creative explains 60 to 80% of the variance in CPA between comparable campaigns.
Everything below is sourced and dated. Where a figure is from 2024 or 2025 we say so, because CPI moves every quarter.
CPI by vertical, Tier 1 markets, 2026
Source: Admiral Media, April 2026. Ranges are for Tier 1 countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia, Western Europe).
| Vertical | Sub-vertical | iOS CPI | Android CPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming | Hypercasual | $0.80 to $2.50 | $0.30 to $1.20 |
| Gaming | Casual puzzle | $2.50 to $6.00 | $1.20 to $3.00 |
| Gaming | Idle RPG | $4.00 to $9.00 | $2.00 to $5.00 |
| Gaming | Mid-core strategy | $8.00 to $18.00 | $4.00 to $10.00 |
| Gaming | Slots / social casino | $20.00 to $60.00 | $10.00 to $30.00 |
| Finance | Payments | $2.00 to $6.00 | $0.80 to $2.50 |
| Finance | Neobank | $8.00 to $20.00 | $3.00 to $9.00 |
| Finance | Trading / crypto | $10.00 to $25.00 | $4.00 to $12.00 |
| Dating | Mainstream | $4.00 to $10.00 | $2.00 to $5.00 |
| Dating | Niche / premium | $8.00 to $20.00 | $3.00 to $10.00 |
| Health and fitness | Fitness tracking | $2.00 to $6.00 | $1.00 to $3.00 |
| Health and fitness | Nutrition / fasting | $3.00 to $8.00 | $1.50 to $4.00 |
| Health and fitness | Meditation / wellness | $4.00 to $10.00 | $2.00 to $5.00 |
| EdTech | Language learning | $3.00 to $8.00 | $1.50 to $4.00 |
| EdTech | Brain training | $3.50 to $9.00 | $1.50 to $4.50 |
| EdTech | Kids / academic | $3.00 to $7.00 | $1.50 to $3.50 |
| Shopping | Marketplace | $2.00 to $6.00 | $0.80 to $2.50 |
| Shopping | DTC retailer | $3.00 to $8.00 | $1.50 to $4.00 |
| Travel | OTA / booking | $3.00 to $9.00 | $1.50 to $5.00 |
| Productivity and AI | AI assistants / utilities | $2.00 to $6.00 | $0.80 to $2.50 |
For context, Adjust's 2026 mobile app report, cited by Admiral Media, shows gaming CPI up about 30% year over year, which is why the gaming rows above sit well above older benchmarks.
Global and regional averages (older, but still widely quoted)
| Metric | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global iOS CPI | $4.70 | 2024 | Udonis (2025) |
| Global Android CPI | $3.40 | 2024 | Udonis (2025) |
| YoY change, both platforms | about +$0.20 | 2023 to 2024 | Business of Apps (2025) |
| North America CPI | $5.28 | 2024 | Mistplay and Mapendo (2025) |
| EMEA CPI | $1.03 | 2024 | Mistplay and Mapendo (2025) |
| APAC CPI | $0.93 | 2024 | Mistplay and Mapendo (2025) |
| Fintech CPI range | $2.50 to $6.00 | 2025 | Adjust and Juniper via Business of Apps |
| Gaming CPI, iOS / Android | $4.22 / $2.97 | 2024 | Business of Apps via Mistplay |
| Global UA spend growth | +13% (iOS +35%, Android -1%) | 2025 | AppsFlyer (2025) |
Compiled in Shno's 2026 user acquisition statistics, which names the original source for each figure.
The AppsFlyer line is the one to remember. iOS spend grew 35% in a year while Android spend shrank slightly. That is why iOS auctions got more expensive and Android did not, and it is the strongest argument for treating the two platforms as separate acquisition budgets.
CPI by channel, 2026
Source: Admiral Media, April 2026.
| Channel | CPI relative to peers | What it rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram) | 20 to 40% above Google | 15+ new creatives a month, Advantage+ with value signals |
| Google App Campaigns | 15 to 30% below Meta | Disciplined bidding, aggressive creative refresh |
| TikTok | 10 to 50% variance vs Meta | Native UGC; repurposed polished ads get punished |
| Apple Search Ads | Branded keywords $0.80 to $3.00; category keywords $4.00 to $15.00 | Keyword intent; highest-intent iOS traffic |
The creative finding matters more than the channel ranking. Admiral attributes 60 to 80% of CPA variance to creative, and reports that accounts shipping fewer than five new concepts a month see 15 to 30% CPA drift per quarter, while accounts at 40+ concepts a month cut CPA 20 to 40%. On paid social, the cost of installs is mostly the cost of making enough good video.
Where creator pay-per-install fits
A performance creator campaign is a different pricing model, not just a different channel. Instead of buying impressions and measuring CPI afterwards, the developer sets the price per verified install up front and creators earn it only when an install is attributed to their link.
| Paid social (Meta, TikTok) | Apple Search Ads | Creator pay-per-install | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Impressions and clicks | Taps on keywords | Verified installs only |
| Who sets the CPI | The auction | The auction | You |
| Typical 2026 Tier 1 CPI, consumer app | $2 to $10 iOS, $1 to $5 Android | $4 to $15 category keywords | $0.50 to $6, developer-set |
| Creative production | Your team, 15 to 40 concepts a month | Not applicable | Creators make it |
| Wasted spend on non-installers | Yes | Some | None |
| Attribution | Platform SDK plus MMP | Apple attribution | SDK or MMP postback, deterministic on Android via Install Referrer |
On IdeaEquity, the developer sets the rate, optionally per country, and pays the rate plus a platform fee of 10 to 20% depending on plan. Creators keep 100% of the listed rate. Signup and purchase commissions can be layered on top so creators are paid more for audiences that convert, which is the metric that actually predicts return.
Break-even CPI: the only benchmark that is yours
Industry ranges tell you what other people pay. They do not tell you what you can afford. That number comes from three inputs:
- Net revenue per paying user. Price minus store commission. After Apple's October 2026 EU changes, a $9.99 subscription in the Small Business Program nets about $8.49 a month (see our breakdown of the new Apple terms).
- Expected paid lifetime. Admiral's 2026 D30 retention benchmarks are 5 to 10% for most consumer verticals, with top-quartile apps at 9 to 14%. A planning number of four to six paid months is realistic for a healthy subscription app.
- Install-to-paid rate. Install-to-trial 15 to 30%, trial-to-paid 40 to 65%, so roughly 6 to 20% of installs pay.
Break-even CPI = net revenue per user x paid months x install-to-paid rate. For the example above: $8.49 x 5 x 10% = $4.25. If your paid channels are delivering installs above that, you are buying growth at a loss and hoping retention saves you. If a creator campaign is delivering them at $3 all-in, it is the only profitable channel you have.
How to use these benchmarks
- Benchmark against your sub-vertical, not "apps." A $6 CPI is excellent for a neobank and terrible for a hypercasual game.
- Split iOS and Android budgets and targets. Expect Android installs at a third to a half of iOS cost, and expect lower revenue per user to match.
- Price by country. If your revenue per user in Brazil is a fifth of the US, your CPI ceiling should be too. Per-country rates on creator campaigns handle this cleanly.
- Measure to day 7, not day 0. Signup and purchase rates a week after install separate cheap installs from valuable ones.
- Refresh quarterly. Admiral refreshes its benchmarks every 90 days for a reason. The figures in this article are current as of August 2026; check the source links for updates.
Want a channel where CPI is a price, not a hope? Create a campaign on IdeaEquity, set your per-install rate, and pay only for verified installs.
Sources: Admiral Media, Mobile App Marketing Benchmarks 2026, April 19, 2026; Shno, User Acquisition Statistics 2026 (compiling Udonis, Business of Apps, Mistplay and Mapendo, Adjust and Juniper Research, AppsFlyer); Apple Newsroom, August 2026 EU changes.
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