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CPI Calculator: estimate installs from budget
CPI (cost per install) is what you pay in ad spend for each app install — in 2026, published benchmarks put it roughly between $1.50 and $5.00 globally, with big swings by category and platform. This calculator divides your monthly budget by the sourced benchmark CPI range for your app category and platform to show the install range that budget realistically buys. Every number comes from a published source, cited inline.
Estimated installs / month
1,064–3,333
at $1.50–$4.70 CPI · iOS · All apps / not sure
Source: Business of Apps CPI guide (2025): $1.50–$3.50 global iOS range; Business of Apps & Mapendo point averages: $4.70
Sensitivity — installs at each end of the benchmark range
Low CPI (best case)
3,333installs
@ $1.50 CPI
Mid CPI
1,613installs
@ $3.10 CPI
High CPI (worst case)
1,064installs
@ $4.70 CPI
Benchmarks are directional — sources conflict (by up to ~5x on the same segment) and your account will differ. Use this to sanity-check order of magnitude, then trust your own trailing 30-day CPI. Full methodology and every source: CPI Benchmarks 2026.
Source ledger — data checked July 2026
[1] Business of Apps CPI guide (2025): iOS $1.50–$3.50, Android $1.50–$4.00 global; game genres $2.50–$6.00 iOS / $1.50–$4.50 Android (chart data credited to AppsFlyer, Adjust, Sensor Tower, Singular).
[2] AppTweak Apple Ads benchmarks (Oct 2025): US Apple Search Ads median CPI by category, $1.64 (Education) – $26.81 (Sports); global all-category median $1.80. ~3,500 apps, 50k campaigns, $1B spend.
[3] Mapendo (2025): $4.70 iOS / $3.70 Android averages; category estimates incl. finance $8.70, shopping $1.30, gaming $3.90.
[4] Adjust/Juniper via Business of Apps: fintech CPI $2.50–$6.00 (2024).
[5] For contrast: Singular Q3 2025 tracked data shows $9.11 iOS vs $0.68 Android across all geos — a reminder that blended averages depend entirely on geo mix. Not used in this calculator.
CPI calculator FAQ
What is a good CPI?
One below the published range for your specific category, platform, region, and channel — and, more importantly, one your unit economics can afford. A $12 install can be excellent for a fintech app and catastrophic for a casual game. Use the benchmark range this calculator shows to check you are in the normal band, then optimize against payback, not against the benchmark.
Why does the calculator show a range instead of one number?
Because published CPI sources genuinely disagree — sometimes by 5x on the same segment — since each one measures a different slice of the market (different channels, geos, and definitions of “install”). Showing the conflicting figures as a range is more honest than blending them into a fake consensus. The full source-by-source breakdown is in our CPI benchmarks article.
How do I lower my CPI?
Creative is the biggest CPI lever you control once targeting is sane — bigger than bid strategy or channel choice. TikTok’s own analysis found creator-style ads drive 70% higher CTR at the same CPM as non-creator ads, which arithmetically cuts CPI by roughly 40% if install conversion holds. The catch: only ~5% of creatives become true winners, so improvements come from testing volume. Our UGC ads for mobile apps playbook covers the full system.
Lower your CPI with better creative
AppVids — our product — makes AI UGC video ads for app marketers, so you can test more creative variations per dollar, which is the CPI lever the benchmarks above say matters most.
See AppVids pricing