CPA (Cost-Per-Action) is the most advanced mobile advertising payment model. With this model, advertisers pay publishers for specific actions (like sales or registrations) that people make inside mobile apps after being engaged with ads.
To calculate cost-per-action for a specific action one needs to divide a total ad campaign spending on several specific actions that this particular campaign generated.
Pricing for various kinds of actions such as app installs, registers, purchases can vary from $4 to $75 per action. The CPA advertising model is the roots of digital affiliate marketing. We’ve analyzed the best CPA Advertising Networks in this directory.
CPA example
Source: BigCommerce
CPA Advertising Benefits
CPA advertising allows advertisers to control their costs and achieve specific objectives. The key advantage is that there is no cost to them until an action is taken, which maximises their return on investment.
This model of advertising is also a good choice because advertisers can track multiple channels with ease. Effectively this makes CPA advertising risk-free, and it is the job of the publisher to create compelling content that inspires customers to take action.
Of course, there is a downside to CPA: the cost. Advertisers will pay more for this form of advertising, although that comes with the safety of knowing that they will most likely achieve their advertising aims.
CPA formula
Source: The Online Advertising Guide
Other benefits include:
- It’s a good form of advertising for those who have a well-developed market
- Advertisers don’t have to rely on clicks to generate revenue
- It allows advertisers to generate site engagement with a specific action
Below we’ve listed the best CPA networks and platforms so you can get up and running without hassle.
List of the top CPA ad networks
Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 500-1000 | +100M$ | 1.5k+ | 2.5m+ |
Smadex is the mobile-first programmatic DSP engineered for growth.
We are a technology company led by engineering and data science, focused on uprising the global mobile programmatic landscape through our ad tech solutions.
Using a combination of our own programmatic advertising technology, machine learning, and first-party data, we have over a decade partnering with apps, brands and performance marketers to achieve their growth goals.
We take transparency very seriously. To guarantee our fully transparent platform remains that way, Smadex programmatic partners with the leading third-party platforms to provide innovative solutions and independent measurement at the very core of our service.
Learn more about SmadexFounded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 51-200 | - | - | - |
Zoomd is dedicated to helping advertisers and publishers achieve their key performance indicators (KPIs) through a patented, performance-based advertising platform. The Company’s User Acquisition platform unifies more than 600 media sources under one dashboard including Google, TikTok, Samsung premium inventory and much more.
- Business Models – Choose your preferred business model CPC/CPI/CPO/CPE/CPA
- Fraud – Detection as part of the platform, adding you an extra layer of safety
- Measurement – integrated to all major 3rd party mobile measurement solutions
- Cost-efficiency – Save countless resources by managing all campaigns under one screen
- Data Play – Enjoy machine decisions based on more than 500Million data points a day
Founded | Employees | Social | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | 11-50 | 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
Liftoff is Cost-Per-Action optimized mobile user acquisition platform for app marketers. It provides CPI campaigns optimization via tracking post-install events for apps. It also provides retargeting features to bring mobile users back to a specific app and lookalike features to connect mobile apps with users similar to people who already use these apps.
- Mobile platforms: iOS, Android, Mobile Web
- Campaign types: CPI, CPA
- Ad formats supported: Custom
- Targeting: lookalike, retargeting,
- Key Markets: Global
Reddit Ads is an advertising platform from Reddit. It allows advertisers to reach specific audiences on the platform, either as self-service or via managed service. With Reddit Ads brands can tap into one of the biggest online communities that has extremely diverse set of interests.
- Mobile platforms: iOS, Android
- Campaign types: CPA
- Ad formats supported: Social
- Targeting: Custom
- Key markets: UK, USA
Amobee is a premium mobile ad network and technology company, offering a wide range of advertising/monetization solutions for advertisers, developers/publishers and organizations. Its DSP supplies advertisers with a single dashboard to plan, execute and analyze audience-first ad campaigns. It allows to reach audiences across video, mobile, display, social and TV ad channels.
- Highlights: seamless omnichannel ad campaigns, precise targeting, built-in reporting and analysis.
- AppsFlyer Performance Index: n/a
- Tagline:Advertising solutions for the converging world
Adikteev is the leading app re-engagement platform for performance-driven marketers.
We help the world’s top-spending app publishers increase retention, reacquire churned users and drive incremental revenue. App publishers in gaming, eCommerce, on-demand, services and entertainment rely on us to deliver made-to-measure strategies, creatives and algorithms.
By combining science and creativity, we deliver best-in-class playable and interactive ads paired with top retargeting tech. We believe in creating a unique strategy for each client based on data to provide measurable and transparent results that increase user LTV and fuel business growth.
Adikteev is #10 among Inc. Magazine’s Top 5000 fastest growing companies and ranked in the top retargeting partners of the world for two consecutive years by AppsFlyer Performance Index
Founded | Employees | Social | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 11-50 | 2k+ |
Spotad is a performance-based Demand-Side-Marketing-
Key Features
- Performance driven
- Mobile experts
- Utilize data for better targeting and optimization
- Using self-developed ML model
- Full control of the creative assets for a better user engagement. From the Ad Design to the Ad Serving
Promoted App Pins is a mobile app advertising platform from Pinterest. It allows app marketers to generate installs via pins. Pins associated with iOS or Android apps have an app icon and install button attached to them for mobile users to tap on and download an app. Among Pinterest mobile measuring partners are Adjust, AppsFlyer, Kochava, TUNE and Apsalar.
- Mobile platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
- Campaign types: CPA
- Ad formats supported: App Icon
- Targeting: Custom
- Key markets: Global