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.
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. 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
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
AdAction
A full-service ad platform that connects mobile marketers to high-intent users worldwide.
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 10-50 | - | - | - |
AdAction is the leading full-service ad platform that delivers quality at volume with real-time, data-driven technology to optimize acquisition campaigns and drive maximum engagement.
- Services: Mobile Ad Network, Mobile Ad Platform
- Ad Format: Interstitial, Offerwall
- Models: CPI, CPA, CPE, CPC
- Trading Models: Managed Service
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 51 - 100 |
We Are RevX Made for growth, built for app marketers. RevX helps app businesses acquire and re-engage users via programmatic advertising to retain and accelerate revenue. We\'re all about taking your app business to a new growth level! We help you build sound mobile strategies, combining programmatic UA, app re-engagement, and performance branding to drive real and verifiable results so you can scale your business: with real users, high retention, and incremental revenue.
Learn more about RevX
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 11-50 | - | 5k | - |
Mobupps is are a performance-oriented ad network, with over 10 years of experience in mobile user acquisition. The network leverages an access to private media from over 4,500 direct app publishers, as well as direct integration to all of the major global traffic sources.
- Mobile platforms: Android, iOS,
- Campaign types: CPC, CPI, CPM
- Ad formats supported: App Icon, Audio, Banners, Content Lock, Coupons, Custom, In-App, Incentivized, Interstitial, Native, Notifications, Offer Wall, Pop up, PopUnder, Redirect, Rewarded Video, Rewards, Rich Media, Search, Social, Text, Video
- Targeting: App, Carrier, Category, Country, Demographic, Device, Network, White & Black Lists
- Key markets: Global
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | - | - | - | - |
ironSource is the leading in-app video advertising platform. It is one of the biggest and oldest mobile advertising platforms launched in 2010. Focusing on mobile games, it makes free-to-play and free-to-use possible for over 1.5B people around the world. Over 80,000 app developers use its technologies to grow their businesses, among these such leading companies like Kongregate, Zeptolab, Big Fish Games, Zynga and Playrix.
- Mobile platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Cocos, Amazon, AdobeAir
- Campaign types: CPC, CPE, CPA, CPV
- Ad formats supported: App Wall, Interstitial, Offer Wall, Video
- Targeting: Custom
- Key Markets: United States, Israel
| Employees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 190.000 |
| Founded | 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 | 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 SmadexADEX
Ad Fraud Detection Tools, Ad Servers, Mobile Ad Network, Mobile DSP, Social Ads, SSP
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 10-50 |
ADEX is an expert in fraud-free advertising. We show you a real-time quality report identifying invalid traffic, fraud, and bots that drain your online advertising budget. Key Features Smart Detection and Protection - ADEX AI system detects and blocks more than 5 types of invalid traffic.
Learn more about ADEX
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 400 | $192m+ | 25k | 4m+ |
Founded in 2011, AdColony was created by mobile developers, for mobile developers and has grown into one of the largest mobile advertising and monetization platforms in the world with a reach of more than 1.5 billion users globally. AdColony is known for its exclusive Instant-Play™ HD video, Aurora™ HD Interactive video, and playable technologies, its global performance advertising expertise, its programmatic marketplace, and its extensive ad SDK footprint in the top apps worldwide.
- Mobile platforms: Android, IOS
- Campaign types: CPM
- Ad formats supported: Rich Media, Video
- Targeting: Demographic
- Key markets: US
| 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
AdQuantum is a performance marketing agency. We help mobile apps and web projects reach new revenue streams and scale their businesses with new paying users. Our risk-free user acquisition solutions allow the biggest well-known mobile brands to achieve their performance goals.
Learn more about AdQuantum
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10-50 | - | - | - |
Hitapps focuses on your success as a whole. Perhaps you can manage a small-scale campaign but, if you want to develop an impactful ads campaign, it’s better to let us take over.
- Performance based marketing
- RTB solution
- Apps development and publishing
myAppFree
High Quality Mobile Traffic & Exclusive Placements on SONY Xperia, Native SDK
| Founded | Employees | Revenues | Social | Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2-10 | $8.9m+ | 7k | 1.36m+ |
myAppFree is a performance-based advertising platform, founded in 2015 in Italy by Massimo Caroli and Riccardo Fuzzi, that matches advertisers and publishers. One of the unique features it offers in terms of inventory for advertisers is an access to 40 million plus Sony Xperia smartphone users, as well as own App Discovery that features the best mobile apps for users to discover.
- Mobile platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Phone
- Campaign types: CPA, CPC, CPI
- Ad formats supported: Banners, Interstitial, Native, Notifications
- Targeting: Audience, Geo, Interests, OS, Platform
- Key Markets: Asia, Europe, Latin America, USA
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 500+ |
InMobi is the largest independent mobile ad network with global reach in markets including the UK, Europe, US, South Africa and India. InMobi offers advertisers to reach over 1,5 billion mobile users across more than 32,000 mobile properties to choose from. With InMobile mobile ad network, advertisers can launch brand engagement, user acquisition or remarking ad campaigns. Acquisition of a mobile rich media company Sprout allows InMobi to offer premium mobile ads as well as a huge volume of other inventory. Advertisers include leading brands such as Ford and Levis.
- Mobile platforms: Android, iOS, Mobile Web
- Campaign types: CPC, CPI, CPA, CPX, CPM
- Ad formats supported: Banners, Native, Video, Interstitial, In-Game
- Targeting: carrier, channel, country, device, operator, os, time
- Key Markets: Europe, India, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, UK, United States
| Founded | Employees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 101-200 |
VEVE is a performance marketing platform from Affinity Global Inc. that offers unique advertising experiences across OEMs, browsers and telcos. With native, high-performing ad formats – Tiles , Notifications, Universal, unique media placements and customization opportunities, the platform is empowering brands to achieve their advertising KPIs such as sales, app downloads, website visits and user engagement. Additionally, it provides creative and operational support across different languages and locations including the US, UK, EU, IN, ID and CN. VEVE also has its proprietary reporting dashboard to access deep data insights to optimize conversions and user engagement. VEVE also unlocks newer monetization avenues for OEMs and browsers while enhancing users’ online journey.
Key Features
• Boost new user acquisition – Reach 500+ MN captive audience beyond search and social media network
• Achieve your advertising KPIs – All inventory bought is on performance KPIs such as CPI, CPA, CPC, CPV, etc.
• Highly engaging native ad experiences – Get high conversion rate with non-intrusive, user-friendly ad formats (Tiles, Notifications, Universal) and unique media placement
• 100% Brand safe environment – Custom reporting dashboards for complete transparency, real-time insights, and optimization opportunities
• End-to-end campaign management – Creative and operational support across different geographies (US, UK, EU, IN, ID, CN) and in multiple languages
Learn more about VEVE
| Employees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-50 |
DSPs, Media Buyers, Mobile Networks, and Apps - Scale your income by working with the Aragon Premium Mobile Marketing Agency. Our team manages programmatic budgets from dozens of established and rising brands across multiple verticals, but specializing in the FinTech space.
Learn more about Aragon Premium
| 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 App Samurai
FraudScore is an independent antifraud solution that evaluates the quality of mobile and web traffic in advertising campaigns. FraudScore clients are direct advertisers and ad agencies, ad networks & mobile developers from all over the world. FraudScore offers antifraud solutions for all steps of ad campaign funnel: from DSPs, to CPI, CPM, CPA and CPC. FraudScore is well known to be effective in combat against click spamming, bot, malware and adware, click injection, bot farms and many more.
Learn more about FraudScore
