41,500 app installs at $0.15 each on Meta Ads
For a mobile app, Meta Ads app campaigns generated 41,524 installs at an average cost of $0.15 per install, with a $0.48 CPM. The best ad set delivered 5,694 installs for $435, about $0.08 per install. Inside the app, tracked events showed 95,292 add to carts, 6,774 checkouts and 568 purchases, for $10.5K of conversion value.
By Zakaria Driouch ·
Key numbers
- App installs
- 41,524
- Cost per install
- $0.15
- Best ad set
- 5,694 installs · $0.08
- CPM
- $0.48
- Install ad sets spend
- $6,214
- Impressions
- 12.9M
- In-app purchases
- 568
- Conversion value
- $10.5K
The goal
One account, two goals: get installs as cheap as possible, and make sure those installs turn into real purchases inside the app, not just downloads.
What I did
- App install campaigns, optimized and read per ad set. Each ad set is judged on its own cost per install.
- In-app events tracked: add to cart, checkout and purchase. Without these events, a campaign can look cheap on installs and still bring users who never buy.
- Budget moved to the ad sets with the lowest cost per install, while watching what happens after the install.
The results
41,524 installs at $0.15 each, with a $0.48 CPM. The install ad sets spent $6,214, reached 1.67 million people and delivered 12.9 million impressions, with a 1.34% CTR.
The best ad set delivered 5,694 installs for $435, about $0.08 per install. Inside the app: 95,292 add to carts, 6,774 checkouts and 568 purchases, for $10.5K of conversion value.
What to take from it
Cheap installs only matter if the users do something in the app. Tracking the in-app funnel is what shows whether the installs are worth it.
The gap between the average ($0.15) and the best ad set ($0.08) is where the budget decisions come from.
Screenshots from Ads Manager
Real data. Campaign names and account details masked. Click to enlarge.
- 15,694 installs on $435
- 2$6,214 spent · 12.9M impressions
Questions about this case
What was the cost per install?
$0.15 on average across 41,524 installs. The best ad set reached about $0.08 per install (5,694 installs for $435).
Did the installs lead to purchases?
Yes. The tracked in-app events show 95,292 add to carts, 6,774 checkouts and 568 purchases, for $10.5K of conversion value.
Which events should an app track for Meta Ads?
At minimum: install, add to cart, checkout and purchase. They let you judge a campaign on buyers, not only on downloads.
Want the same work on your account?
For brands investing $1,500+/month in ads. Tell me what you sell, your monthly budget and your goal. I reply personally, no sales call.