App marketing metrics comparison

CPA is a pricing model in which marketers pay ad networks or media sources when a user takes a particular action (such as completing a purchase or registration) inside of an app, after engagement with an ad.

ROAS measures how much revenue was earned from advertising in comparison to how much budget was spent on it.

Advertisers and publishers

App owners and marketers

• Helps with attribution – shows which sources drive action for pure performance measurement
• Shows the value of users further down the funnel
• For media sources, attracts high-performance marketers

• Good indicator of overall campaign performance
• Guides decisions on budgets, channels, and creatives
• Provides a snapshot for simple reporting

• Make sure you’re reaching the right audience
• Improve your creative to drive action
• Raise your ad quality score
• Protect yourself from fraud

• Test and optimize your creatives, channels, and landing page
• Lower your ad cost by improving your quality score and using smarter bidding strategies
• Re-engage high-value users
• Analyze user behavior and look to optimize campaigns based on predictive analytics

Cost per action (CPA)

Return on ad spend (ROAS)