Marketing your application is one of the most crucial stages when developing a mobile app. You might have the best app out there or the next big thing, but without reaching the users you need, it will all be for naught and all of your effort will go to waste. Especially with over five million apps on the App Store and Google Play combined and counting, the competition is getting tougher. This is reflected in the massive investment in app marketing, with global app install ad spend projected to surpass $90 billion, according to AppsFlyer's latest forecast.
Cost Per Install (CPI) networks (also sometimes called pay per install networks) allow you to create ad campaigns that target your desired audience and prompt them to install your app, helping you grow your user base, increase your number of monthly active users (MAU), and consequently push your app up the store charts, increasing its discoverability and opening new doors for you.
CPI networks take the popular CPM (cost per mille) and CPC (cost per click) models, where you're either charged based on user impressions or clicks, and take it one step further, only charging when the user installs your app. This performance-based approach has made CPI one of the most popular models among mobile app marketers, as these networks can guarantee that you reach high-quality users and your target audience, allowing you to measure actual ROI (return on investment) for your app marketing efforts and budgets.
We've compiled below a list of the top Cost Per Install networks to help you get more app installs and expand your user base.
Adcash
Adcash operates as a comprehensive advertising platform where publishers monetize their digital content with relevant ad campaigns at industry-leading rates, while advertisers gain the reach needed to engage with target audiences across a network of top-tier publishers worldwide. The platform offers CPI-based mobile app install campaigns with advanced targeting capabilities and real-time optimization, helping app developers achieve cost-effective user acquisition through performance-focused pricing models that prioritize installation conversions.
- Founded: 2007
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: Tallinn, Harjumaa
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Adikteev
Adikteev operates as a marketing platform specializing in app retargeting to re-engage users who have become inactive, delivering personalized ads to individuals who have already installed an app but haven't completed key actions like purchases, with ads appearing across other apps to bring users back. While Adikteev primarily focuses on retargeting, the platform addresses the rising cost per install (CPI) challenges that make user retention critical, as traditional approaches of increasing user acquisition spend become less viable due to continuously rising CPIs. The platform's custom-built DSP runs efficient campaigns using churn prediction and user segmentation, consistently delivering strong ROAS through advanced bidding strategies.
- Founded: 2012
- Company Size: 101-200 employees
- Location: Paris, France
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Adsterra
Adsterra operates as a global advertising network serving over 30 billion ad impressions per month, with dedicated CPI campaign optimization across 30,000+ partners. The platform specializes in performance-based cost-per-install advertising with advanced targeting options and real-time bid optimization, helping advertisers achieve competitive CPIs through outcome-focused marketing strategies that only charge for successful app installations.
- Founded: 2013
- Company Size: 201-500 employees
- Location: Limassol, Cyprus
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
AdWork Media
AdWork Media operates as a prominent CPA affiliate network offering innovative solutions for digital advertisers and publishers, specializing in CPA, CPL, and CPS commission models with advanced tracking, efficient customer service, and an intuitive dashboard for managing campaigns. AdWork Media's Performance Marketing strategy can deliver registrations, purchases, email submissions, downloads & installs, and other conversions in nearly any niche through CPA (cost per action) marketing and performance marketing that are low-risk, cost-effective methods for advertisers to generate user-specific actions such as sign-ups, surveys, purchases, downloads, app installs, and other marketing goals. The platform differs from mainstream methods like PPC/PPV since advertisers receive free impressions & promotion while only paying when users have completed specific marketing actions, with no additional fees so you pay only for true performance.
- Founded: 2010
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: Gainesville, FL
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
AppBrain
AppBrain Promote operates as a cost-per-install platform specifically for Android apps, with over 70,000 publisher apps using the AppBrain SDK to show non-incentivized advertisements and drive installs to CPI campaigns, offering extensive reporting and one of the easiest setup processes in the industry. The platform focuses exclusively on Android app promotion through performance-based CPI pricing, ensuring advertisers pay only for verified app installations while providing comprehensive campaign analytics and optimization tools.
- Founded: 2009
- Company Size: 1-10 employees
- Location: Zurich, Switzerland
- Supported Mobile Platforms: Android.
AppLovin
AppLovin operates as a comprehensive mobile marketing platform offering user acquisition and monetization solutions. The company's MAX mediation platform centralizes access to multiple ad networks through a single SDK integration, searching for the best available ad networks while sending ad requests to multiple demand sources using optimization algorithms to determine which mediated ad network can fill an app developer's inventory with the highest CPM. With more than 60% of the market share in mediation, MAX provides their Axon AI with huge data advantages, enabling sophisticated targeting for CPI campaigns. AppLovin algorithms are fine-tuned to run CPI-based campaigns versus Facebook or Google, where you pay per impression, meaning you pay for exactly what you want.
- Founded: 2012
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Brainlabs
Brainlabs operates as a digital marketing agency offering specialized mobile app user acquisition services through performance-based CPI campaigns across major advertising platforms. The agency combines strategic media buying with advanced analytics to optimize cost-per-install performance, helping app developers achieve scalable growth through data-driven user acquisition strategies that focus on acquiring high-value users while maintaining competitive CPI rates and strong return on advertising spend.
- Founded: 2012
- Company Size: 501-1,000 employees
- Location: New York
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Chartboost
Chartboost serves the mobile games ecosystem, primarily operating as a mediation partner across major platforms including Unity LevelPlay and other leading ad networks. While the company has evolved from its original standalone CPI model, Chartboost's technology helps game developers monetize and acquire users through partnerships with industry-leading mediation platforms.
- Founded: 2011
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Digital Turbine
Digital Turbine provides mobile app discovery and user acquisition solutions through on-device placements and CPI advertising technology. The platform leverages device-level data and pre-installed positioning to deliver highly targeted CPI campaigns with lower acquisition costs compared to traditional ad networks. Digital Turbine's most recent acquisition was One Store in October 2024, demonstrating commitment to globalizing alternative app distribution channels that bypass traditional app store discovery challenges for CPI advertisers.
- Founded: 2005
- Company Size: 501-1,000 employees
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Google App Campaigns
Google renamed Universal App Campaigns to App Campaigns without affecting campaign features or functionality. Google App Campaigns use automated technology to help app advertisers increase installs, in-app events, purchase value, or ad revenue by running ads across Google Search, Display, Google Play Store, Discover, and YouTube. With Google's AI-driven automation, these campaigns simplify ad placements across major Google properties, though optimization options are limited with no keyword targeting and restricted demographic targeting options.
- Founded: 2015
- Company Size: 10,001+ employees
- Location: Mountain View, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
GOWIDE
GOWIDE operates as a performance marketing platform specializing in mobile app user acquisition through CPI-optimized campaigns across global markets. The platform combines programmatic technology with manual optimization to deliver cost-effective app install campaigns, focusing on quality user acquisition through performance-based pricing models that ensure advertisers achieve their target cost-per-install goals while maintaining high user engagement rates.
- Founded: 2015
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
HilltopAds
HilltopAds operates as a global advertising network specializing in CPI campaigns with transparent pricing models that ensure advertisers only pay for completed app installations. The platform's unique traffic segmentation features and comprehensive targeting options deliver competitive cost-per-install rates across its extensive publisher network, with real-time reporting that tracks install attribution and campaign performance optimization.
- Founded: 2013
- Company Size: 11-50 employees
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
IconPeak
IconPeak operates as a mobile user acquisition platform specializing in cost-per-install campaigns for app developers seeking scalable growth. The platform combines machine learning algorithms with performance optimization to deliver high-quality app installs at competitive CPI rates, focusing on post-install user engagement and retention to ensure advertisers acquire valuable users who generate long-term revenue through data-driven targeting and conversion optimization.
- Founded: 2013
- Company Size: 11-50 employees
- Location: Lisbon, Portgual
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
InMobi
InMobi operates as a comprehensive mobile marketing platform where cost per install (CPI) has long been the default bidding model, with CPI campaigns allowing advertisers to pay ad networks only when they drive installs of their mobile applications. The platform's Appographic Targeting technology has delivered up to 26% lower Cost-per-Install (CPI) for app promotion campaigns by leveraging audience insights beyond basic app ownership. InMobi's DSP supports CPI/CPA pricing models for app installs and in-app actions, optimized via Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) signals to ensure accurate attribution and campaign performance.
- Founded: 2007
- Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees
- Location: Bangalore, India
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
Instal
Instal operates as a worldwide mobile marketing platform designed specifically for apps and games, utilizing proprietary technology and a performance model based on CPI (Cost per Install) to support advertisers in maximizing results and reaching mobile business goals. The platform's performance-based approach ensures advertisers pay only for successful app installations while providing comprehensive tracking and optimization tools to achieve scalable user acquisition at competitive cost-per-install rates.
- Founded: 2014
- Company Size: 11-50 employees
- Location: Florence, Italy
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Meta Ads
Meta Ads offers comprehensive app install campaigns across Meta's ecosystem including Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. When correctly configured, Automated App Ads (AAA) campaigns can reach high-performance levels backed by Meta's machine-learning algorithms, though user quality can often be poor, resulting in good Cost Per Install (CPI) but low user engagement and higher Cost Per Action. With over 3 billion users, Meta remains the world's most popular social networking platform for app promotion.
- Founded: 2004
- Company Size: 10,001+ employees
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
minimob
minimob operates both self-service and managed CPI-bidding platforms, delivering and enhancing campaign results in real-time while allowing advertisers and agencies to monitor results against predefined performance metrics as they happen. The platform's dynamic CPI-bidding technology focuses on app install optimization through programmatic buying, providing transparent performance tracking and real-time campaign adjustments to achieve competitive cost-per-install rates for mobile app user acquisition.
- Founded: 2013
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Mobfox
Mobfox operates as a programmatic advertising exchange offering CPI-focused mobile app install campaigns through real-time bidding technology. The platform connects advertisers with premium mobile inventory, enabling cost-effective user acquisition through performance-based CPI pricing models that optimize for app installation conversions while providing transparent reporting and advanced targeting capabilities for mobile marketers seeking scalable growth solutions.
- Founded: 2010
- Company Size: 201-500 employees
- Location: Vienna, Vienna
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Moburst
Moburst operates as a mobile marketing agency specializing in performance-driven CPI campaigns and app store optimization. The company's data-driven approach combines creative development, media buying, and conversion optimization to deliver measurable CPI results across multiple traffic sources. Moburst helps brands achieve sustainable growth through strategic user acquisition campaigns that focus on reducing cost per install while improving user lifetime value.
- Founded: 2013
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: New York
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
Mobvista
Mobvista operates as a mobile marketing platform providing user acquisition, analytics, and monetization solutions, automatically sending encrypted CPI cost data on attribution links for all installs and offering both click-based mobile attribution and cost attribution capabilities. The platform provides tailored solutions for app developers aiming to grow their user base through effective app install campaigns, enabling brands to achieve diverse advertising objectives including CPI-optimized user acquisition with ease.
- Founded: 2013
- Company Size: 501-1,000 employees
- Location: Singapore
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
NativeX
NativeX operates as a mobile advertising network specializing in native ad formats, automatically sending encrypted CPI cost data on attribution links for all installs, delivering higher revenues for app developers through seamless user experiences. NativeX provides developers with a holistic approach to monetization through various ad formats in one SDK, using predictive analytics and machine learning to optimize every ad placement for CPI campaigns. Known for its native ad formats that seamlessly blend with app interfaces, NativeX offers CPI campaigns with detailed reporting and analytics for performance tracking and optimization.
- Founded: 2000
- Company Size: 201-500 employees
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
Perform[cb]
Perform[cb] operates as a performance marketing company specializing in cost-per-install campaigns using outcome-based customer acquisition models. The company helps clients achieve app install goals through data-driven CPI optimization strategies and advanced tracking capabilities, ensuring advertisers only pay for successful app installations while maximizing return on ad spend through comprehensive user acquisition services focused on install conversion rates.
- Founded: 2002
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: Venice, Florida
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
Pinterest App Pins
Pinterest's Promoted App Pins enable users to install mobile apps directly from the platform's 482 million active users worldwide. With over 80% of Pinterest users on mobile and 61% making purchases from promoted app pins, the platform delivers 23% better CPI compared to industry averages. Pinterest offers a unique discovery-focused environment where users actively seek inspiration, making it ideal for lifestyle, productivity, and creative apps.
- Founded: 2010
- Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
PropellerAds
PropellerAds operates as a global advertising network offering CPI-based mobile app promotion campaigns through multiple ad formats including push notifications, native ads, and interstitials. The platform specializes in performance marketing with real-time optimization algorithms that focus on cost-per-install efficiency, helping app developers reach targeted audiences across its extensive publisher network while providing transparent CPI tracking and conversion optimization tools.
- Founded: 2011
- Company Size: 201-500 employees
- Location: Limassol, Cyprus
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
PubScale
PubScale operates as a one-stop app growth platform that also serves as a mobile ad network, acting as a mediator between publishers and over 15 premium demand partners for comprehensive CPI campaign management. The platform enables campaigns using pricing models like CPI, CPR, CPL, and CPA to achieve desired KPIs, helping acquire quality installs, achieve high engagement, or retain users on apps with campaigns for all marketing goals. PubScale offers Cost Per Install campaigns to increase installs on Google Play Store or App Store, along with Cost Per Registration (CPR) campaigns to boost registrations, providing flexible CPI optimization across multiple traffic sources.
- Founded: 2013 (estimated)
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: Bengaluru South, Karnataka
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
Snapchat Ads
Snapchat Ads offers app install campaigns designed to help brands lower their cost per install (CPI) while reaching highly engaged mobile audiences. The platform's conversion campaigns specifically target app installs at competitive CPIs, with case studies showing brands like Chappy achieving 50% lower CPI on Snapchat compared to targets. Snapchat's conversion campaigns focus on outcomes like app installs, measured by Cost Per Install (CPI), making them ideal for app promotion campaigns that prioritize installation conversions. With average CPI rates around $2.88, Snapchat's AR-focused ad formats prove highly effective for engaging younger audiences and driving app installations.
- Founded: 2011
- Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees
- Location: Santa Monica, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Start.io
Start.io operates as a sell-side omnichannel advertising platform powered by real-time mobile audiences, delivering hundreds of millions of ads per day across more than 500,000 active apps using artificial intelligence to deliver more efficient and precise digital advertising campaigns. The platform's CPI campaigns leverage over 50 billion first-party data signals per day to optimize cost-per-install performance, helping app marketers understand and predict consumer behavior for effective user acquisition at competitive rates.
- Founded: 2010
- Company Size: 51-200 employees
- Location: New York, NY
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Tapjoy
Tapjoy operates as a mobile marketing and monetization company that was acquired by ironSource for $400 million in January 2022, before ironSource itself was acquired by Unity later that year. Tapjoy's technology powers monetization, user acquisition, and customer research for some of the world's largest brands and app developers, with its SDK integrated on approximately 66,000 apps reaching over 1.6 billion monthly active users. As part of Unity LevelPlay (formerly ironSource), Tapjoy's tools have been integrated into Unity's Create and Operate Solutions, providing developers with enhanced rewarded video ads and in-app monetization capabilities.
- Founded: 2007
- Company Size: 201-500 employees
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
TikTok Ads
TikTok for Business offers app install campaigns specifically designed for CPI optimization, leveraging the platform's massive global reach and engagement. With advanced machine learning that optimizes toward install events, advertisers can drive high-quality app installs at competitive CPIs averaging $1.75-$4.00. TikTok's full-screen, immersive ad formats create authentic connections that convert viewers into app users, with campaign optimization focused on minimizing cost per install while maximizing install volume.
- Founded: 2019
- Company Size: 10,001+ employees
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
X Ads (formerly Twitter)
X Ads offers app install campaigns designed to connect with the platform's mobile-first audience and drive app downloads. X users are 38% more likely than non-X users to have downloaded an app directly from an ad online, making the platform highly effective for app promotion. X Ads promotes widespread visibility of apps to users most likely to convert from X to the app store. With improved prediction, supply, and measurement capabilities, X Ads delivers results even as the platform continues evolving under new ownership since 2022.
- Founded: 2006
- Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Yeahmobi
Yeahmobi operates as a global mobile performance marketing company specializing in programmatic user acquisition and CPI-optimized campaigns across multiple traffic sources. The platform combines data-driven technology with real-time bidding capabilities to help app developers achieve cost-effective user acquisition through performance-based CPI models that ensure advertisers only pay for successful app installations while maximizing return on advertising spend.
- Founded: 2011
- Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees
- Location: Xi’an, Shaanxi
- Supported Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android.
Optimize Your Cost Per Install
Running successful CPI campaigns isn't a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. As you acquire users through these networks, continuous monitoring and optimization become critical to ensure you're not just getting installs, but quality users who engage with your app. Build performance tracking and user behavior analysis into your regular campaign optimization workflow, monitoring how users acquired through different CPI networks actually interact with your app post-install.
Combine your CPI user acquisition efforts with Luciq's Agentic Mobile Observability platform to ensure the users you're paying to acquire have exceptional app experiences that drive retention and revenue. Luciq autonomously monitors app performance for users acquired through different channels, detects issues that could impact newly acquired users, and provides the visibility you need to understand which CPI networks are delivering truly valuable users.