What is the difference between CPD and CPI for app ads?

CPD (cost per download) is a cost-per-click model where you pay when someone clicks your app ad, and typically 1 to 3 of those clickers install. CPI (cost per install) means you pay only when an install actually happens, which makes it easier to control your true cost of acquiring a user.

Is it cheaper to get app installs on Android or iOS?

Android installs are usually cheaper, around 40% less than iOS in past industry data, so Android is cost-effective for raw download volume. However, iOS users tend to spend more, so the right choice depends on whether you are optimising for download numbers or revenue.

Why does iOS generate more app revenue than Android?

iOS skews toward a higher-income user base, especially in the UAE, so revenue per download is substantially higher even though Android has more total downloads. Android is also fragmented across many low-end devices, which widens the gap in purchasing power between the two platforms.

How do I get more app store downloads?

Combine the right paid channels (Facebook ads often have a 15 to 50% lower CPI), smart audience targeting by device and OS version, and strong App Store Optimization. See our full guide to getting more app downloads on iOS and Android.

App Store Downloads: How to Get More App Installs

Google Play and App Store logos side by side, representing downloads for Android apps and iOS apps

Strategies for targeted App Store downloads marketing

Short answer: to drive App Store and Play Store downloads, combine App Store Optimisation (title, keywords, screenshots and reviews) with paid user acquisition through Apple Search Ads and Google App campaigns, plus social and influencer promotion. Track cost per install and, more importantly, cost per active user.

App Store Downloads for Android Apps & iOS Apps - Mobile Apps have become essential to our lives. Whether it’s for entertainment, productivity, or staying connected, there’s an app for almost everything!

Mobile app downloads are changing over time, offering various models to cater to different marketing needs. One such model is Cost per Downloads (CPD), a cost-per-click model on mobile devices where you pay only when someone clicks on your app ads. Typically, 1 - 3 people who click your ads end up downloading apps.

Another approach is Cost per install (CPI). Android installs are consistently cheaper than iOS ones, often by a wide margin, which makes CPI attractive when raw download volume is the goal. Judge it against what those installs are worth rather than on price alone: a cheap install that never opens the app twice has cost you money, not saved it.

It is worth noting that iOS has a high-income user base. While downloads on Android may outnumber those on iOS, the revenue per download on iOS is substantially higher. This highlights the disparity in purchasing power between the two platforms.

App Store Optimisation comes before any ad spend

Paid installs into a badly presented listing is money poured through a hole. ASO is what converts the visit into a download, and it is free.

The title and subtitle carry the most weight. Put the category term people actually search next to your brand name, not a slogan.
Use the keyword field properly on iOS. You get 100 characters. Do not repeat words already in the title, do not use spaces after commas, and do not include your own brand name twice.
Screenshots decide it. Most people judge from the first two without scrolling. Lead with the benefit, not a menu screen, and caption each one.
Ratings gate everything. Below about four stars, paid installs get sharply more expensive because fewer people who see the listing download it. Prompt for a review after a good moment in the app, never on first launch.
Localise for this market. An Arabic listing is not optional for a UAE consumer app, and localised screenshots lift conversion more than most creative tests will.

Where paid installs actually come from

Apple Search Ads. The highest-intent inventory available for iOS, because you are reaching someone already searching the App Store. Usually the best converting source, and usually the most expensive per install.
Google App campaigns. Largely automated across Search, Play, YouTube and Display. Feed it plenty of creative variety, because assets are the main lever you still control.
Meta and TikTok. Strong for consumer apps where the value is easy to show in a few seconds of video.
Influencers. Reliable in the UAE for lifestyle, delivery, fitness and finance apps, and worth a code so you can measure it.

Measure retention, not installs

An install has little value when the person never opens the app again. Measure the actions that happen after download.

Cost per install is the easiest number to report and the easiest to be fooled by. An install is not a user.

Track the things that follow instead: what share of installs open the app a second time, how many complete onboarding, day 7 and day 30 retention, and cost per active user rather than per install. A campaign at half the CPI with a fifth of the retention is the worse buy, and you will only see that if you are looking past the install.

Effective marketing tactics for App Store success

iOS has a high-income user base. Downloads on Android are higher but revenue per download on iOS is way more than on Android.

The problem with Android is that it’s fragmented with many device manufacturers producing low-end phones and hence it caters to a low-income audience on a bigger scale.

Now how to market to the right audience in Android? This is an app marketer dilemma and there is a way to fix this problem.

App Marketers can now target their audience segments

Segment audience by device type - like which phones. Samsung, etc,.. other unknown Android devices.
Consider the OS versions of Android to tailor marketing efforts accordingly.
Facebook Ads

Bar charts comparing iOS App Store and Google Play app downloads and revenue, for app store downloads on Android and iOS

Facebook offers a great opportunity for app marketers. Facebook ads typically have 15 - 50% lower CPI compared to other platforms, making them an attractive option for reaching the right audience.

We at Leads Dubai have partnered with high-end mobile networks where your app download messages can be displayed to help you get new downloads.

Get Mobile Optimization tips for better ranking

Leads Dubai is a Lead Generation Company in the UAE. We do digital marketing and we do it well. App Store Downloads for Android Apps & iOS Apps

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