What's the Average Cost Per Install for Apple Search Ads in 2026?

The median cost per install (CPI) for Apple Search Ads in the United States is $4.06 in 2026, according to AppTweak's benchmark report covering nearly 3,500 apps, 50,000 campaigns, and $1 billion in tracked ad spend. Globally, the median CPI is lower at $1.80, and the spend-weighted blended average across all markets is $1.34.

Why the US Figure Is So Much Higher Than the Global Median

The US remains Apple's largest and most competitive App Store market, with more advertisers bidding on the same install-intent keywords than in almost any other country. That concentrated competition is the direct driver of the gap between the $4.06 US median and the $1.80 global median — the same install, in a less competitive market, costs less than half as much to acquire.

Cost Per Tap Tells a Similar Story

Cost per tap (CPT), the price advertisers pay when a user taps the ad rather than completes an install, follows the same US-premium pattern: the global median CPT is $0.92, compared to $1.91 in the US. CPT sits below CPI because not every tap converts to an install, so CPI always carries the cost of the taps that didn't convert on top of the raw tap price.

Category Drives Bigger Swings Than Geography

App category moves CPI more than country does in many cases. Sports apps carry a median CPI of $26.81 and Games sit at $12.28, both well above the blended average, reflecting high subscriber lifetime value and heavy competitive bidding in those categories. At the other end, CPI for a free casual game can fall under $1, while a subscription productivity app in a competitive niche can exceed $15 — a range wide enough that category-specific benchmarking matters more than a single blended number.

Search Results Campaigns vs. Other Placements

These CPI and CPT figures are specific to Apple's Search Results campaign type, the format that places ads at the top of App Store search results for a queried keyword. Apple Search Ads also runs Today Tab, Product Page, and Search Tab placements, which price and convert differently and aren't covered by this Search Results-specific benchmark.

What This Means for App Marketers

A US-based app in a competitive category like Games or Sports should budget well above the $4.06 blended US median, not around it, while a utility or productivity app outside a subscription-heavy niche can often acquire installs closer to or below the median. Expanding into lower-competition App Store markets can meaningfully lower blended CPI without changing bidding strategy at all.

New Apps Should Expect Higher Early Costs

A newly launched app with no install history typically pays above these established benchmarks at first, since Apple's ad rank algorithm weights relevance and conversion history alongside bid amount. Budgeting for a CPI premium during the first few weeks of a campaign, then optimizing keywords and creative once conversion data accumulates, is standard practice for bringing a new app's CPI down toward the category benchmark.

Bottom Line

Benchmark your Apple Search Ads CPI against your specific country and app category rather than the $1.80 global median, since the gap between category benchmarks can run more than 20x.

Source: AppTweak, "Apple Ads Benchmarks 2026: CPT, CPI, CR & TTR by Category."