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App install profitability calculator

Model the whole install funnel, not just a single conversion rate. Enter your acquisition and monetization numbers to get true net revenue per install, profit per install, and the highest CPI you can actually afford.

Acquisition
$
%
Monetization
%
$
%
%
Profit goal
%
Profit per install $0.07
Installs that pay3.0%
Net revenue per install$0.87
Max CPI you can afford$0.87
To keep 30% margin, max CPI $0.61 You are under this. Room to bid higher.
Profitable, but thin. Every install clears your costs by a small margin.

How profit per install is calculated

An install is only worth a slice of a paying user, because most installs never pay and the store takes a cut of the ones that do. This tool walks the whole funnel instead of collapsing it into a single rate:

  • Paying rate = install to trial rate x trial to paid rate. The share of installs that end up paying anything.
  • Gross revenue per install = paying rate x revenue per paying user.
  • Net revenue per install = gross revenue minus app store commission, minus refunds. This is your true breakeven, the max CPI you can afford.
  • Profit per install = net revenue per install minus your CPI.

Set a target profit margin and the tool holds that share of revenue back, leaving a lower allowable CPI, and shows the bid ceiling you need to actually keep that profit rather than just break even.

Why your CPI might be too high

When installs are unprofitable, the reflex is to chase a cheaper CPI. But the funnel rates are the stronger lever. Lifting trial to paid from 12 to 15 percent raises the CPI you can afford across the whole account, and it compounds with every other improvement. That is why creative, store listing, onboarding, and paywall quality usually matter more than shaving a few cents off the install price.

FAQ

How do I know if my cost per install (CPI) is profitable?
Compare your CPI to the net revenue each install actually generates. That is the share of installs that become paying users times revenue per paying user, after app store commission and refunds are removed. If net revenue per install is higher than your CPI, each install is profitable. If it is lower, you lose money on every install no matter how cheap the volume looks.
What is the maximum CPI I can afford?
Your breakeven CPI is your net revenue per install: install to paying rate times revenue per paying user, minus store commission and refunds. Paying anything under that number is profit, paying over it is a loss. Most healthy app accounts keep CPI well below breakeven to leave a margin.
Why account for store commission and refunds?
Because they take a real bite out of every dollar. Apple and Google keep 15 to 30 percent of in-app revenue, and refunds remove more. A calculator that ignores them overstates the CPI you can afford and quietly puts you underwater. Building them into net revenue per install gives you the number you can actually bid to.
My CPI looks high. Where do I start?
A high CPI is usually a conversion problem, not just an auction problem. The install to trial and trial to paid rates are the strongest levers, because a small lift there raises the CPI you can afford across the entire account. Weak creative, a slow store listing, and rough onboarding all hurt those rates before you ever touch bids.

Installs cheap but the app still loses money? That gap is exactly what I fix.

Request a teardown call → Read: why is my CPI so high?