Apple Ads and app growth glossary
Short, exact definitions of the metrics and terms you meet when you buy App Store traffic and turn it into subscription revenue.
Every metric here is defined the way Adapty Ads Manager calculates it, with the formula written out, so a number on this page means the same thing as the number in your dashboard.
Terms are grouped A to Z. Entries marked “On adapty.io” are covered in depth in the main Adapty glossary or blog, and the card takes you there.
Cards marked “On adapty.io” open the full entry in the main Adapty glossary or blog, in the same tab. All 47 Ads Manager metrics with formulas →
A
- Active SubscriptionsOn adapty.io Active Subscriptions count users on recurring paid plans for premium app features.
- Active UsersOn adapty.io Active users is a fundamental metric that counts the number of unique individuals who engage with your mobile app within a specific time period.
- Ad groupAn ad group is the level of an Apple Ads campaign that holds a set of keywords, their match types, audience settings, bids and ads, so they can be managed and measured together.
- Ad networkAn ad network is a company that collects ad inventory from many publishers and sells it to advertisers, acting as the intermediary that matches ads to available placements.
- Ad ServerOn adapty.io Ad servers manage a campaign’s creative elements (images, audio, videos) and select versions for specific audiences.
- AdAttributionKitAdAttributionKit is Apple’s privacy-preserving ad attribution framework, introduced with iOS 17.4, that tells ad networks an ad led to an app install without identifying the user.
- App ClipsApp Clips are small, lightweight parts of an iOS app that people can open instantly to complete one task without installing the full app from the App Store.
- App engagementOn adapty.io App engagement is the degree to which users interact with a mobile application, measured by how often they open it, how long they stay, which features they use, and whether they return over time.
- App Installs and UninstallsOn adapty.io App installs gauge an app’s popularity and success, a key metric in mobile app marketing.
- App LinksOn adapty.io App Links are special URLs that take users directly to a specific screen or piece of content inside a mobile app, rather than opening a web page in a browser.
- App RetentionOn adapty.io App retention is an app’s ability to keep users engaged and active for a period after downloading and installing it.
- App SizeOn adapty.io App size refers to the amount of storage space a mobile application occupies, measured at different stages of its lifecycle from download to active use.
- App Store App AnalyticsOn adapty.io App Analytics is a segment within App Store Connect that is solely focused on measuring the performance of iOS apps.
- App Store Connect Shared SecretOn adapty.io Apple’s App-Specific Shared Secret is a 32-character key for auto-renewable subscription receipts.
- App Store Optimization (ASO)On adapty.io App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving a mobile app’s visibility and conversion rate within app stores such as the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- App Store VisibilityOn adapty.io App Store visibility refers to how easily and frequently a mobile app appears to potential users across app store surfaces, including search results, category rankings, top charts, and editorial features.
- App TitleOn adapty.io An app title is the official name of your mobile application as it appears in app stores, serving as the primary identifier users encounter when discovering your app.
- App Tracking Transparency (ATT)On adapty.io App Tracking Transparency (ATT) is Apple’s privacy framework, introduced with iOS 14.5 in April 2021, that requires every iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS app to obtain a user’s explicit permission before tracking their activity across other companies’ apps and websites.
- Apple fiscal calendarOn adapty.io The Apple fiscal calendar is the financial calendar Apple uses to organize its accounting year, built from four 13-week quarters rather than standard calendar months.
- Apple Receipt ValidationOn adapty.io Server validation verifies the authenticity of in-app purchases.
- ARPASARPAS (average revenue per active subscriber) is total revenue divided by the number of active subscribers, where a subscriber is anyone who activated a trial or a subscription.
- Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU)On adapty.io ARPDAU, or Average Revenue Per Daily Active User, measures the average revenue generated by each active user on a daily basis.
- Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU)On adapty.io ARPPU, or Average Revenue Per Paying User, measures the average revenue generated by users who actually make payments within your app.
- Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)On adapty.io Average Revenue per User measures the average revenue from all active users, while ARPPU focuses only on paying users.
- AVODAVOD (advertising-based video on demand) is a streaming model in which viewers watch on-demand video for free and the service earns revenue by showing them ads.
B
C
- Churn RateOn adapty.io The percentage of users who stop using your mobile app over a specific time period.
- Cohort AnalysisOn adapty.io Cohort analysis groups data by shared characteristics or experiences, typically within a specific time frame, for analysis.
- Conversion Rate (CVR)On adapty.io App conversion rate is the percentage of users completing goals like purchases, signups, subscriptions, or surveys.
- ConversionsConversions is the total number of in-app conversion events in a reporting period: trials started plus subscriptions started plus non-subscription purchases.
- Cost per Install (CPI)On adapty.io CPI (Cost Per Install) is the cost an advertiser pays per mobile app install from an ad click.
- CPACPA (cost per acquisition) in Apple Ads is the average amount spent to get one download from an ad: spend divided by the downloads attributed to it.
- CPMCPM (cost per mille) is the average amount an advertiser pays for one thousand ad impressions: spend divided by impressions, multiplied by 1,000.
- CPP (Custom Product Pages)CPP (Custom Product Pages) are alternative versions of an app’s App Store product page, created in App Store Connect with their own screenshots, app previews and promotional text, that Apple Ads can show as ad variations.
- CPTCPT (cost per tap) is the average amount an advertiser pays each time someone taps an Apple Ads ad: total spend divided by taps.
- Creative SetsCreative Sets were a former Apple Search Ads feature that let advertisers group screenshots and app previews from their App Store product page into ad variations for a specific ad group.
- CTRCTR (click-through rate) is the share of ad impressions that result in a click: clicks divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage.
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)On adapty.io The amount spent for each newly-acquired mobile app user over a given time period.
D
- Daily Active Users (DAU)On adapty.io DAU refers to the app’s popularity, as it tracks the number of users who visit it every day.
- Deep LinkingOn adapty.io Mobile deep linking uses a custom URL to direct users to a specific app page.
- Deferred app linkingOn adapty.io Deferred deep linking is a mobile marketing technique that routes users to a specific page or content inside an app, even if they don’t have the app installed at the time they click the link.
- Discovery campaignA discovery campaign is an Apple Ads search results campaign built to find new keywords, using broad match keywords and Search Match instead of a fixed list of exact terms.
- Download rateDownload rate is the percentage of Apple Ads taps that resulted in a download: downloads divided by taps, multiplied by 100%.
- DownloadsDownloads in Apple Ads are the new downloads and redownloads attributed to an ad, either because the user tapped it within the previous 30 days or viewed it within the previous 24 hours.
- DPMDPM (downloads per mille) is the number of Apple Ads downloads per one thousand impressions: total downloads divided by impressions, multiplied by 1,000.
- DSPA DSP (demand-side platform) is software that lets advertisers buy ad impressions automatically across many ad exchanges and publishers from one place, bidding on each impression in real time.
E
F
- FlutterOn adapty.io Flutter is an open-source UI framework developed by Google that allows developers to build natively compiled applications for mobile (iOS and Android), web, desktop, and embedded systems from a single codebase.
- Free trialOn adapty.io A free trial is a customer acquisition model that gives prospective users no-cost access to a product or service for a limited period, so they can experience the value firsthand before committing to a paid subscription.
- FreemiumOn adapty.io Freemium is a business model where a company provides a basic version of its product or service at no cost, while reserving advanced features, functionality, or content for paying users.
- Funnel analysisOn adapty.io Funnel analysis is the process of measuring how users progress through a defined sequence of steps toward a specific goal — such as completing a purchase, subscribing to an app, or finishing onboarding.
G
- GAIDGAID (Google Advertising ID) is a resettable, user-controlled device identifier provided by Google Play services on Android that apps and ad networks use for advertising, attribution and measurement.
- Google Play Billing LibraryOn adapty.io The Google Play Billing Library is the official Android API that lets apps sell digital products and subscriptions through Google Play’s billing system.
H
I
- IDFAOn adapty.io IDFA is a unique, random alphanumeric code assigned to each iOS device by Apple.
- IDFVOn adapty.io Identifier for Vendors is a 32-character code used to distinguish devices interacting with an app.
- Impression shareImpression share is the percentage of all ad impressions for a search term that your ad received in a given country or region and period.
- ImpressionsImpressions in Apple Ads are the number of times your sponsored ad appeared in App Store search results within the reporting period.
- In-app advertisingIn-app advertising is the practice of showing paid ads inside a mobile app, so the app earns revenue from advertisers in exchange for its users’ attention.
- In-App EventOn adapty.io In-app events refer to activities that users perform on an app post-installation.
- In-App NotificationsOn adapty.io In-app notifications can highlight updates, welcome users, or offer usage guidance.
- In-App Purchases SDKOn adapty.io An in-app purchases SDK is a toolkit from platforms like Apple or Google that lets developers enable purchases within their app.
- In-App SubscriptionsOn adapty.io In-app subscriptions charge users regularly for access to premium content or features.
- IncrementalityIncrementality is the share of conversions that happened because of an ad and would not have happened without it, measured as lift over a comparable group that did not see the ad.
- Indie DeveloperOn adapty.io An indie developer (short for “independent developer”) is an individual or a small team that creates software applications, mobile apps, or video games without financial or creative backing from a major publisher, corporation, or studio.
- InstallsInstalls is the number of completed app installations, counting first installs and reinstalls, including installs by the same user on multiple devices.
- Interstitial adsOn adapty.io Full-screen ads shown at natural breaks in an app, such as between levels or screens, that the user closes or taps through.
- iOS In-App PurchasesOn adapty.io iOS developers use in-app purchases to monetize apps beyond the initial price or support a freemium model.
K
L
M
- Marketing mix modelingMarketing mix modeling (MMM) is a top-down statistical method that estimates how much each marketing channel contributes to an outcome, such as installs or revenue, from aggregate historical spend and results.
- Match typesMatch types are the Apple Ads keyword settings, broad or exact, that decide how closely a user’s search must resemble your keyword for your ad to be eligible to show.
- MicrotransactionsMicrotransactions are small in-app purchases of virtual goods, currency or content, typically priced low and designed to be bought repeatedly.
- MMPAn MMP (mobile measurement partner) is a third-party service that attributes app installs and in-app events to the ad networks, campaigns and creatives that drove them, and reports those results back to each network.
- Mobile App OnboardingOn adapty.io The mobile app onboarding process involves a series of steps that new users take to get started with an app.
- Mobile AttributionOn adapty.io Mobile attribution is the process of connecting app installs and in-app actions to specific marketing campaigns, ads, or channels that drove them.
- Monthly Active Users (MAU)On adapty.io Monthly Active Users (MAU) represents the number of unique users who engage with your app within a 30-day window.
N
- Native Mobile AppOn adapty.io A native mobile app is built for a specific OS, like iOS or Android, using its dedicated language.
- Negative keywordsNegative keywords are search terms you add to an Apple Ads campaign or ad group to stop your ad from showing when users search for them.
- Non-subscription purchasesNon-subscription purchases are one-time in-app purchases that do not renew, such as consumable credits or a permanent unlock, as opposed to recurring subscriptions.
O
- OfferwallOn adapty.io An offerwall is an in-app advertising format that presents users with a list of tasks or offers they can complete in exchange for virtual rewards, such as in-game currency, premium features, or other in-app benefits.
- Organic InstallsOn adapty.io Mobile marketers categorize app downloads as paid or organic.
- OTTOTT (over-the-top) is video, audio or other media delivered directly to viewers over the internet, bypassing cable, satellite and broadcast distributors.
P
- Paid InstallsOn adapty.io Paid installs (non-organic installs) happen when users download an app after seeing a marketing campaign.
- PaywallOn adapty.io A paywall functions as a digital blockade that restricts users from accessing certain content.
- Paywall A/B TestingOn adapty.io Paywall A/B testing is a method to evaluate mobile paywall effectiveness through controlled experiments.
- Paywall OptimizationOn adapty.io The paywall is the point at which users are prompted to pay for access to premium content or features within the app.
- Peer Group BenchmarksOn adapty.io A dashboard within App Analytics provided by Apple designed for iOS app developers to track iOS app performance.
- Programmatic advertisingProgrammatic advertising is the automated buying and selling of ad impressions through software, where each impression is priced and allocated by rules or auctions instead of manual deals.
- Push NotificationOn adapty.io Push notifications are short, clickable messages sent directly to a user’s device by mobile apps or websites, even when the app isn’t actively in use.
R
- React NativeOn adapty.io React Native is an open-source framework created by Meta (formerly Facebook) that lets developers build mobile applications for iOS and Android using a single JavaScript and React codebase.
- RetargetingRetargeting is advertising aimed at people who have already installed or used an app, with the goal of bringing them back to take an action such as subscribing, resubscribing or returning to regular use.
- ROASOn adapty.io Return on ad spend (ROAS) is a marketing metric that measures how much revenue an advertising campaign generates for every dollar spent on it.
- ROIROI (return on investment) is net return relative to spend: revenue minus ad spend, divided by ad spend, expressed as a percentage.
S
- SDKOn adapty.io An SDK, or software development kit, is a packaged collection of software tools, libraries, APIs, documentation, and code samples that developers use to build applications for a specific platform, operating system, or programming language.
- Search MatchSearch Match is an Apple Ads setting that automatically matches your ad to relevant App Store searches, using your app’s metadata and related signals, without you adding keywords.
- Search popularitySearch popularity is Apple’s relative score for how often a search term is used on the App Store in a given country or region, shown on a scale from 1 to 5.
- Share of Voice (SOV)Share of Voice (SOV) is the portion of the available ad impressions for a keyword or group of keywords that your app captures, compared with all advertisers competing for them.
- SKAdNetworkSKAdNetwork is Apple’s privacy-preserving framework that lets ad networks learn that an ad led to an app install, without revealing which user or device installed it.
- Soft launchOn adapty.io Releasing an app in a few test markets before a global launch, to tune retention, monetization and acquisition costs on real users.
- SpendSpend in Apple Ads is the total amount an advertiser is charged over a period, calculated as the sum of the cost of each tap on their ads.
- StoreKitOn adapty.io StoreKit lets developers add in-app purchases to iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS apps.
- Subscription (Purchase) DeferralOn adapty.io The Google Play Developer API allows temporary deferral of subscription purchases.
- Subscription fatigueOn adapty.io Subscription fatigue is the overwhelm and frustration consumers feel when they manage too many recurring services at once — when the cognitive and financial cost of tracking, evaluating, and paying for subscriptions starts to exceed the perceived value of any one of them.
- Subscription RevenueOn adapty.io Subscription revenue is income from users paying a regular fee for premium app content or features.
- SubscriptionsSubscriptions is the number of new paid subscription sign-ups that started without a free trial during the reporting period.
- SVODSVOD (subscription video on demand) is a streaming model in which viewers pay a recurring fee for unlimited access to a catalog of video content.
T
- TapsTaps in Apple Ads are the number of times users tapped your ad within the reporting period.
- Trial-to-paid conversionTrial-to-paid conversion is the percentage of trial subscriptions that convert into paid subscriptions: trials converted divided by trials.
- TrialsTrials is the number of new trial subscriptions users started during the reporting period, attributed to the campaign, ad group or keyword that acquired them.
- TTRTTR (tap-through rate) is the percentage of Apple Ads impressions that resulted in a tap: taps divided by impressions, multiplied by 100%.
- TVODTVOD (transactional video on demand) is a streaming model in which viewers pay for individual titles, either to rent them for a limited time or to buy them.
U
- UGCUGC (user-generated content) is content about a product made by its users or by independent creators rather than by the brand, such as videos, reviews, photos and social posts.
- User AcquisitionOn adapty.io User acquisition refers to the strategies and activities used to attract new users to a mobile app or platform.
- UTM parametersUTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL, such as utm_source and utm_campaign, that tell analytics tools which source, medium and campaign sent a visitor to a web page.
W
From the Adapty blog
Longer reads on Apple Ads, App Store optimization, paywalls and subscription economics, picked to go with the terms above.
Apple Search Ads beginner’s guide: From setup to revenue optimization
Here’s how to use Apple Search Ads to run your app ads inside the App Store. Also, see how Apple Search Ads Basic compares with Advanced.
Apple Search Ads guide for 2026: Best practices from beginner to expert
TL;DR: Skip Basic mode. Start with exact match. Target 70-90% Share of Voice. Focus on ROAS over everything else. Most campaign structures break at scale.
Calculating return on ad spend (ROAS) metrics
When it comes to acquiring new users for mobile apps, few channels work as well as advertising.
How to calculate and interpret Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is one of the key metrics you should know if you want your app to grow strong and last long.
App Store’s custom product pages: How to use them
What if you could boost your app’s conversions across all your segments, channels, and campaigns? With custom product pages from the App Store, you can do just that.
App Store conversion rate benchmarks
Your App Store conversion rate is a powerful tool, providing insights into your listing’s effectiveness, your app’s alignment with user expectations, and the quality of your user…
State of in-app subscriptions 2026: Key findings on app monetization
TL;DR Every year we look at the numbers, and every year I think: okay, we know what the trends are. Weekly plans are growing. Trials matter. Pricing matters.
Hybrid monetization for subscription apps: When to monetize your non-paying users
TL;DR: If you run a subscription app, you’ve probably accepted an uncomfortable truth: most of your users will never pay you a cent.
What does a high-performing paywall look like in 2026?
TL;DR Most apps have a paywall. Almost none have spent serious time questioning whether the structure is right.
Paywall experiments playbook: What to test first, second, third
TL;DR Here’s what I’ve learned from analyzing monetization data across 15,000+ subscription apps: most teams approach paywall experiments backwards.
Best services for mobile app attribution and analytics to use in 2026
Some tools your marketing and development teams would glad to have working for them.
What’s new in SKAdNetwork 4.0
Let’s have a look at all new features of SKAdNetwork 4.0 announced at WWDC 2022: crowd anonimity, 4-digit source identifier, and more.
Common questions
Why do Apple Ads and Adapty show different download numbers?
Apple Ads counts downloads it attributes to an ad, including view-through downloads within 24 hours of an impression. Adapty counts installs when the app first opens with its SDK. A download the user never opens is a download but not an install, so the two figures rarely match exactly.
Is TTR the same as CTR?
They measure the same thing. TTR, tap-through rate, is Apple’s name for taps divided by impressions; CTR, click-through rate, is the name the rest of the ad industry uses for clicks divided by impressions.
Which metric should I optimize Apple Ads for?
For a subscription app, revenue-based metrics: cost per trial or cost per subscription early on, then ROAS once cohorts are old enough to judge. CPT and CPA tell you what traffic costs, not whether it pays back.
See every one of these metrics next to revenue
Adapty Ads Manager joins Apple Ads spend with trials, subscriptions and revenue per keyword, so you bid on what pays back.