# Apple Ads for apps: how to advertise on the App Store

*Search ads catch the demand your other channels create.*

> How Apple Ads works for apps: placements, Basic vs Advanced, campaigns, keywords, bids, custom product pages, and judging results by retained users.

Source: https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/app-store/apple-ads-for-apps
Author: Ar.Bhavesh Panse, AI App Growth Marketer (https://www.arbhaveshpanse.com)
Published: 2026-09-26 · Updated: 2026-09-26

to advertise an app on the App Store, you sign up for Apple Ads, pick Basic or Advanced, and bid for placements like the top of search results. Basic charges per install and runs itself. Advanced charges per tap and lets you choose keywords, placements and bids. for most growing apps, Advanced is where the real control lives.

this page covers the paid side of the App Store. for the full picture start with [App Store marketing](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/app-store/app-store-marketing), and fix your listing with [App Store optimization](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/app-store/app-store-optimization) first, because every ad sends people to that page.

## What Apple Ads is, and why it used to be Apple Search Ads

Apple Ads is Apple's own ad platform for promoting apps inside the App Store. it was called Apple Search Ads until April 14, 2025, when Apple dropped "Search" from the name because ads had spread beyond search results. same platform, same account, same logic. only the name changed.

Apple confirms the rename on its [Apple Ads news page](https://ads.apple.com/news). older guides and API docs still say "Apple Search Ads". same thing.

## Where Apple Ads appear

Apple Ads can show your app in four places inside the App Store: the Today tab, the Search tab, search results, and on other apps' product pages, in the "You might also like" area near the bottom. search results is the placement most apps should start with, because the person is already looking.

Apple lists all four on its [App Store ads overview](https://ads.apple.com/app-store). in December 2025 Apple also [announced extra ads further down search results](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/ad-placements/0082-search-results), not only the top slot. in August 2026 Apple launched ads on Apple Maps, but those are for local businesses in the US and Canada, not app installs.

## Apple Ads Basic vs Advanced

Basic is the automated option: you set a budget and a maximum cost per install, and Apple does the rest. Advanced is the full control option: you pay per tap, choose keywords, pick placements and read detailed reports. Basic suits small apps and quick tests. Advanced suits anyone planning to spend seriously.

| | Basic | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| you pay for | installs (CPI) | taps (CPT) |
| budget | up to $10,000 a month per app in the US | no cap |
| placements | search results only | Today tab, Search tab, search results, product pages |
| keywords | none, Apple matches for you | you choose, or use Maximize Conversions |
| custom product pages | not listed | yes, as ad variations |
| reporting | simple dashboard | detailed reports |

source: Apple's [Basic and Advanced comparison](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/apple-ads-basic/0001-compare-apple-ads-solutions). in short, Apple Ads Basic is fine for proving demand, but you cannot see which search terms bought your installs, so you learn very little.

## How much it costs to promote an app on the App Store

there is no price list. Apple Ads is an auction, so cost depends on your category, country, keyword and how many rivals bid on it. you set a maximum, and Apple says you may pay less than that. the only honest number is the one you find by testing your own app.

Apple explains that your max CPT is a ceiling and the real price comes from relevance, other bids and a reserve price. see [set and adjust bids](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/bids-and-budget/0062-set-and-adjust-bids). to find your own number:

1. start with Apple's suggested bid for each keyword
2. run a small test budget for one to two weeks
3. divide spend by users who are still active after a week, not by installs

i do not quote CPT benchmarks, because another app's number in another country misleads more than it helps.

## The campaign structure i use

i split every account into four campaigns: brand, category, competitor and discovery. brand protects your own name. category buys searches for what the app does. competitor shows up when people search rival apps. discovery hunts for new search terms. separating them keeps budgets and results clean, because each one behaves very differently.

this matches Apple's own [campaign structure guide](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/best-practices/campaign-structure). in plain terms:

- **brand.** people searching your app name. cheap, high converting, and worth defending so a rival does not take the slot.
- **category.** searches like "budget planner" or "AI homework help". this is where most new users come from.
- **competitor.** searches for similar apps. usually pricier and lower converting, so watch it closely.
- **discovery.** a wide net that finds terms you did not think of. winners graduate into the other three.

## Keywords and match types

Apple Ads has two match types, exact and broad, plus a feature called Search Match. exact match shows your ad on that term and close variants. broad match adds related searches. Search Match uses your App Store listing to find searches automatically. use exact in brand, category and competitor, and broad plus Search Match only in discovery.

Apple defines these in its [match types help page](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/keywords/0059-understand-keyword-match-types) and [Search Match page](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/campaigns/0006-understand-search-match). two habits matter most. add every exact keyword from your other campaigns as a negative in discovery, so you do not bid against yourself. then check the search terms report weekly and move proven terms into exact.

## Bidding and budgets, explained simply

your bid is the most you will pay for one tap. your budget is the most you will spend in total. start near Apple's suggested bid, raise bids on keywords that bring users who stay, and lower or pause the ones that do not. budget follows results, never the other way round.

Advanced also offers Maximize Conversions, where Apple's auto-bidder sets bids for you. early on i prefer manual bids on exact keywords, so you learn what each term is worth before handing it to automation.

## Match custom product pages to keywords

a custom product page is an alternate version of your App Store listing with its own screenshots, video and text. in Apple Ads you can attach one to an ad group, so someone searching "sleep sounds" sees sleep screenshots, not your generic page. matching the page to the search usually lifts conversion.

Apple calls these [ad variations](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/ads/0077-create-ad-variations), and they can include a deep link to the right screen in your app. group keywords by theme, one theme per ad group, then build one page per theme. what goes on those screenshots is covered in [App Store marketing assets](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/app-store/app-store-marketing-assets).

## How to judge Apple Ads results

judge Apple Ads by cost per retained user, not by CPT or CPI. a cheap tap that becomes an install and then leaves after one day is expensive. divide spend by users still active after day 7 or day 30, and compare each campaign and keyword on that number, not on the dashboard default.

across the accounts i have run, up to $300k a month in ad spend, the cheapest installs were rarely the best users. brand terms often look expensive per tap but retain well. broad discovery terms can look cheap and churn fast. the definitions i use are in [app growth metrics](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/learn/app-growth-metrics), and the wider cost playbook is in [how to lower CAC](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/paid/lower-cac-consumer-ai-app).

## How Apple Ads fits with TikTok and Meta

TikTok and Meta create demand. Apple Ads captures it. someone sees your ad on TikTok, does not tap, and later searches the App Store for your name or your category. if a rival owns that search slot, your TikTok spend just paid for their install. Apple Ads makes sure you catch that person.

so i always run a brand campaign once social spend starts. when social creative works, brand campaign installs rise too. the rest of the paid mix lives in the [paid growth hub](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/paid).

## Privacy and attribution

Apple Ads measures installs through Apple's own AdServices attribution API. it reports at campaign, placement, ad group and keyword level, and Apple says the data it returns does not identify a user or device. as Apple's own attribution, it is usually one of the cleaner iOS channels to measure. confirm the tracking permission details in Apple's docs.

details are on Apple's [measuring ad performance page](https://ads.apple.com/app-store/help/attribution/0028-measuring-ad-performance). your developer or your measurement partner needs to add the AdServices integration, or your Apple Ads installs will show up as organic.

## Apple Ads payback period: how to calculate it

the Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads) payback period is how many days it takes for the revenue from users you bought with Apple Ads to cover what you spent on them. work it out per campaign, not for the whole account, because brand keywords pay back far faster than discovery keywords and blending them hides the slow ones.

**payback period = days until cumulative revenue from a cohort of Apple Ads users is greater than or equal to the Apple Ads spend on that cohort**

how to calculate it in practice:

1. pick one campaign and one week of installs (a cohort)
2. take the spend for that campaign and week from Apple Ads
3. track revenue from those same users each day after install, using AdServices attribution matched to your subscription or purchase data (RevenueCat and most MMPs can join these)
4. the payback day is the first day cumulative revenue passes the spend

an example with illustrative numbers, not from a real account:

| day after install | cumulative revenue | spend | paid back? |
|---|---|---|---|
| day 7 | $180 | $500 | no |
| day 30 | $390 | $500 | no |
| day 60 | $540 | $500 | yes, around day 55 |

what a "good" payback period is depends on your cash and your model. a subscription app funded to run for 18 months can afford a longer payback than a bootstrapped one. set your own ceiling first, then cut or cap any campaign that cannot reach it. brand campaigns usually clear it fastest, which is also why they flatter the account average.

## Common Apple Ads mistakes

the most common mistakes are running one campaign for everything, leaving broad match and Search Match on everywhere, skipping negatives, judging on CPT alone, and sending ads to a weak product page. each one wastes budget quietly. none of them look like a problem on the dashboard until you check retention.

- **no brand campaign.** a rival bids on your name and takes users you already earned.
- **Basic forever.** fine for a test, but you never see which searches work.
- **one default page for every keyword.** use custom product pages.
- **scaling before the listing converts.** fix the page first, then buy traffic.

if you would rather have someone set this up and run it for you, [work with me](https://www.appgrowthmarketer.com/hire).

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does it cost to promote an app on the App Store?

there is no fixed price. Apple Ads runs an auction, so you set a maximum and pay what competition demands, often less than your bid. Basic charges per install, Advanced charges per tap. start with Apple's suggested bids and a small test budget, then work out your own cost per retained user from real data.

### What is Apple Ads Basic?

Apple Ads Basic is the hands-off version. you set a monthly budget and a maximum cost per install, and Apple places your ad in search results for you. there are no keywords to manage and the budget is capped at $10,000 a month per app in the US. it suits small apps and quick tests.

### Is there an Apple Ads certification?

yes. Apple offers a free online Apple Ads Certification. you sign in with your Apple Account, work through short lessons on campaigns and best practices, then take a free exam. it is worth doing before you spend real money, because it teaches the platform's own vocabulary and the structure Apple expects you to use.