there is no neutral list of the best app growth marketer. search results for that phrase show agency rankings and directories, not individuals, and anyone who writes their own list ranks themselves first. so here is a scorecard instead. i’m one of the people you might be comparing, and you should score me with it too.
What the search results actually show
search “best app growth marketer” and you get agency roundups, directories and tool lists. many roundups are written by an agency that ranks itself near the top. they help you find agencies. they do not tell you which individual fits your app, your stage and your budget, which is the real question.
what currently ranks, roughly:
- directories of agencies, like the Business of Apps growth marketing marketplace and Clutch’s US app marketing rankings.
- “best agencies” posts published by agencies themselves.
- tool lists, which answer a different question entirely.
none of these is useless. directories are a fine way to build a long list of agencies. just treat position on a list as a starting point, and check whether a row is marked as sponsored or featured before reading anything into it.
The scorecard: seven criteria, scored 0 to 2
score every candidate on the same seven criteria, zero to two points each, using evidence you can check yourself. the total matters less than the habit: you compare people on proof instead of on how well they present. under eight out of fourteen, keep looking. the thresholds here are illustrative, so adjust them to your stage.
| criterion | what good looks like (2 points) | how to verify |
|---|---|---|
| checkable result | a named app, before and after numbers, and the method | ask for a founder reference or a screen share of the account |
| retention discipline | talks about day 1, 7 and 30 cohorts before CAC | ask what happened to retention while they scaled |
| creative volume | dozens of new ads a month, with written kill rules | ask to see last month’s test log |
| channel range | paid, short video, ASO and community, chosen per app | ask which channel they would not use for you, and why |
| measurement honesty | trusts blended CAC, knows SKAdNetwork limits | ask which number they trust when the ad platform and your analytics disagree |
| hands on | the person you talk to runs the account daily | ask who logs into Ads Manager every morning |
| stage fit | has worked at your budget level before | ask their smallest and largest monthly spend |
score one point when the answer is vague but plausible, zero when there is no answer. for my own first row, the ZuAI breakdown, 10K to 2M users at $0.02 CAC in eleven months, is on the case studies page, written so you can check it rather than take my word. the interview questions behind each row are in how to hire an app growth marketer.
What best means for consumer vs B2B
for a consumer app, best means creative volume, retention and cheap organic reach, because one person decides in minutes. for B2B, best means pipeline, sales handoff and long attribution, because a group decides over months. a great B2B growth lead can score poorly on this card, and that says nothing bad about them.
| consumer app | B2B app | |
|---|---|---|
| who decides | one person, often from one video | a buying group, over weeks or months |
| main lever | creative and onboarding | pipeline and sales enablement |
| key metric | cost per retained user, trial to paid | cost per qualified lead, pipeline value |
| typical channels | Meta, TikTok, Apple Ads, ASO, Reddit, creators | LinkedIn, search, content, outbound |
| time to signal | days | quarters |
if you are building for consumers, weight the retention and creative rows double. the full picture of how consumer work differs is in consumer app growth marketer: what makes consumer different.
What a strong US candidate should know
a strong US app growth marketer knows three things well: how iOS privacy limits measurement, how Apple’s own ad product works, and what an in-house hire costs so every other option has a baseline. they also share enough of your working day to fix a broken campaign before the budget burns overnight.
- iOS privacy. since Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt, much iOS attribution runs through SKAdNetwork, which reports delayed and aggregated results. a good candidate explains how they read performance anyway: blended CAC, cohort retention and creative tests with clean reads.
- Apple Search Ads. Apple rebranded it as Apple Ads in April 2025 and added placements beyond search. ask how they structure brand, category and competitor keywords, and how they stop it from buying installs you would have got anyway.
- time zones. Pacific and Eastern are three hours apart, which is workable. a candidate with no overlap at all needs a clear plan for daily decisions. i’m in San Jose, so i work Pacific hours.
- cost baseline. for an in-house US hire, Google’s answer box quotes $100k to $135k as of september 2026, before equity, tools and ad spend. the full comparison is in how much an app growth marketer costs.
if you want someone local, see app growth marketer in San Francisco and app growth marketer in New York.
Where to actually find candidates
there is no single place. agencies sit in directories, freelancers sit on marketplaces, and many strong individual operators are easiest to find through the podcasts and communities where app founders talk shop. use each source for what it is good at, then run every name through the same scorecard.
| place | what you find there | watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Business of Apps marketplace | agencies listed by category, like ASO and user acquisition | agencies, not individual operators |
| Clutch app marketing | US agencies with client reviews | reviews rarely include retention numbers |
| Upwork mobile marketers | freelancers bidding on scoped projects | wide quality range, filter hard on app proof |
| Contra growth marketers | independent freelancers with portfolios | many are general growth, check app experience |
| Sub Club by RevenueCat | a subscription app podcast plus a community chat | guests are a signal, not an endorsement |
| The Superwall Podcast | operators talking paywalls, pricing and growth | same, listen for numbers and method |
| App Masters | a long running app marketing podcast and agency | useful for learning the vocabulary |
| Mobile Growth Association | summits and events for mobile marketers | better for networking than quick hires |
one more source works better than all of these: ask founders of apps you admire who ran their growth, and whether they would hire that person again.
Red flags that should end the conversation
end the conversation when a candidate calls themselves the best without proof, reports installs as results, guarantees a CAC for an app they have not seen, or cannot say who does the daily work. these flags tell you more than any logo wall, directory badge or listicle position ever will.
- “top ranked” with no source. ask who ranked them and whether the placement was paid.
- installs, clicks or impressions as the headline result. none of them are retained users.
- guaranteed numbers. nobody can promise a CAC before seeing your onboarding and retention.
- one channel for every problem. if every answer is the channel they sell, they are selling a channel.
- fake engagement. bought reviews, fake accounts or vote manipulation can get your app pulled or your domain banned.
- no questions about your product. a candidate who never asks about onboarding or the paywall is doing half the job.
run the scorecard on everyone, me included. if you want to start with me, here is how working together starts.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best app growth marketer in the US?
there is no neutral answer, and any list written by a candidate, including me, is biased. the best one for you has a checkable result in an app like yours, knows the US ad market on iOS and Android, and overlaps your working hours. score every candidate on proof, not on rankings, badges or directory positions.
Where do I find app growth marketers?
directories like the Business of Apps marketplace and Clutch list agencies. Upwork and Contra list freelancers. many strong individual operators are easier to find through app podcasts and communities, like Sub Club by RevenueCat, the Superwall Podcast and Mobile Growth Association events. wherever you find them, run each one through the same scorecard and a paid test.
What makes a consumer app growth marketer the best?
creative volume, retention discipline and cheap organic reach. a strong consumer operator tests dozens of ads a month, judges every channel on retained users rather than installs, understands trial and paywall economics, and can find users on short video and Reddit before scaling paid. B2B pipeline experience does not transfer cleanly to consumer apps.
Not sure who to hire? Tell me what you need.
send me your app and your #1 growth headache. i'll reply myself with what i would look for in a hire, or what to try before hiring anyone. no pitch.