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    APP GROWTH BENCHMARKS

    App Growth Benchmarks: CPI, CAC, and Real App Marketing Costs

    Understand real CPI, CAC, and app marketing costs using data-led benchmarks.

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    App Growth Benchmarks

    Most apps fail not because the idea is bad, but because the economics do not work.

    Founders and growth teams consistently underestimate how much it really costs to grow an app, how long it takes to find product channel fit, and how much operational readiness matters before spending on paid acquisition.

    Kurve Growth Benchmarks exist to bring realism into app growth planning. Not predictions or promises, but benchmarks based on real-world data from hundreds of apps across markets, categories, and monetisation models.

    What Are App Growth Benchmarks

    App growth benchmarks are reference ranges that help teams understand what “normal” looks like across the mobile app ecosystem.

    They typically include:

    • Cost per install (CPI)
    • Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
    • Media spend ranges
    • Conversion expectations
    • Readiness indicators across product, analytics, ASO, and creative

    Benchmarks are not targets. They provide context.

    Why Most App Marketing Benchmarks Are Misleading

    App Growth Benchmarks

    Most publicly available app marketing benchmarks suffer from the same problems.

    • Aggregated across unrelated app categories
    • Biased towards large advertisers
    • Outdated by the time they are published
    • Presented without assumptions or methodology

    A CPI benchmark that mixes gaming, fintech, health, and utility apps across multiple markets is not useful for decision-making.

    Kurve benchmarks are segmented by app category, market, monetisation model, and growth stage, and are always presented as ranges with context.

    Understanding CPI and CAC in App Growth

    CPI and CAC are often treated as interchangeable. They are not.

    CPI measures the cost to acquire an install. CAC measures the cost to acquire a customer or subscriber. Which metric matters most depends on your monetisation model and growth stage.

    Both are influenced by factors such as market competition, creative velocity, App Store conversion rate, targeting maturity, and tracking quality.

    When App Growth Benchmarks Are Most Useful

    App Growth Benchmarks

    Before launch

    Benchmarks help validate whether a business model is viable, estimate minimum required budgets, and identify readiness gaps early.

    Before scaling

    Benchmarks help determine whether performance issues are structural or tactical, and whether optimisation or fundamentals are the problem.

    Before expansion

    Benchmarks help teams compare markets realistically and avoid assuming performance will translate geographically.

    Kurve Growth Benchmark Tools

    Kurve Growth provides a set of free, data-led tools designed to support specific growth decisions. Each tool answers a different question and together they form a practical planning framework.

    App Growth Cost Benchmark

    Estimate realistic CPI and CAC ranges based on your app category, target market, monetisation model, and growth stage. This tool is designed for expectation-setting and early planning, not exact forecasting.

    Run your app growth cost benchmark

    Growth Readiness Score

    Many apps fail paid growth because foundational elements are missing. The Growth Readiness Score evaluates more than 70 factors across product, analytics, ASO, creative capacity, and market clarity, producing a clear readiness percentage.

    Check your app growth readiness

    LTV Calculator

    The LTV Calculator helps teams model lifetime value based on retention assumptions, monetisation mechanics, and payback expectations. It is designed to be used alongside CPI and CAC benchmarks.

    Calculate your app LTV

    ASO Audit

    App Store Optimisation impacts both organic growth and paid efficiency. Kurve offers a free ASO audit where you submit your App Store or Google Play listing and receive a detailed review within 24 hours. This process is currently manual to ensure quality.

    Request a free ASO audit

    How These Tools Work Together

    Each tool can be used independently, but the real value comes from combining them into a structured decision flow.

    • Use the Growth Readiness Score to identify gaps
    • Use the App Growth Cost Benchmark to understand acquisition costs
    • Use the LTV Calculator to validate unit economics
    • Use the ASO Audit to improve store conversion and paid efficiency

    Why Kurve Built These Benchmarks

    Kurve is a mobile app growth agency with more than seven years of experience across fintech, health, wellness, mobility, and consumer apps.

    • 100M+ app installs driven
    • Tens of millions in user acquisition spend managed
    • Hundreds of creatives launched monthly across global markets
    • Deep insight into where growth plans fail and why

    Kurve Growth exists to make this knowledge transparent and useful before money is wasted.

    What To Do Next

    If you are planning growth, scaling paid acquisition, or entering new markets, the next step is not a sales call.

    The next step is clarity.

    Run your app growth benchmarks

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    Ready to understand your real app growth numbers?

    Before you spend on paid acquisition, expansion, or creative production, use real benchmarks to understand what growth is likely to cost and whether your app is ready.

    Kurve Growth gives you free, data-led benchmarks based on real-world app performance, not averages or promises.

    Run your app growth benchmarks

    Frequently Asked Questions About App Growth Benchmarks

    An app growth benchmark is a reference range that shows typical CPI, CAC, or performance levels for apps within a specific category, market, and monetisation model. Benchmarks provide context, not guarantees.

    Benchmarks are directional, not predictive. Their value depends on how well they are segmented and how transparently assumptions are communicated. Kurve benchmarks are based on real-world app data and presented as ranges with context.

    Founders should use CPI and CAC benchmarks to pressure-test assumptions, understand whether paid growth is viable, and identify when performance issues are structural rather than tactical.

    Benchmarks can help estimate realistic budget ranges, but they should always be used alongside readiness signals, unit economics, and business objectives. They are not budget recommendations.

    Yes. Kurve Growth tools are free to use and do not require an account for basic benchmarks. You can choose to save your results if you want deeper analysis or comparisons.

    No. Benchmarks are designed to improve decision-making and clarity. They help teams understand when external support is needed and what problems need solving first.
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