Published July 2026 · 12 min read · View all posts
With dozens of metrics available in any analytics dashboard, it's easy to get lost in data without improving anything. Here are the 10 KPIs that actually matter for mobile app growth.
1. CPI (Cost Per Install)
The average cost to acquire one app install from paid campaigns. The foundation of UA economics — if your CPI exceeds your LTV, you're losing money on every user.
Target: CPI should be less than 30% of your D30 LTV
2. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
Revenue generated per unit of ad spend. Tracked at D1, D7, D14 and D30 to understand revenue recovery over time.
Target: D30 ROAS above 100% (break even), D90 ROAS above 200%
3. D1 / D7 / D30 Retention
The percentage of users who return to the app 1, 7 and 30 days after install. The single best indicator of product quality.
Benchmarks: D1: 25-40%, D7: 10-20%, D30: 5-12%
4. LTV (Lifetime Value)
Total revenue per user over their entire relationship with the app. The north star metric for sustainable growth.
Target: LTV > 3x CPI
5. ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)
Average revenue generated per active user per month. Measures monetization efficiency.
Formula: Monthly Revenue ÷ Monthly Active Users
6. Conversion Rate (Store Listing)
Percentage of app store page visitors who install the app. A critical lever for reducing effective CPI.
Benchmark: 25-35% for organic, 15-25% for paid traffic
7. Session Length and Frequency
How long users spend in each session and how often they open the app. Strong indicators of engagement quality.
8. Fraud Rate
Percentage of installs flagged as fraudulent. High fraud rate means you're wasting budget on fake users.
Target: Below 10% — investigate anything above 20%
9. Organic vs Paid Install Ratio
The ratio of organic installs to paid installs. Healthy apps grow organically alongside paid — brand building pays off long-term.
Target: Aim for at least 30-40% organic installs at scale
10. Payback Period
How many months it takes to recover the cost of acquiring a user through their in-app revenue. Shorter payback = faster reinvestment in growth.
Formula: CPI ÷ ARPU
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