What apps pay for ads and views
Costs guests reported for paid ads and for creator content priced per view. Platform, country and creative change these a lot; each row says which applied.
69 figures · updated 2026-10-24
CPM (per 1,000 views or impressions)
Median $1.5 across 30 figures, from $0.1 to $35.
| Who | Metric | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower | cpm | USD 0.1 approximate | host's read of Sunflower's influencer-driven CPM; guest responds about sponsorship arbitrage without confirming the figure | The Superwall Podcast 2026-04-0331:06 |
| aggregateClover campaigns on cloned content (base plus performance deal) | cpm | USD 0.3–0.5 approximate | Performance CPM paired with $3/post base | The Superwall Podcast 2026-09-1728:07 |
| Decart | cpm | USD 0.3 approximate | Upper bound: 'sub-30-cent' all-in UGC CPM | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-164:42 |
| aggregateAll-in CPM (retainers + bonuses) of SideShift programs spending >$100K/month | cpm | USD 0.8–0.9 approximate | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-0447:53 | |
| Cal AI | cpm | USD 1–2 approximate | Influencer deal CPMs that were achievable earlier and became much harder to find in the last 6 months | The Superwall Podcast 2026-08-2648:44 |
| benchmarkcreator view bonus on top of retainer | cpm | USD 1–2 approximate | view bonus paid to creators per 1,000 views, capped or uncapped | The Superwall Podcast 2026-08-068:31 |
| Locked | cpm | USD 1–2 approximate | typical effective CPM paid to influencers | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-119:38 |
| aggregateSpark ads on high-engagement UGC videos across SideShift programs | cpm | USD 1 approximate | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-0430:18 | |
| Halo AI | cpm | USD 1 approximate | expected creator-pay CPM under base+milestone; actual is lower (unpaid views between milestones, only one of 4 posts paid) | The Superwall Podcast 2026-04-0436:19 |
| Locked | cpm | USD 1–1.5 approximate | Typical effective CPM paid to creators | Starter Story 2026-04-014:15 |
| Cluely | cpm | USD 1 approximate | Upper bound: 'sub-$1' CPM for the early UGC program | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-166:12 |
| Nomadtable | cpm | USD 1–2per 1000 views approximate | Performance-only CPM paid to UGC creators, no retainer; he calls $1-2 standard and decent | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1540:44 |
| Cardstock | cpm | USD 1 approximate | Effective CPM on Nois slideshow campaign, host's reading of the dashboard | The Superwall Podcast 2026-01-0644:31 |
| Arise | cpm | USD 1–2per 1000 views approximate | What influencers and meme pages were paid per 1,000 views | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-0218:50 |
| aggregateTypical creator view bonus seen by the guest | cpm | USD 1 approximate | View bonus of $1,000 per million views (or $500 per 500K views) = $1 CPM paid to the creator | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2024-11-1345:43 |
| benchmarkCPM for awareness/engagement boosts of organic posts reaching similar people | cpm | USD 1–2 approximate | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-10-1832:19 | |
| Erly | cpm | USD 2–3 approximate | Effective CPM paid to influencers under view-guarantee deals | Starter Story 2026-07-0511:14 |
| benchmarkAll-in UGC program CPM by month 3 | cpm | USD 2–3 approximate | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-0446:32 | |
| aggregatePopular UGC creator deal ~4 months earlier: view bonus rate | cpm | USD 2 approximate | creator view bonus paid per 1,000 views | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-0443:33 |
| Jenni AI | cpm | USD 2 approximate | Blended cost per 1,000 views across the UGC program (upper bound) | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-304:57 |
| WrestleAI | cpm | USD 2–5per 1000 views approximate | CPM used to set the view guarantee in influencer deals | Starter Story 2025-12-1512:36 |
| Jungle | cpm | USD 2per 1000 views approximate | UGC program cost per 1,000 views; varies a bit; much better than influencer marketing | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-0923:03 |
| aggregateHighest CPM other apps have offered Jay's UGC accounts in DMs | cpm | USD 3per 1000 views | Highest offer seen; $1-2 is the usual range | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1541:57 |
| benchmarkYouTube AdSense payout per 1,000 video views, varies by category | cpm | USD 3–15per 1000 views approximate | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2024-02-2125:01 | |
| benchmarkUGC program CPM at which founders can step back from day-to-day | cpm | USD 4–5 approximate | consistently sub $4-5 | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-0412:22 |
| benchmarkAll-in UGC program CPM, month 1 (retainers + bonuses) | cpm | USD 5–8 approximate | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-0446:26 | |
| benchmarkCPM for direct response ads for Aperture's app clients | cpm | USD 7–12 approximate | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-10-1832:19 | |
| Cal AI | cpm | USD 10 approximate | Some mom influencers were profitable at a $10 CPM | The Superwall Podcast 2026-08-2618:14 |
| benchmarkApple iAd eCPMs for publishers around its 2010 launch | cpm | USD 10 estimate | eCPM earned by publishers | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-01-229:24 |
| benchmarkApple iAd eCPMs for publishers around its 2010 launch | cpm | USD 30–40 approximate | Host's correction; he launched with iAd himself | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-01-229:43 |
Cost per install
Median $1 across 20 figures, from $0.08 to $100.
| Who | Metric | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitted | cpi | USD 0.01–0.15 approximate | Cost per download when putting ad money behind viral organic videos. Host quotes it from something the guest said before; the guest explains the method without repeating the numbers. | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-231:20 |
| Noise | cpi | USD 0.08 approximate | For about three days while the 'don't get a second job' dishwashing video ran | The Superwall Podcast 2026-02-2414:40 |
| App Masters in-house apps | cpi | USD 0.1 approximate | Google App (UAC) campaigns in certain markets: less than 10 cents per install | App Masters 2026-03-071:08:06 |
| Noise | cpi | USD 0.3 approximate | Average cost per install for Noise promoting itself on its own platform | The Superwall Podcast 2026-02-2410:48 |
| Mohamed Khaled Selim's keyword-first app | cpi | USD 0.37 approximate | Apple Search Ads CPI across campaigns | App Masters 2026-08-2923:46 |
| Praycreen | cpi | USD 0.39/day | Best day, US, Meta ads on Instagram | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-036:01 |
| Wavve Boating | cpi | USD 0.5–1 approximate | Apple Search Ads cost per download when ASA was 1-2 years old | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-11-1512:22 |
| Praycreen | cpi | USD 0.7–0.8 approximate | Average, US, Meta ads on Instagram | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-036:01 |
| Shot Pattern | cpi | USD 0.7 approximate | From a founder-made screen-recording video ad with CapCut captions | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-07-0932:15 |
| Shot Pattern | cpi | USD 1 approximate | Under $1 per install in the campaign's early days | App Masters 2026-10-2425:59 |
| benchmarkMeta cost per install when a campaign is optimized for installs | cpi | USD 1–2 approximate | Cheap installs when optimizing for installs, but few pay | App Masters 2026-10-209:17 |
| App Masters in-house apps | cpi | USD 1 approximate | Cost per install achieved on one in-house app | App Masters 2026-02-2835:25 |
| Shot Pattern | cpi | USD 1.57 | Final blended CPI of the first Meta install campaign | App Masters 2026-10-2425:59 |
| Pep AI | cpi | USD 2 approximate | best-performing static image ad (feature-list graphic) | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-0147:13 |
| Pep AI | cpi | USD 2.5 approximate | Meta ads using repurposed organic creator winners | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-016:54 |
| benchmarkCost per download considered good for a subscription app (heard secondhand) | cpi | USD 5 approximate | under $5 is 'usually doing pretty good' | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-016:54 |
| benchmarkCost per install when starting paid acquisition for a new app | cpi | USD 5 approximate | Also quoted as £5 | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-10-1811:31 |
| Founder's app paying ~$8 per download for curiosity-driven installs | cpi | USD 8per download approximate | Paid per download while the video drew curiosity clicks rather than people with the problem | The Superwall Podcast 2026-10-155:38 |
| benchmarkApple Search Ads cost per install for a paid-upfront app in the US that counts as winning | cpi | USD 10 estimate | Upper bound: CPI below this is 'winning' | App Masters 2026-01-241:01:47 |
| Large app account with no spend guardrails | cpi | USD 100 approximate | CPI of the runaway creative ($100+) | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-12-24 |
Cost per trial, purchase or customer
Median $10.25 across 19 figures, from $0 to $500.
| Who | Metric | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural Digest | cac | USD 0 | Incremental CAC of the post-purchase upsell | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-10-29 |
| Shot Pattern | cac | USD 1.5 approximate | Cost to acquire a customer from Meta (as the guest framed it) | App Masters 2026-10-2430:12 |
| Prayerlock | cpa | USD 1.88per trial start | Blended cost per trial at ~$360/day spend | Starter Story 2026-01-1814:59 |
| App Masters' new app | cpa | USD 2 approximate | Cost-per-acquisition goal in a max-conversion Apple Ads discovery campaign targeting all countries except the US | App Masters 2026-08-2919:36 |
| Prayerlock | cpa | USD 3per trial start approximate | TikTok Spark Ads on creator Matthew's organic videos | Starter Story 2026-01-189:25 |
| Prayerlock | cpa | USD 4per trial start approximate | Broad US TikTok campaign with top UGC reaction videos at $20/day; yearly plan costs ~$50 | Starter Story 2026-01-189:25 |
| Brawler | cpa | USD 10per purchase approximate | raw screen-recording demo ad, after its first day running; George calls $10 'insane, out of the norm' | The Superwall Podcast 2026-10-1512:35 |
| benchmarkMaximum cost per trial to consider Meta ads when optimizing for trials | cpa | USD 10–15 estimate | cost per trial | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-2233:50 |
| Tiimo | cac | USD 10–10.5 approximate | Blended CAC ceiling modeled in the budget; above it Tiimo burns money | App Masters 2026-07-1826:14 |
| Prayerlock | cpa | USD 10per trial start approximate | Meta ads at $20/day after the onboarding fix | Starter Story 2026-01-189:25 |
| Lose It! | cpa | USD 10per referred premium subscriber | $10 gift card paid to the referrer when the referred user upgraded to premium | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-07-1227:54 |
| AbMax | cpa | USD 15per purchase approximate | TikTok average cost per purchase (no trial) | The Superwall Podcast 2026-10-1515:28 |
| AbMax | cpa | USD 24per purchase approximate | Meta; roughly a 2X ROAS | The Superwall Podcast 2026-10-1515:28 |
| anonymized client ad account (charts shown) | cpa | USD 32–35 approximate | lowest cost per result among ~30 ads; these ads had significant Facebook feed spend | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-2450:06 |
| Brawler | cpa | USD 40per purchase approximate | break-even CPA | The Superwall Podcast 2026-10-1512:35 |
| anonymized client ad account (charts shown) | cpa | USD 60 estimate | cost per target event (likely trial) goal for this advertiser | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-2447:16 |
| Late | cpa | USD 120per customer | Target CPA set in Google Ads automated bidding; their average CAC threshold | Starter Story 2026-03-048:39 |
| Sizzle AI | cpa | USD 300per purchase approximate | Cost per purchase within days of 3-4-way paywall and in-app experiments on winning-ad traffic | The Superwall Podcast 2025-08-0418:19 |
| Sizzle AI | cpa | USD 500per purchase approximate | Cost per purchase before rapid in-app testing (varies by targeting) | The Superwall Podcast 2025-08-0418:19 |
Figures are as stated in each interview and aren't independently verified. Goals, projections, illustrative numbers and before/after changes are left out. Ranges count as their midpoint in the median.