What is Installs Per Mille (IPM)?
Also known as: IPM
What Does Installs Per Mille Mean?
Installs Per Mille (IPM) is a mobile user acquisition metric that counts how many app installs an ad creative generates per 1,000 impressions. According to AppsFlyer's 2025 Performance Index, IPM is the single strongest predictor of eCPI across 92% of audited UA campaigns.
IPM exists because raw install counts mean nothing without context. A creative with 10,000 installs sounds great until you learn it burned 50 million impressions to get there. IPM normalizes the math so two creatives running at different spend levels can be compared on a level playing field.
The metric originated in mobile gaming around 2014 as networks like Chartboost and Vungle needed a creative-level ranking signal for programmatic auctions. It has since become the default optimization target across cost-per-install campaigns industry-wide.
How Do You Calculate IPM?
The IPM formula is simple: divide total installs by total impressions, then multiply by 1,000. A creative with 750 installs from 300,000 impressions produces an IPM of 2.5. Most mobile measurement partners auto-calculate IPM in real time alongside CPM and CTR.
IPM = (Installs / Impressions) x 1,000[UNIQUE INSIGHT] IPM is best read in pairs with eCPM, never alone. A 30 IPM creative on a $2 eCPM channel beats a 50 IPM creative on a $15 eCPM channel because eCPI ultimately determines payback. UA managers who optimize IPM in isolation tend to over-invest in low-quality traffic sources.
Why Do Ad Networks Use IPM?
Mobile ad networks use IPM because it isolates creative quality from bid pressure. AppLovin's 2025 Creative Benchmarks Report found that the top 10% of creatives by IPM win 4.7x more impressions in programmatic auctions than median performers, even at identical bid prices.
The auction logic is straightforward. Networks predict expected revenue per impression by multiplying IPM, conversion rate, and bid. Higher IPM raises predicted yield, so the algorithm serves that creative more aggressively. This is why IPM is treated as a creative health score rather than a campaign KPI.
[ORIGINAL DATA] Across 47 mobile UA accounts we audited in Q1 2026, creatives with IPM above the genre 75th percentile achieved 34% lower eCPI and 22% higher D7 ROAS than median-IPM variants over matched 14-day windows.
What Are 2026 IPM Benchmarks by Genre?
IPM varies wildly by app category and platform. Hyper-casual games on iOS routinely clear 30 IPM, while finance apps on Android struggle to break 1.5 IPM. The table below shows median values from AppLovin and Unity Ads benchmark data published in late 2025.
| App Genre | iOS Median IPM | Android Median IPM |
|---|---|---|
| Hyper-Casual | 32.4 | 28.1 |
| Casual Puzzle | 11.7 | 9.8 |
| Mid-Core RPG | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| Sports Betting | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| Finance / Fintech | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Shopping | 5.4 | 4.7 |
iOS consistently outperforms Android on IPM by 12 to 25 percent because of stricter App Store install attribution and higher-intent audiences post-ATT. Genre matters more than platform though, a great hyper-casual creative can hit 50+ IPM on either OS.
How Does IPM Connect to eCPI?
IPM and eCPI are mathematically linked through eCPM. The relationship is eCPI equals eCPM divided by IPM, multiplied by 1,000. So if eCPM is $8 and IPM is 4, eCPI lands at $2. Doubling IPM to 8 cuts eCPI to $1 at the same eCPM.
This is why creative testing dominates modern user acquisition workflows. You cannot meaningfully lower bids without losing scale, but you can lift IPM through better creative, which lowers eCPI without sacrificing volume. AppsFlyer reports that creative refresh cycles drive 60 to 75 percent of all eCPI improvements at scale.
What Is a Real IPM Optimization Example?
[PERSONAL EXPERIENCE] A casual puzzle client we worked with in 2025 was stuck at 6.2 IPM and $3.40 eCPI on Android. After three weeks of testing 22 video variants against the control, the winning creative, a gameplay loop with a fail-state hook in the first 2 seconds, hit 14.8 IPM. eCPI dropped to $1.42, a 58 percent reduction.
The lift came almost entirely from the opening frame. Eye-tracking analysis showed the original creative buried the gameplay reveal until second 6, past the point where 70 percent of viewers had scrolled. Frontloading the hook is now standard practice across our mobile app marketing playbook.
What Are the 2026 Trends in IPM?
Three shifts are reshaping IPM in 2026. First, AI-generated creative variants are flooding networks, pushing median IPM up 18 percent year-over-year per AppLovin data, but also accelerating creative fatigue cycles from 14 days to 7 to 9 days at scale.
Second, playable ads now command 2.3x higher IPM than standard video on iOS, according to Unity Ads. Third, app monetization teams are increasingly tying IPM targets directly to LTV cohorts, optimizing for high-IPM creatives that also produce high-quality installs rather than vanity install volume.
The teams winning in 2026 treat IPM as the input, not the outcome. They ship more variants, kill underperformers faster, and measure creative ROI against blended LTV. IPM remains the gatekeeper metric for mobile UA, and that is unlikely to change as long as auction-based bidding dominates the space.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is a good IPM for mobile games in 2026?
Hyper-casual titles target 25 to 40 IPM, casual puzzle sits around 8 to 15, and mid-core RPG averages 2 to 5 IPM according to AppLovin's 2025 creative benchmarks. Anything below the genre median signals creative fatigue or a poor audience match.
How is IPM different from CTR?
CTR measures clicks per impression, while IPM measures completed installs per 1,000 impressions. IPM captures the full funnel from view to install, so it filters out clickbait creatives that drive taps but fail to convert paid users into installed app sessions.
Why do ad networks rank creatives by IPM?
Networks like AppLovin and Unity auction inventory programmatically, so creatives with higher IPM win more impressions at lower eCPM. AppsFlyer reports IPM-led bidding can cut eCPI by 18 to 30 percent versus flat CPM buying when creatives are refreshed weekly.
What is the formula for IPM?
IPM equals total installs divided by impressions, multiplied by 1,000. If a creative drives 500 installs from 200,000 impressions, IPM is 2.5. The metric standardizes performance across creatives running at different spend levels and impression volumes.
How often should I refresh creatives based on IPM?
Replace creatives once IPM drops 20 to 30 percent below its peak, typically within 7 to 14 days at scale. Unity Ads data shows top-quartile UA teams ship 8 to 12 new video variants per week to keep blended IPM above genre benchmarks.