What is ROAS, and how is it calculated?
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is the revenue a campaign generated divided by its cost. A 2× ROAS means every $1 spent returned $2. For mobile apps, the hard part is attributing revenue — which install came from which campaign, and what did that user go on to spend.
The formula
ROAS = attributed revenue ÷ ad spend. Blended ROAS uses total revenue ÷ total spend; per-campaign ROAS needs attribution.
Why apps make it hard
Revenue arrives days or months after install (subscriptions, IAP). You need to tie that later revenue back to the acquiring campaign — that's what an MMP + RevenueCat do.
FAQ
- What's a good ROAS?
- It depends on margins and payback window. Many UA teams target D7 or D30 ROAS thresholds; break-even (1×) on lifetime value is a common floor.
Last updated 2026-07-04