Understand metrics in Ads Manager

Ads Manager displays performance data across every layer of your Apple Ads account.

This article defines every metric available in Ads Manager, grouped by category. Some metrics are shown by default across all layers. Others are available only at specific layers or require a goal to be selected before they appear.

For metrics that come from Apple's Attribution API, there may be differences between the numbers shown here and what your MMP reports. Both Apple and MMP providers use different attribution methodologies and counting windows, which can lead to discrepancies. Where this applies, it is noted in the definition below.

You can use the MMP Discrepancy Dashboard to ensure you catch these discrepancies.

Ad performance metrics

These metrics are available by default across all layers of Ads Manager.

Spend is the total amount charged for all customer taps on your ads over the selected reporting period. This is the sum of the cost of each tap, not a budgeted or estimated figure.

Impressions is the number of times your ad appeared in the App Store within the reporting period. An impression is counted each time your ad is displayed to a user, regardless of whether they tap it.

Taps is the number of times users tapped your ad within the reporting period. This is the primary engagement metric in Apple Ads and corresponds to what other platforms call clicks.

Tap-through Rate (TTR) is the number of taps divided by the total number of impressions. It reflects how often users who see your ad choose to tap it. A higher TTR generally indicates stronger creative or keyword relevance.

Installs (Tap-through) counts the total number of new downloads and redownloads from users who tapped your ad within a 30-day window. This is the standard install metric used for Apple Ads reporting.

Installs (View-through) counts app downloads attributed to a user who saw your ad but did not tap it, and then installed the app within the view-through attribution window.

Installs (Total) is the sum of tap-through and view-through installs.

Conversion Rate (Tap-through) is the number of tap-through installs divided by the total number of taps. It shows what percentage of users who tapped your ad went on to install the app within the attribution window.

Conversion Rate (Total) is the total installs divided by total taps, including both tap-through and view-through attribution.

Average CPA (Tap-through) is the total spend divided by the number of tap-through installs. It represents the average cost you paid for each attributed install.

Average CPA (Total) is the total spend divided by total installs, including both tap-through and view-through.

Average CPT is the average amount you paid per tap on your ad. It is calculated as total spend divided by total taps.

Average CPM is the average amount you pay per one thousand impressions.

New Downloads represents app downloads from users who have never previously downloaded your app. This metric is provided by Apple's Attribution API and not by MMPs. There may be discrepancies between Apple and MMP results for this metric, as both use different definitions and counting methods.

Redownloads occur when a user downloads your app after previously having it on their device, either by deleting and reinstalling it or downloading it on an additional device, following a tap on your ad. This metric is also provided by Apple's Attribution API. Discrepancies with MMP data may occur for the same reasons as New Downloads.

Attr. Installs refers to installs attributed through third-party MMP attribution, as opposed to Apple's native attribution. This metric is available when your MMP is connected to the platform.

Attr. Install Rate is the ratio of MMP-attributed installs to Apple-attributed installs. It is a useful signal for understanding the gap between what Apple counts and what your MMP counts.

CPI is the cost per install calculated using MMP-attributed install data rather than Apple's attribution. It gives you a view of the install cost that is consistent with how your MMP measures performance.

Ad Placement shows which Apple Ads placement the performance data is attributed to.

Organic Rank shows your app's current organic search ranking position for the keyword or search term. Comparing your organic rank against your paid performance helps you identify where paid ads are compensating for weaker organic visibility and where strong organic rank may reduce the need for aggressive bidding.

Apple Share of Voice shows the percentage of impressions your ads received out of the total impressions available for that search term across all advertisers on Apple Ads. A higher share of voice indicates stronger presence for that term relative to competitors.

SOV Rank shows your ranking position among all advertisers competing for the same search term based on share of voice. A rank of 1 means your app captured the highest share of impressions for that term during the selected period.

Difficulty Score indicates how competitive a keyword is on Apple Ads. A higher score means more advertisers are bidding on that term, which generally makes it harder and more expensive to maintain a strong position.

Popularity reflects the search volume for a keyword in the App Store, scored on a scale from 0 to 5. A higher popularity score indicates more users are searching for that term, making it a potentially high-reach keyword.

Suggested Bid Amount shows the recommended bid for the keyword based on current auction activity and competition. This is Apple's suggested starting point and can serve as a benchmark when setting or adjusting your bids.

Top Apps by Apple SOV shows which apps are capturing the most share of voice for the search term. This gives you a quick view of who your main competitors are for a given keyword without leaving Ads Manager.

Bid Strength is a platform-level indicator that reflects how competitive your current bid is relative to the auction for that keyword. It helps you understand whether your bid is likely to win impressions consistently or whether it may be too low to compete.

In-app conversion and cohort analysis metrics

These metrics track actions users take inside your app after installing it. They require conversion event tracking to be set up and are available at the Apps, Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords, Ads and CPP layers. A goal must be selected from the Goal dropdown above the table before these metrics return data.

Goals is the total number of times users completed a tracked in-app event, such as a purchase, registration, or subscription, that you have defined as a goal in the platform.

Cost Per Goal is the total spend divided by the number of goal completions. It shows the average cost of driving one in-app conversion event.

Goals Rate is the number of goal completions divided by the number of installs. It reflects how often users who install your app go on to complete the tracked goal event.

Revenue Per Goal is the average revenue generated each time the tracked goal event was completed.

Goals Revenue is the total revenue generated from all tracked goal completions within the selected period.

Goals ROAS is the total goals revenue divided by total spend, expressed as a ratio. It shows the return generated from your ad spend based on goal-level revenue data.

ARPU is the average revenue per user, calculated across all users acquired through your ads within the selected period.

Cohort analysis metrics

Cohort metrics measure user behavior over defined time windows after the install event. They are grouped by the date of install and available at the Apps, Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords, Ads and CPP layers. All cohort metrics require a goal to be selected before they return data.

The number at the end of each metric name indicates the cohort window in days, how many days after install the measurement covers. For example, Goals Revenue 7 measures revenue generated within 7 days of install, and Goals ROAS 30 measures return on ad spend within 30 days of install.

Goals Revenue 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 measures the total revenue from goal completions that occurred within 1, 3, 7, 14, or 30 days of the install event respectively. These metrics help you understand how quickly acquired users generate revenue and which cohort window best reflects your monetization curve.

Goals ROAS 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60 measures return on ad spend calculated from goal revenue within 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, or 60 days of install. The 60-day window gives you the longest view of revenue return available in the cohort analysis set.

Goals Count 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 measures the total number of goal completions that occurred within 1, 3, 7, 14, or 30 days of install. Use these alongside Goals Revenue metrics to understand both the volume and value of in-app events across different time horizons.

Settings metrics

Settings metrics reflect configuration and structural properties of your campaigns, ad groups, and keywords. The specific settings available vary by layer. Below are the settings metrics available at each level, followed by definitions for all metrics across layers.

At the Campaign Groups layer, the available settings metric is: Automation Status.

At the Apps layer, the available settings metrics are: Automation Status and App ID.

At the Campaigns layer, the available settings metrics are: Application, Bidding Strategy, Automation Status, Storefront(s), Total Budget (Lifetime), Daily Budget, Campaign Start Time, Campaign Group, Campaign Status, Label, App ID, Campaign ID, and Last Daily Budget Update.

At the Ad Groups layer, the available settings metrics are: Application, Campaign, Bidding Strategy, Automation Status, Storefront(s), Search Match, Default CPT Bid, CPA Cap, Creation Time, Ad Group End Time, Campaign Group, Campaign Status, Ad Group Status, Age Range, Gender, Device, Customer Type, Label, App ID, Campaign ID, and Ad Group ID.

At the Keywords layer, the available settings metrics are: Application, Campaign, Ad Group Name, AI Smart Bidding Settings, Automation Status, Storefront(s), Bid Amount, Match Type, Creation Time, Campaign Group, Campaign Status, Ad Group Status, Keyword Status, Label, Keyword ID, App ID, Campaign ID, Ad Group ID, and Last Bid Update.

At the Search Terms layer, the available settings metrics are: Application, Campaign, Ad Group Name, Automation Status, Storefront(s), Campaign Group, Search Term Source, Keyword, Added as Keyword, Campaign Status, Ad Group Status, Keyword ID, App ID, Campaign ID, and Ad Group ID.

At the Ads layer, the available settings metrics are: Application, Campaign, Ad Group Name, Storefront(s), Campaign Group, Campaign Status, Ad Group Status, Ad Display Status, App ID, Campaign ID, Ad Group ID, Ad ID, Creative Type, Product Page Name, Product Page ID, and Assets.

At the CPP layer, the available settings metrics are: Application, App ID, Creative Type, Product Page ID, Number of Ads, and Assets.

Note: The Negative Keywords layer does not have settings metrics available in the column editor.

The definitions below cover all settings metrics across layers.

Application shows the app associated with the row.

Campaign shows the campaign name associated with the row, useful when viewing data at the ad group, keyword, search term, or ad level where multiple campaigns may be in scope.

Bidding Strategy shows the bidding approach active for a campaign or ad group, for example, Target CPA.

Ad Group Name shows the ad group associated with the row, useful at the keyword, search term, and ad levels where you may be viewing items across multiple ad groups.

AI Smart Bidding Settings indicates the AI Smart Bidding configuration applied to the keyword or ad group.

Automation Status shows whether an automation rule is currently active for the item. At the Campaign Groups and Apps layers this gives you a top-level signal of whether any automation is running across campaigns within that group or app.

Storefront(s) shows the countries or regions a campaign, ad group, or ad is targeting.

Total Budget (Lifetime) shows the total lifetime budget cap set for the campaign, if one has been configured. This is separate from the daily budget and represents the maximum total spend allowed for the campaign's full run.

Daily Budget shows the daily spend limit set for the campaign.

Campaign Start Time shows the date and time the campaign is scheduled to begin or began running.

Last Daily Budget Update shows the date and time the campaign's daily budget was most recently changed, whether manually or through Budget Allocation.

Search Match shows whether Search Match is enabled for the ad group. When on, Apple Ads automatically matches the ad to relevant searches without requiring a keyword list.

Default CPT Bid shows the default maximum cost-per-tap bid set for the ad group.

CPA Cap shows the cost-per-acquisition cap set for the ad group, if one has been configured.

Ad Group End Time shows the date and time the ad group is scheduled to stop running.

Bid Amount shows the current bid set for a keyword.

Match Type shows whether a keyword is set to Broad Match or Exact Match.

Search Term Source shows how the search term was matched to your ad, for example, whether it was matched through a keyword you added or through Search Match.

Keyword shows which keyword in your ad group was responsible for triggering the ad for that search term. This metric helps you understand the relationship between your keyword list and the actual searches driving impressions.

Added as Keyword shows whether the search term has already been added as a keyword to an ad group. This makes it straightforward to identify search terms worth promoting to your keyword list without duplicating terms you have already added.

Creation Time shows the date and time the item was created in the platform.

Campaign Group shows which campaign group the item belongs to.

Campaign Status shows whether a campaign is Running, Paused, or in another delivery state.

Ad Group Status shows whether an ad group is Running, Paused, or in another delivery state.

Ad Display Status shows the current display state of the ad, for example, Running, Paused, or On Hold, indicating whether the ad is actively serving impressions.

Keyword Status shows whether a keyword is Active, Paused, or in another state.

Age Range shows the age targeting setting configured for the ad group.

Gender shows the gender targeting setting configured for the ad group.

Device shows whether the ad group targets iPhone, iPad, or both.

Customer Type shows the customer type targeting setting, for example, New Users, Returning Users, or All Users.

Label shows any custom labels applied to the campaign, ad group, or keyword.

Creative Type shows the type of creative used for the ad or custom product page, for example, images or video.

Product Page Name shows the name of the custom product page used as the creative source for the ad.

Product Page ID shows the unique identifier assigned to the custom product page. This is useful when cross-referencing custom product page performance data with your Apple Ads native records.

Number of Ads shows how many ads are currently using the custom product page as their creative source.

Assets shows the creative assets associated with the ad or custom product page, giving you a visual reference of what is running alongside the performance metrics.

Ad ID shows the unique identifier assigned to the ad. Useful for referencing specific ads in bulk data operations or when cross-referencing with external reporting tools.

Keyword ID shows the unique identifier Apple Ads assigns to each keyword. At the Search Terms layer this shows the ID of the keyword that triggered the search term.

App ID shows the unique identifier for the app. At the Apps layer this identifies the app itself. At lower layers it shows which app the campaign or ad group belongs to.

Campaign ID shows the unique identifier Apple Ads assigns to each campaign.

Ad Group ID shows the unique identifier Apple Ads assigns to each ad group.

Last Bid Update shows the date and time the keyword bid was most recently changed, whether manually or through an automation rule or AI Smart Bidding adjustment.

Custom metrics

Custom columns let you define your own calculated metrics using a formula builder. You can combine existing metrics with mathematical operators to create a calculation that appears as a column in your table. Custom columns come in three types.

Default custom columns are are not tied to a specific app or goal.

Goal-based custom columns are scoped to a single app and require a goal to be selected to return data.

Category-based custom columns can be applied across multiple apps within the same category.

To create a custom column, see Create custom columns in Ads Manager.

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