How Basic buys installs while you watch

What Basic is for#

Basic exists for teams that want installs without auction homework. No keyword lists, no tap ceilings, no tier ladders: you declare the app, the monthly budget and the countries, and Apple promotion machinery places your ad in search results and prices each install.

That simplicity is the whole pitch for indie developers and first tests. Frame it against the full-control tier in Basic versus Advanced, and start from the Apple Ads hub if the family layout is new to you.

Expect search intent to do the heavy lifting: your ad answers somebody already hunting for an app like yours, which is why even automated placement converts far above cold outbound norms. That intent is the quiet engine behind every Basic success story.

CPI billing and the ceiling#

Basic bills cost per install: you pay when somebody installs, not when they tap. The ceiling is $10,000 per app per month, and there is no published minimum spend, so small tests are legitimate despite the old $5,000 rumour that still circulates.

Because you pay per install, conversion risk sits with Apple rather than with your tap pricing. Compare that with tap economics in CPT to CPA maths, and size any later Advanced move with budget maths before graduating.

The 30-day window and 50-app limit#

Basic attributes installs within a 30-day window, and one account can promote up to 50 apps. The window flatters consideration flows where searchers tap today and install next week, so read Basic CPI beside your own device truth rather than in isolation.

Reconcile reported installs monthly through reconciliation, value trial and subscription installs properly via conversion values, and remember search results placement notes in our placement guide when comparing Basic CPI with Advanced CPA.

What you give up#

Basic shows limited placement and query detail: no Search Terms report to harvest, no keyword bids to tune, no audience levers to pull, and no placement level bidding to adjust. You learn whether the app converts from search, not which queries carried it.

That blindness is the graduation trigger. When CPI stabilises and curiosity about the queries behind it grows, first campaign setup and Search Match open the Advanced path, with harvesting waiting to catch what Basic never showed you.

Running Basic well#

Small budgets still deserve craft. Point Basic at a product page that converts, fund at least a few dozen installs before judging, and change nothing mid-month so the read stays clean.

Lift the page first through screenshots and app previews, benchmark the resulting CPI against estimated vendor data in the AppTweak Apple Ads benchmarks and the SplitMetrics cost study, then decide: scale Basic, graduate, or fix the listing.

When to graduate to Advanced#

Graduate when Basic CPI holds near target and you want more volume, query truth or brand control than automation allows. The $10,000 ceiling also forces the move for apps ready to spend past it.

Carry your proven CPI across as the opening target: Maximize Conversions accepts it directly, or max CPT hand bidding takes over for control lovers. Either way, our team plans Basic-to-Advanced moves without losing the learning Basic already paid for.

Frequently asked questions#