UA Channel Cheat Sheet · AppFillip 2026
UA Channel
Comparison
Meta vs Google vs Apple Search Ads vs TikTok — Which Channel Wins for Your App?
The wrong channel wastes budget. The right channel at the wrong stage wastes more. This cheat sheet breaks down every major UA channel — CPI ranges, audience quality, creative needs, and best-fit app categories.
📅 Get a Free UA Channel Audit
Free · 30 minutes · We tell you exactly which channel to prioritise
4
major UA channels compared side-by-side
24
app categories mapped to their best-fit channel
$0.80
avg CPI when channel mix is optimised
500+
apps analysed across all four channels
Enter your email to
unlock the full channel breakdown
Get instant free access to the complete UA channel comparison — all 4 channels, 24 category mappings, and the 24-point channel audit checklist.
✓Free forever
·
✓No spam
·
✓Instant access
·
✓Unsubscribe anytime
Channel Deep Dive — 4 Platforms
The 4 MajorUA Channels Compared Each channel has a different audience, algorithm, creative requirement, and sweet spot. Here is exactly what each one is best at — and what kills performance on each.
f
Meta Ads
Facebook & Instagram — Broadest Reach
Avg CPI iOS$0.60–$2.50 depending on category and creative quality
Audience TypeInterest + behavioural targeting. Lookalike audiences from your best users. Broad audiences for volume.
Creative NeedVideo-first. Hook in frame 1. UGC-style outperforms polished. Refresh every 2–3 weeks to prevent fatigue.
Best For
Avoid IfB2B app, enterprise audience, or very niche professional use case — LinkedIn will outperform.
CPI KillerCreative fatigue, broad targeting without exclusions, and running same creative beyond 3 weeks.
G
Google UAC
Universal App Campaigns — Intent-Led
Avg CPI iOS$0.40–$2.00 — Android typically 30–40% lower than iOS
Audience TypeIntent-based. Reaches users actively searching for your category. Strongest for utility and problem-solving apps.
Creative NeedSupply assets, let Google mix. Provide 5+ headlines, 5+ descriptions, video, and images. Algorithm does the testing.
Best For
Avoid IfNo search volume for your category. Very niche apps without clear search intent will see poor results.
CPI KillerToo few creative assets, insufficient budget for learning phase (min $50/day), and optimising before 50 conversions.
🍎
Apple Search Ads
ASA — Highest Intent, Lowest Churn
Avg CPI iOS$0.80–$3.50 — higher CPI but significantly higher retention and LTV
Audience TypeUsers actively searching the App Store for your app type. Highest purchase intent of any channel.
Creative NeedYour App Store listing IS the creative. Screenshots and preview video quality is the #1 factor. Optimise listing first.
Best For
Avoid IfApp Store rating below 4.0 or screenshots are unoptimised — fix listing quality before spending on ASA.
CPI KillerPoor keyword match types, bidding on brand terms only, and ignoring Search Match broad discovery campaigns.
TT
TikTok Ads
TikTok For Business — Gen Z & Viral Reach
Avg CPI iOS$0.50–$2.20 — highly creative-dependent, variance is large
Audience Type18–34 primary. Algorithmically distributed by content affinity. No manual interest targeting needed for top creatives.
Creative NeedNative-feeling vertical video only. Ads that look like ads fail. Hook in 1 second. Sound-on assumed. Trend-aware content wins.
Best For
Avoid IfTarget audience is 45+, or the app category has no visual / entertainment angle. Do not force TikTok for utility apps.
CPI KillerRepurposing Meta/YouTube ads. TikTok content must be native-format. Polished studio content tanks on this platform.
Category Channel Picker
Which Channel forYour App Category?
UA Channel Audit Checklist
Audit Your UAChannel Mix Tick each item you have in place. This checklist shows whether your channel setup is optimised or leaving budget on the table.
f Meta Ads Setup
✓
Separate ad sets per audience segment — interest, lookalike, and retargeting never mixed✓
Lookalike audiences built from top 5% highest-LTV users, not all installs✓
At least 3 distinct video creative concepts running simultaneously per ad set✓
Creative refreshed every 2–3 weeks — frequency monitored and capped below 3.5✓
Existing users excluded from all acquisition campaigns to prevent wasted spend✓
Post-install events (D7 retention, purchase) fed back to Meta for optimisation signalG Google UAC Setup
✓
Minimum 5 headlines, 5 descriptions, 1 video, and 3 image assets provided per campaign✓
Learning phase allowed to complete — not paused or changed before 50 conversions✓
Target CPA set at 2x your acceptable CPI to give algorithm room to optimise✓
Android and iOS campaigns running in separate campaigns — never combined✓
Post-install conversion events configured in Firebase and linked to Google Ads✓
Asset performance report reviewed weekly — low-performing assets replaced promptly🍎 Apple Search Ads Setup
✓
App Store screenshots and preview video optimised before any ASA spend begins✓
Exact match, broad match, and Search Match campaigns running separately✓
Competitor keyword campaigns running with controlled bids — high volume but lower intent✓
Category campaigns targeting app category browse traffic — not just search✓
Custom product pages used for top keyword groups to improve relevance and CVR✓
Search terms report reviewed weekly to find new converting keywords for exact match🎟 TikTok Ads Setup
✓
All creative shot vertical (9:16) and native-feeling — no repurposed Meta or YouTube ads✓
Hook tested in first 1 second — multiple hooks tested per creative concept✓
Sound-on experience designed — voiceover or music is integral to the creative, not optional✓
Broad audience targeting used first — let TikTok algorithm find the audience before narrowing✓
Spark Ads tested alongside paid ads — using organic creator posts as ad creative✓
Creative refreshed weekly — TikTok fatigue window is 7–10 days, much faster than Meta