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How far does Apple Ads scale? Channel share, ceilings and what limits you

Realistic expectations for Apple Ads volume — Thomas Petit's view that it usually ends up 5–20% of a scaled app's marketing mix (some accounts still reach seven figures/month), that return targets rather than search volume usually cap spend, and the opposing practitioner views on whether Apple Ads is a first channel or a "nice to have".

Updated 2026-10-24·3 sources·user-acquisitionapple-adsscalingchannel-mixstrategy

How far does Apple Ads scale?

TL;DR

  • Search can’t create demand. At some point there are no more relevant searches and you start buying less relevant terms (Thomas Petit, 2023).1
  • It still scales in some verticals. Petit manages accounts in seven figures/month. If your vertical has little search, you can’t fight that.2
  • What usually limits you is your return target, not search volume. The way to scale is to raise bids, and better monetisation lets you bid higher.2
  • At scale, expect Apple Ads to be ~5–20% of the marketing mix. That’s normal, not a sign you’re doing it wrong.3
  • Samet Durgun (Dec 2025) ranks it third after Meta and Google. For most apps it’s “expensive” and “not scalable”, but long-tail keywords can give great CPIs and intentful users.4
  • Samet: if you can make Apple Ads work at volume, your pricing, onboarding and paywall are proven, and you’re “one hero creative” from scaling Meta.5

Details

Why the share stays modest. Petit’s estimate: ~$8–10B Apple search ad revenue vs ~$100–150B global app ad spend, so under 10% of the market.3 He also sees the App Store as extremely short-tail: a handful of keywords take most spend.6

Not cheap, by design. Petit has seen cost-per-mille in the ~$4,000 range on real spend. If you can’t compete on a term, pick another battle.6

Spend for insight, too. Part of why Petit runs Apple Ads and defends his brand is the data: competitor conversion, and keyword insight for ASO that Google UAC doesn’t provide.7

Counter-signal from Adapty (June 2026). Mykola Martynovets says he saw advertisers go from ~$1–2K to ~$60K/month at ≥90% D31 ROAS, including in competitive generative-AI niches.8

Disagreements / caveats

  • Apple Ads first or “nice to have”? Steve P. Young starts most iOS apps on ASO + Apple Ads (Why start paid acquisition with Apple Ads). Samet starts on Meta and treats Apple Ads as optional, except for utility/productivity apps, where he suggests Google search-style app campaigns or Apple Ads.9 The views fit if Apple Ads is a cheap proof-of-monetisation channel and a minority of spend at scale.
  • Petit’s market-share numbers are 2022–23 estimates. Apple has since added ad placements and slots (Steve, June 2026), which may raise the ceiling.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Hard truth about Apple Search Ads | Thomas Petit | ASO Conference 2023 @ 20:30 — Thomas Petit ↩

  2. Hard truth about Apple Search Ads | Thomas Petit | ASO Conference 2023 @ 21:26 — Thomas Petit ↩ ↩2

  3. Hard truth about Apple Search Ads | Thomas Petit | ASO Conference 2023 @ 27:20 — Thomas Petit ↩ ↩2

  4. LTV mastery: Getting high-value subscribers from Meta @ 04:49 — Samet Durgun ↩

  5. LTV mastery: Getting high-value subscribers from Meta @ 27:18 — Samet Durgun ↩

  6. Hard truth about Apple Search Ads | Thomas Petit | ASO Conference 2023 @ 03:16 — Thomas Petit ↩ ↩2

  7. Hard truth about Apple Search Ads | Thomas Petit | ASO Conference 2023 @ 33:23 — Thomas Petit ↩

  8. Turn Apple Ads into a revenue channel @ 47:18 — Mykola Martynovets ↩

  9. LTV mastery: Getting high-value subscribers from Meta @ 26:32 — Samet Durgun ↩