Best App Marketing Agencies for Scalable User Acquisition

Most apps find one paid channel that works, usually Meta, and then hit a wall. Spend goes up, cost per install climbs, and Apple's privacy rules make it hard to tell which ads drove which subscribers. Scaling past that point is a different job from launching, and it is the job this list is built around.

The agencies below have published app or game case studies showing growth across more than one channel, at rising budgets, with results measured past the install. Pure app store optimization shops are left out, since they solve a different problem.

Disclosure: 9AM publishes this article and appears on the list. It was assessed against the same criteria as every other agency.

What Makes User Acquisition Scalable

User acquisition (UA) is the work of bringing new users into an app. Paid user acquisition does it through ads on platforms such as Meta, Google, TikTok, Apple Search Ads and ad networks like AppLovin and Moloco.

UA becomes scalable when spend can rise without the cost of a paying user rising with it. That depends on three conditions:

• More channels: a second and third channel that can absorb budget once the first one saturates.
• More creative: enough new ad concepts each month to replace the ones that fatigue.
• Measurement you can trust: a view of revenue or retention per channel that survives SKAdNetwork's limited data on iOS.

An agency that covers all three can keep growth going after the first channel stalls. One that covers only one of them will hit the same wall you did.

Besides, organic app marketing seems to not be performing so well in 2026; here’s a visual explainer:

App Marketing Agencies Compared

How We Chose These Agencies

Every agency, including 9AM, was checked against the criteria in 9AM's ranking methodology:

• Published proof: we opened each agency's own case studies and used only results we could read there.
• Scaling evidence: at least one case showing growth at higher budgets, a new channel, or a new market.
• Measurement: results reported past the install, such as cost per paying user, ROAS or retention.
• Fit: the app category and stage each agency serves.

Agencies are listed alphabetically and the two game specialists last. Agencies focused only on app store optimization were excluded.

Best App Marketing Agencies for Scalable User Acquisition

9AM

9AM is a paid media agency where creative strategy, creator content and media buying run from one team, with analytics on the same plan. It buys across Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat, and clients get real-time dashboards, weekly reports and direct access to their strategist.

Its scaling proof is creator-led. For email app Unroll.me, 8 creators a month fed a testing system that drove over 7 million installs on $3M+ in paid media. For Booksy, a TikTok-first program lifted installs 637% month over month. 9AM fits consumer and subscription apps that need creative volume and paid social run together.

Results reported on: installs, cost per registration and customer acquisition cost over multi-year programs.

Admiral Media

Admiral Media's model is creative-led: its team makes the ads, buys the media and reports the return, with an AI-assisted production line that ships creative in batches. It runs paid UA across TikTok, Apple Ads, Snapchat and newer placements such as ChatGPT Ads, plus tracking, attribution and incrementality work, ASO and CRM, across 35 markets.

That measurement depth is what makes it a scaling partner. One case covers optimizing SKAdNetwork conversion events for Actio, and a dating app reached 117% ROAS on day 30 on Moloco. Admiral fits apps and games that need a second channel and the creative to feed it.

Results reported on: day-30 ROAS by channel, plus SKAdNetwork conversion-value setup on iOS.

Moburst

Moburst covers the widest service range on this list: 21 app marketing services, from mobile and product strategy, BI and analytics to ASO, social and search, ad networks, OTT, influencers and its own creator network. It also designs and builds app features, which helps when growth stalls on onboarding or conversion more than on media.

That breadth shows in results across channels. For Abide, Moburst grew subscriptions while cutting costs by 75%. For Shopkick, a TikTok strategy cut cost per install by 87%. Moburst suits larger apps that want one partner across acquisition, creative and store presence.

Results reported on: cost per install and subscription acquisition costs.

Phiture

Phiture works as both consultancy and agency: it can train a client's product and marketing team or run growth for them. Its services cover ASO, performance marketing, retention and CRM, creative, and data, tech and AI, from hubs in New York, Berlin, London and Barcelona. It is also known for its Mobile Growth Stack framework.

Its case studies read like engineering fixes, which is what scaling often needs. For Picsart, Phiture repaired a Firebase event integration that blocked ROAS-optimized Google campaigns and cut brand-term spend, reaching over 35% day-7 ROAS while ad spend grew 91.44%. Phiture fits apps whose bottleneck is tracking, bidding signals or retention.

Results reported on: day-7 ROAS and how far spend scaled at that return.

REPLUG

REPLUG is a Berlin consultancy founded in 2020 by two adtech veterans and built to sit close to the client's team. Its services span growth audits, ASO, paid UA, Apple Search Ads, TikTok, OEM advertising and a creative studio, and it became a certified Moloco partner in 2025.

Its published work leans on channel diversification, the most common way out of a Meta plateau. For PhotoSì, expanding to TikTok produced an ROI 1,170% higher than on Facebook, and for LYNO a diversified media mix cut CPA by over 50%. REPLUG fits European and mobile-first apps that want senior consultants on the account.

Results reported on: CPA, subscriber growth and ROI compared across channels.

RocketShip HQ

RocketShip HQ is a UA and performance creative agency that runs one repeatable system: it learns the business, starts structured creative experiments, and compounds the winners into the ad account. Creative strategy, production and media buying sit with one team, so testing speed does not depend on handoffs.

Several of its cases cover scaling after Apple's tracking changes. One wellness app grew to 4X its UA budget with 150% ROAS post-ATT, and for ASL Bloom cost per paying user fell 75% as the account scaled. RocketShip suits subscription apps where Meta is still the main channel and creative is the bottleneck.

Results reported on: ROAS after App Tracking Transparency and cost per paying user.

Yodel Mobile

Yodel Mobile has run app marketing for more than 16 years across four service lines: ASO, paid UA, mobile consultancy and a creative studio. It works directly with in-house teams and as a specialist partner to digital agencies, and reports more than 1,500 app success stories.

Growing paid and organic installs together is its scaling lever. For transport app Hoppa, Yodel ran Google, Meta and Apple Search Ads campaigns, tested store creative separately for iOS and Android, and supported AppsFlyer attribution. Organic iOS installs grew 196%, and cost per registration improved 43% on Apple Search Ads. Yodel fits consumer apps launching in new markets.

Results reported on: organic installs by platform and cost per registration on Apple Search Ads.

AppAgent (game specialist)

AppAgent works only with mobile games. Its Gameplan™ process runs from strategy through implementation to ongoing support, with creative leading the work, and its clients include Supercell, Pixel Federation and Etermax.

For World Hockey Manager, AppAgent acquired 100,000 new players monthly at a profit, and for word game Wordling, UA and ASO together tripled monthly installs. AppAgent fits publishers preparing to scale paid UA who want creative concepts tested before media budgets rise.

Results reported on: players acquired per month at a profit, and install growth.

Udonis (game specialist)

Udonis has focused on mobile games since 2018, with four services: user acquisition across the major ad networks, creative production, mobile business development and marketing dashboards. It says it has acquired more than 300 million users for games.

Its scale shows in hyper-casual work: campaigns for Bottle Flip 3D passed 70 million downloads, and its UA page lists a mid-core launch and campaigns that drove 500,000+ downloads aimed at high-spending players. Udonis fits studios that need volume and creative output across many ad networks.

Results reported on: download volume across titles and launches.

Which Partner Fits Your Scaling Stage

If you match two rows, start with measurement. An agency cannot scale a channel it cannot read.

How to Judge an Agency's Results After SKAN

Apple's privacy rules mean iOS ad platforms receive limited, delayed conversion data through SKAdNetwork and its successor, AdAttributionKit. Agencies that report only cost per install can look good while revenue lags. Ask these questions before you sign:

• Which mobile measurement partner do you work with? Expect a clear answer such as AppsFlyer, Adjust or Singular, and a plan to audit your event setup first.
• How will you set SKAdNetwork conversion values? The answer should map conversion values to early revenue or trial events, as Admiral did for Actio.
• How do you test incrementality? Ask for a recent holdout or geo test and what it changed in the budget.
• Which metric decides budget moves? Day-7 or day-30 ROAS, payback period or cost per paying user tell you far more than cost per install.
• How many new creatives will you ship each month? Scaling usually needs a steady flow; for example, Genomelink's program with 9AM produced 70+ assets a month, which is what led to a consistent 77% CAC reduction over 3+ years.

For a deeper look at measurement partners, see our guide to marketing analytics agencies for attribution.

What Is the Best App Marketing Agency?

The best app marketing agency for scalable user acquisition is the one that fixes your current bottleneck: a missing second channel, too little creative, or data you cannot trust.

Shortlist two agencies from the matching row above, then put both through the measurement questions before comparing fees.

If you run a consumer or subscription app and creative volume is holding you back, book a strategy call with 9AM to talk through your channel plan.

FAQ

What is paid user acquisition?

Paid user acquisition means buying ads to win new app users, on platforms such as Meta, Google App Campaigns, TikTok, Apple Search Ads and in-app ad networks. It works alongside organic growth from app store optimization and word of mouth.

Do I need an ASO agency or a UA agency?

Hire an ASO agency if most installs come from store search and your listing converts poorly. Hire a UA agency if you need paid growth. Agencies such as Yodel Mobile and Moburst run both, which helps when paid traffic lands on your store page.

Do I need a mobile measurement partner before hiring an agency?

It helps. Most UA agencies expect an MMP such as AppsFlyer or Adjust to be in place, and many will set it up or audit it in the first weeks.

How do app marketing agencies charge?

Common models are a monthly retainer, a percentage of ad spend, or a mix of both. Few agencies on this list publish prices, so ask how fees change as spend grows.

How do you calculate mobile app marketing ROI?

Divide the revenue attributed to a campaign, minus its cost, by that cost. For apps, measure revenue over a fixed window, such as day 7 or day 30, so channels can be compared fairly. Subscription apps should also track payback period: how many months of subscription revenue it takes to recover the cost of acquiring each paying user.

How is AI used in mobile user acquisition?

The main use today is creative: producing and testing more ad variations faster. Admiral Media runs an AI-assisted creative production line, and RocketShip HQ publishes a case on AI-driven creative testing for Wonster Words. Ad platforms also use machine learning for bidding and targeting, which makes clean conversion data more important.

Which user acquisition platforms should an app use beyond Meta and Google?

Common next channels are TikTok, Apple Search Ads, and in-app ad networks such as AppLovin and Moloco. The right second channel depends on your audience and how your app monetizes. Apple Search Ads suits apps with strong search demand, while ad networks suit games and apps with ad-supported revenue.