How much does it cost to market an app in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE?

Why one cost per install number misleads

Most price guides quote one cost per install (CPI) for a market. That number hides what happens after the install.

Illustrative example (not client data):

• Cost per install: 10
• 60% of installs register
• 40% of registered users activate
• 20% of active users pay

Cost per paying user = 10 ÷ 0.6 ÷ 0.4 ÷ 0.2 ≈ 208. That is about 20 times the CPI.

Two apps can both pay 10 per install and have completely different economics. The one with the better onboarding and follow up wins, even if its CPI is higher.

The 8 things that change your cost

1. Market. Egypt has the lowest media costs of the three. Saudi Arabia and the UAE usually cost several times more per install, because of higher purchasing power and more advertisers competing for the same users.
2. App category. Fintech, delivery, e-commerce and gaming apps compete hard for the same users, which pushes cost up.
3. Platform. iOS users usually cost more to acquire than Android users, and often spend more.
4. What you optimize for. Campaigns optimized for installs get cheap installs. Campaigns optimized for registration or first transaction pay more per install but usually less per paying user.
5. Creative. Tired ads get more expensive every week. Fresh, tested creative is the biggest lever on cost.
6. Season. Ramadan, Eid, White Friday and back to school push costs up across the region.
7. Audience. Very narrow targeting costs more. Broad targeting with strong creative often costs less.
8. Tracking. If tracking is broken, budget goes to channels that look cheap but bring users who never pay.

Egypt vs Saudi Arabia vs UAE at a glance

How to set a starting budget

• Start with a test phase on 2 or 3 channels, not all of them.
• Give each campaign enough budget to reach about 50 optimization events a week (installs, registrations or purchases). Below that, platforms like Meta stay in their learning phase and results are unreliable.
• Judge channels on cost per active or paying user, not cost per install.
• Scale only what works, and keep testing new creative every week.

Real example: a fintech app in Egypt

In 2024 we took an Egyptian fintech app to 1 million registered users in 9 months, 3 months ahead of plan. Customer acquisition cost fell about 43% over the year while spend scaled. It happened because tracking was fixed first (AppsFlyer to Adjust), the performance team led the creative with more than 200 tests before launch, and lifecycle journeys turned registrations into active users.

Read the full case study

How to lower your cost per paying user

• Fix tracking before you scale spend.
• Optimize campaigns for a real action, not installs.
• Build creative around user needs, and test before you scale.
• Improve onboarding: a higher activation rate lowers cost per paying user without touching media.
• Win back inactive users. It is usually cheaper than acquiring new ones.

FAQ

What is a good cost per install in Saudi Arabia?

It depends on your category, platform and what you optimize for. A cheap CPI is not a good result if those users never pay. Set a target cost per paying user first, then work back to the CPI you can afford.

Is it cheaper to market an app in Egypt than in Saudi Arabia?

Yes, media costs in Egypt are usually several times lower. But users in Saudi Arabia and the UAE often spend more, so the right market depends on your cost per paying user and the value of each user.

Should I optimize my app campaigns for installs or purchases?

Start with the deepest action you get enough of each week, ideally registration or first transaction. Installs are cheap but often bring users who never activate.

How long before I know if my app marketing works?

Give each channel a few weeks with enough conversions to leave the learning phase. Judge it on cost per active or paying user, not early install numbers.