Cost-per-tap of search results ads
Cost-per-tap in Apple Ads is calculated by dividing the total ad spend by the overall number of taps on an ad.
This metric is a key pricing benchmark in Apple Ads, helping advertisers understand the average cost of each user interaction in search results.
- In 2025, CPT opened at a much lower baseline than in 2024. It began at $1.30 in Q1, dipped further to $1.26 in Q2, climbed to $1.50 in Q3, and closed at $1.88 in Q4. Q2 marked the lowest quarterly CPT observed since 2020, while Q4 returned closer to the levels seen in late 2024.
- Looking beyond a single year, CPT has generally stayed within a consistent range since 2022. After the higher levels seen in 2021, yearly averages such as $1.80 (2022), $1.77 (2023), and $1.84 (2024) point to a more stable pricing environment. The 2025 pattern adds a clearer contrast between a low-cost first half and a more competitive finish.
- It is also worth noting that even in years with a stable average, seasonal shifts and auction dynamics can change tap costs meaningfully from one quarter to the next.
- Many factors influence cost-per-tap, including competition intensity by category, keyword, and match type mix, bid strategy, ad relevance, and seasonality. This is why ongoing query refinement and bid calibration play an important role in sustaining efficiency across the year.
- Category-level CPTs in 2025 show a wider spread, with Sports ($9.27), Games ($4.02), and Finance ($2.98) sitting at the top end of the bidding landscape, signaling where advertisers are paying the most to earn a tap in search results ads.
- Sports remained the most expensive category for taps, rising from $5.70 in 2024 to $9.27 in 2025, which reinforces how competitive sports-related discovery can get in search results, especially when multiple apps chase the same high-intent queries.
- Games saw a clear step-up in CPT, moving from $2.44 to $4.02, a pattern that typically aligns with tighter competition on genre and gameplay queries, where bid pressure is often driven by the scale and value of new-user acquisition.
- Finance stayed in the premium tier but became slightly more cost-efficient, shifting from $3.38 in 2024 to $2.98 in 2025; even with this improvement, Finance still reflects a high-value keyword environment where bid decisions need to stay tightly connected to downstream CPA goals.
- Food & Drink shifted from a low-cost category to a more mid-range CPT profile, doubling from $0.78 to $1.56, suggesting meaningfully higher participation in search results auctions and a stronger push to capture ready-to-act users.
- Productivity also moved upward materially, increasing from $0.94 to $1.64, which points to more competitive bidding on planning, work, and organization terms, where winning a tap often depends on tighter keyword segmentation and relevance.
- On the other end, Photo & Video became the most cost-efficient category for taps, dropping from $1.19 to $0.52, creating more room to scale search results coverage, especially for advertisers expanding keyword breadth while keeping a close eye on conversion efficiency.
- Social Networking and Shopping also trended more cost-efficient, moving from $1.19 to $0.71 and $1.17 to $0.84, respectively, which can open up experimentation space for broader keyword sets and more varied custom product page messaging.
- Lifestyle saw a notable CPT reset, falling from $1.76 to $0.97, while Travel eased from $1.49 to $1.19, suggesting more accessible prices in 2025 for advertisers testing new angles, seasonal intent groups, or localized terms.
The data in this report has been gathered using MobileAction and SearchAds.com tools.*
“The key takeaway is that an annual average can hide the real story. You can have a stable year on paper, while quarter-to-quarter dynamics change the cost of a tap materially. In 2025, Q2 being the lowest quarterly CPT since 2020 created a window where well-structured accounts could expand coverage efficiently, test new keyword clusters, and validate new messaging. But the second half of the year reminded everyone that efficiency is not permanent. When competition ramps up, the accounts that maintain control are the ones with strong query refinement and disciplined bid calibration, not the ones that simply raise bids across the board.”
Alaattin Yerturk
Client Team Lead @MobileAction
