Today tab ads
Today tab ads are designed for reach and early influence, appearing on the App Storeâs front page as users begin their browsing session. Unlike search results ads, where intent is already defined by a query, Today tab ads help advertisers shape intent from the start by introducing the app in a high-visibility environment that supports broad discovery.
Because this placement sits at the top of the funnel, success is driven by immediate visual clarity and message alignment. Users see the appâs name, icon, and subtitle right away, so strong brand recognition and a clear value proposition become critical.Â
When the creative story is easy to understand at a glance, ads on the Today tab can consistently support awareness goals while also feeding downstream performance through increased consideration and, in many cases, more branded search activity.
- In 2025, Today tab ads continued to balance reach with intent, with a cumulative average TTR of 0.64% and a cumulative average CR of 18.66% per MobileActionâs Apple Ads data.
- TTR stayed elevated throughout the year compared to recent quarters, moving from 0.44% in Q1 to 0.62% in Q2, peaking at 0.78% in Q3, and holding at 0.73% in Q4, indicating strong creative relevance on the App Store front page.
- Conversion efficiency stood out in mid-year, as CR climbed to 22.24% in Q3, suggesting that the Today tab ads was not only generating attention but also driving high-intent downloads when paired with the right custom product page experience.
- The strongest efficiency window in 2025 appeared in Q3, where CPA reached its yearly low at $3.64 alongside high TTR (0.78%) and the highest CR (22.24%), highlighting a quarter where engagement and downstream conversion aligned particularly well.
- Across 2025, CPA averaged $5.08, supported by relatively stable costs in the first three quarters ($4.95 in Q1, $4.87 in Q2, $3.64 in Q3), reinforcing Today tab ads as a placement where optimized creatives and custom product pages can translate into efficient acquisition.
- CPT remained controlled through Q3 ($0.85 in Q1, $0.77 in Q2, $0.81 in Q3) before rising to $1.33 in Q4, which aligns with a more competitive bidding landscape as advertisers typically scale budgets later in the year.
- Even with a higher Q4 CPT ($1.33), TTR stayed solid at 0.73%, and CR remained strong at 19.41%, showing that increased auction pressure did not materially weaken user intent once users engaged with the placement.
- Q4 is the key volatility point for costs, with CPA increasing to $6.86, suggesting that advertisers may need tighter cost controls (for example, bid discipline and creative freshness) when competition intensifies while still protecting conversion quality.
- The gap between CPT and CPA behavior in 2025 is notable: taps became more expensive in Q4, yet conversion rates stayed high, which can indicate that creative messaging and custom product page alignment continued to filter in higher-intent users despite auction dynamics.
- Overall, ads on the Today tab in 2025 show a healthy mix of visibility and performance, with strong engagement signals (TTR) and consistently high download intent (CR), making it a reliable option for awareness-driven campaigns that still require measurable efficiency.
The data in this report has been gathered using MobileAction and SearchAds.com tools.*
