Been thinking about this lately. Most of our UA budget goes to App Store campaigns but wondering if I should split test some web signup flows.
Anyone running both and seeing meaningful differences in conversion rates or LTV?
Different story here. Web flows captured more emails but gave us lower quality users.
I tested this for 3 months on a productivity app. Web signups converted 40% better to trial but had 25% worse day-7 retention. App Store users are way more committed - they’ve already decided “I want this on my phone.”
Web users just signed up out of curiosity and barely used the app. Could be different for your category though.
I’d test it but watch retention closely, not just conversion numbers. This breakdown helped me figure out the strategy:
I run both now but put more budget toward App Store for apps that need daily use.
Web flows convert way better. App stores are middlemen.
Web campaigns crush it for subscription apps. You have to explain pricing upfront.
I run both, but web flows let me own the whole journey from ad to checkout. App Store campaigns bring volume but you can lose users during downloads.
Match your funnel to what users expect. For simple utility apps, App Store works fine. For complex apps with monthly fees, explain on the web first.
Web signup outperforms App Store ads by 20-30%. App Store adds unnecessary steps. Users download and forget why they wanted the app. With web signup, you collect emails right away and can guide them through onboarding. Even if they don’t install immediately, you can retarget them. Web users also tend to have higher LTV since they understand the value before downloading. Allocate 20% of your budget to web signup at first, then increase based on results.