Over the first quarter of 2026, Mapendo observed several apps standing out for their strong performance. By running user acquisition campaigns across multiple verticals, categories like games, financial services and rewards-based platforms demonstrated unique strengths across the funnel, from installs to high-value user actions.
The aim of this article is to, therefore, share benchmark highlights for each of these categories’ success, such as mobile games’ high scale, rewards-based apps’ high registration rate and betting apps’ high-value users.
Remittance
Remittance apps are used by specific users that have clear and frequent transaction needs, in fact they offer 24/7 transfers at a lower cost than traditional banks, as well as other services such as digital wallet funding. They used to represent a niche category driven by strong intent and practical utility, but over the past few decades they gained prominence and became more competitive due to the frequent and multiple features added by the developers.
In Q1 2026, remittance apps showed exceptional efficiency throughout the user funnel: installs per day are more than 100, the install-to-registration rate is above 50% and the registration-to transfer rate is between 30% and 50%. These metrics highlight the strength of user intent in this category, in fact conversions are high at every stage. As competition increases, this vertical remains particularly well-suited for performance campaigns optimized toward downstream events like completed transactions.
Rewards
Rewards apps offer users incentives in exchange for completing actions like surveys or downloads, in particular cashback apps refer to mobile apps that give users money or other types of rewards back to the user after everyday purchases. Their value propositions are simple and accessible, and this makes them highly effective at driving quick adoption and participation.
This category achieved some of the highest performance metrics in Q1, such as installs per day above 100 and the install-to-registration rate up to 70%. Their strength lies in their ability to convert users quickly and in the fact that these apps are suitable for campaigns focused on rapid scaling and user acquisition.
Sport Betting
Sport betting apps allow users to place wagers on sporting events, often in real time, and because of this, they attract users with strong action intent. The user activity is often driven by event cycles rather than daily usage, so this category requires ongoing user acquisition efforts to sustain performance over time.
Despite relatively high acquisition costs (CPI between $4 and $6), sports betting apps delivered strong results in high-value conversions in Q1 2026: with install-to-first-time-deposit (FTD) rates above 20%, this vertical proves its ability to generate revenue-driving users. This category can therefore deliver solid downstream performance when campaigns are optimized beyond installs.
Games
Mobile gaming continues to dominate in terms of scale and user acquisition volume. However, not all game genres perform equally: each has its own mechanics, audience, and monetization patterns.
Action/strategy games:
Action and strategy games are complex, often involve skill, progression systems and competitive elements and tend to attract highly engaged users willing to invest their time, and often also money, into the experience.
This category showed in Q1 2026 long-term value of the acquired users: installs per day are between 150 and 200 and ROAS D30 above 100%, despite CPI being between $4 and $6. This suggests that strong use quality can support sustainable scaling in this vertical.
Puzzle games:
Puzzle games are defined by simple mechanics, intuitive gameplay and broad accessibility. They appeal to a wide demographic, across age groups and geographies, making them ideal for large-scale user acquisition campaigns.
In Q1 2026, they achieved the highest install volume among all verticals, reaching 700-800 installs per day. Their relatively low cost per install (CPI of $2-$4) and ROAS D1 above 30% make them particularly effective for growth-focused strategies. However, due to high user turnover, which is typical of this category, monetization is often expected to happen early, making short-term ROAS a critical metric for evaluating performance.
Idle games:
Idle games are designed for easy entry and continuous engagement, attracting a broad audience with simple mechanics and incremental progression.
With 400-500 installs per day and a CPI below $4, idle games demonstrated strong efficiency, their performance is notable in both the short and long term, with ROAS D0 above 30% and D30 above 100%. This balance of early returns and sustained monetization makes them a reliable choice for scalable growth.
Mapendo’s performance-based user acquisition platform
Mapendo’s AI-powered platform provides advertisers with performance-based app campaigns. The massive global inventory includes 50+ supply partners and ad exchanges, across multiple channels such as programmatic, rewarded and CTV. By reaching millions of users across the world, Mapendo delivers incremental growth, well beyond walled gardens.
CPI & CPA campaigns are optimized towards relevant post-install events and KPIs like retention rate, ROI/ROAS, etc., allowing advertisers to acquire high-LTV users without wasting budget. Both proprietary and third-party anti-fraud tools ensure the data are transparent, reliable and brand-safe.
Reach out to our team to learn how Mapendo can help you with your UA activities right from day 1.
