Best paid social agencies for apps in 2026

paid social agencies for apps compared

Ordered by score. Kiko is listed first and not scored.

Choosing an agency

Thirteen agencies show public paid social or app user-acquisition work with named app clients. On our 100-point evidence rubric the top five are Admiral Media (79), RocketShip HQ (68), Growthr (64), AppAgent (61, games) and The Social Outline (59). Admiral publishes the most named subscription-app results and a creative price; Growthr and The Social Outline publish their fees. Most cases carry no campaign dates. Use the scores to compare published experience, then choose by your campaign needs.

Kiko

Kiko is a paid social and creator marketing agency for consumer apps: we run Meta and TikTok acquisition, creator-made ad creative and onboarding work as one team, for seed to Series B startups. We don't score ourselves.

Agency profiles

Admiral Media

79/100. Best for subscription apps spending $50,000 or more a month that want buying, AI-assisted creative and paywall work from one team. admiral.media

Admiral Media is an app growth agency founded in 2019 by Andre Kempe that says it has managed €500M+ in ad spend for 150+ brands (UA page).

• Published work: Named app results: ChatPDF (+320% ROAS), Himalaya (−79% CAC on Meta), NeuroNation (+147% purchases), Fastic (−70% cost per result), plus dating apps FET, Inshallah, Breeze, Azar and Slide (UA page, dating page)
• Services: Meta, TikTok, Google App, Apple Ads, Snapchat and Moloco; in-house and AI creative tested weekly; conversion rate optimization. Human creator programs aren't described (UA page, dating page)
• Pricing and process: Monthly fee separate from media; AI creative batches from €10,000 for 20 videos; ideal clients spend $50,000+ a month; week-by-week first month and a 90-day handover plan (UA page)

Consider another option if: you spend well under $50,000 a month, or want human creators rather than AI-made UGC.

RocketShip HQ

68/100. Best for subscription apps and games that want many creative tests a month and can spend $50,000+ a month. rocketshiphq.com

RocketShip HQ is a mobile performance agency in New York and Tallinn that runs UA and creative production (homepage).

• Published work: 19 case studies with figures, for example Parent Lab (3x scale, 4x+ lower cost per trial), Firstcard (50% lower CAC), Hampr (55% better cost per purchase) and Games2Win (350K+ installs) (case studies)
• Services: UA on Meta, TikTok, Google, AppLovin and 10+ channels; creative strategy and production including UGC; consulting. No creator partnership program described (homepage)
• Pricing and process: Fully managed work needs at least $50,000 a month in ad spend; impact usually in 4–6 weeks; advisory offered for smaller teams. No fee published (homepage)

Consider another option if: your media budget is below $50,000 a month and you want a managed team.

Growthr

64/100. Best for fintech and consumer apps that want an embedded growth team at a published fee. growthr.com

Growthr is a San Francisco growth agency that embeds in client teams (homepage).

• Published work: StellarFi: $2M+ ARR in 150 days, 300K+ new users, CAC halved. Trim: 4x ad spend at 126% ROAS and 2M+ sign-ups (homepage)
• Services: Apple Ads, Google App campaigns and in-app networks; paid social on Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, X and LinkedIn; influencer marketing (homepage)
• Pricing and process: Embedded team at $10,000 a month plus 10% of managed media; suggests smaller options below about $20,000 a month in media; $250 advisory calls (homepage)

Consider another option if: you want recent case dates, or app creative made by creators at volume.

AppAgent

61/100. Best for mobile games that want UA, creative and monetization advice together. appagent.com

AppAgent is a mobile game marketing agency with entities in Prague and Delaware (homepage).

• Published work: Six named games with figures (Bellemint, Starborne: Frontiers, Game of Words, Star Stable, Pocket Paws, Marvel Puzzle Quest), for example Marvel Puzzle Quest (+101% Android D7 ROAS year on year), Game of Words (+544% users) and Bellemint (+45% ROAS) (homepage)
• Services: UA on Meta, Google, TikTok, AppLovin and Apple Ads; video, playable and UGC ad creative; ASO; monetization (homepage)
• Pricing and process: A diagnostic (GamePlan) works as the pilot; no budget minimums stated; no prices (homepage)

Consider another option if: your app isn't a game.

The Social Outline

59/100. Best for smaller subscription apps that want Meta buying and UGC creative from one team at a published monthly price. thesocialoutline.com

The Social Outline is a performance creative agency for mobile apps and consumer brands, focused on Meta ads (homepage).

• Published work: Named apps with headline results: Steps & Beasts (+1112% revenue), Tonaly (3x ROAS sustained at scale), Preggers (+1611% in the US), Oli Help (+394% revenue in 90 days) and LingoLooper (+49% revenue in 2 months). No full case write-ups on the homepage (homepage)
• Services: Meta media buying and account structure; AI UGC, real UGC video and static ads; creative strategy mapped to awareness stages. No TikTok or Google buying described (homepage)
• Pricing and process: Three plans from £1,500 a month covering strategy, production and Meta management; £3,000 minimum monthly ad spend (homepage)

Consider another option if: you need TikTok, Google or Apple Ads run by the same team.

Moburst

53/100. Best for apps that want paid media, ASO, creative and influencer work from one large agency. moburst.com

Moburst is a mobile-first agency with offices including New York, San Francisco, London and Ra'anana, Israel (homepage).

• Published work: 13 app cases with figures, for example Calm (+36% organic installs), Reflectly (−40% down-funnel conversion costs) and Mailwise (−70% CPI). Several are ASO or organic results, not paid social (homepage)
• Services: Media buying, social, influencer marketing, creator network, UGC, ASO and analytics (homepage)
• Pricing and process: No prices or minimums; budget form tiers only (homepage)

Consider another option if: you want paid social results specifically. Many of its app cases are organic growth.

inBeat

52/100. Best for apps that want creator-made ads and the media buying behind them from one team. inbeat.agency

inBeat runs creator, UGC and paid media services and tags many cases as apps and tech (case studies). Several of its cases (Hopper, Booksy, HelloFresh) also appear on 9AM's site, which says it is part of Fieldtrip; ask each which team ran the media (9AM).

• Published work: Hopper (20% lower UA cost, 300+ assets a month), Booksy (60% lower acquisition cost at 6x paid scale), Greenpark Sports (70% lower CPI), Unroll.me (75% lower CPA), Yubo (35% more sign-ups); many cards marked "coming soon" (case studies)
• Services: Creator and UGC production, paid social and performance media, and creative testing (case studies, Bumble)
• Pricing and process: No app pricing found in this pass (case studies)

Consider another option if: you want full, dated case write-ups before you sign.

NewForm

46/100. Best for apps that need 30 to 400 tested ads a month, with creators and testing software. newform.com

NewForm is a New York creative company that sells testing software (Framework), full-service creative, and a separate managed creator program, NewForm One (homepage).

• Published work: Dub (100K+ downloads), 18 Birdies (74% lower CAC) and Betr (top-spending video ad). Also names Coffee Meets Bagel, Babbel, Finch and Flo without figures (homepage)
• Services: Creative strategy, in-house production of 30 to 400 original ads per brand a month, testing in Framework, and managed creators through NewForm One. Media buying only when scoped (homepage)
• Pricing and process: No prices or minimums; fit assessed per brand (homepage)

Consider another option if: you want one agency to buy media and own the results.

Miri Growth

45/100. Best for games and subscription apps that want UA and creative from an agency inside a large group. mirigrowth.com

Miri Growth is a mobile growth agency in New York and London and part of MSQ (homepage).

• Published work: Case studies for Runna, Paired (doubled conversion rate, scaled 6x on Meta), Trailmix, Luni, Rovio and Twin Harbour; most show titles without figures (homepage)
• Services: Paid social, Apple Ads and search, ad networks, CTV, MMP and signal work; UGC, motion and game creative (homepage)
• Pricing and process: No prices or process (homepage)

Consider another option if: you want detailed, dated results.

Z2A Digital

42/100. Best for creative-tool apps scaling across many paid channels. z2adigital.com

Z2A Digital is a performance growth and UA agency offering paid social, paid search and lead generation (Lightricks).

• Published work: Lightricks (Facetune, Photoleap, Videoleap): 25 channels, +185% new installs, +35% installs to free trial, +82% monthly purchase growth (Lightricks)
• Services: Media buying across 25 channels, UGC blended with produced creative, and bidding tied to CPA and ROAS. The case lists media buying as the service (Lightricks)
• Pricing and process: No prices or process (Lightricks)

Consider another option if: you want several app cases to compare.

9AM

41/100. Best for apps that want media buying plus creator content from a media-agency setup. nine.am

9AM describes itself as a media agency and says it is part of Fieldtrip (homepage).

• Published work: Hopper (−20% UA cost), Booksy (−63% CPA) and HelloFresh (−20% global CPA); Yubo listed without figures. The same clients appear on inBeat's case page (homepage, inBeat)
• Services: Media buying across Meta, TikTok and Snapchat plus search and CTV, creative strategy with 300+ variations, influencer marketing and measurement (homepage)
• Pricing and process: No prices (homepage)

Consider another option if: you want app-specific case detail.

REPLUG

36/100. Best for games and apps that want paid UA, ASO and creative from one European agency. rplg.io

REPLUG GmbH calls itself an international full-service mobile app marketing agency; directory listings place it in Berlin (homepage, Sortlist). It is not replug.io, a link-management tool.

• Published work: Jelly Juice (match-3 game): +87% revenue. An unnamed paid-surveys app at 273% ROAS. Bild News, InvoiceASAP and Le Figaro cases listed without figures (homepage)
• Services: Paid user acquisition, creative studio, ASO, OEM ads, tracking and SKAN audits, retention and CRM. Paid social isn't described as its own service (homepage)
• Pricing and process: No prices or process (homepage)

Consider another option if: you want detailed paid social results from apps like yours.

ONE Agency

32/100. Best for dating and social apps that want UGC-led paid campaigns. marketingagency.one

ONE Agency describes itself as a full-service marketing agency for global brands, "from Berlin to the world" (Badoo).

• Published work: Badoo: a UGC-driven performance campaign with 6M+ views and "record app installs", no install figure (Badoo)
• Services: Performance marketing, UGC production, paid social and app marketing (Badoo)
• Pricing and process: No prices or process (Badoo)

Consider another option if: you need install or subscription figures from past work.

Other agencies to consider

They are left off because they don't buy paid social, not because of their quality.

Questions to ask any agency before you sign

Use these with every agency on this page, Kiko included.

1. Which apps like ours have you scaled in the last 12 months? Can we see a dated case with spend, CPI and a down-funnel result (trial, subscription, funded account)?
2. What is your fee: flat retainer, percentage of spend, or both? Is creative extra?
3. What is the minimum monthly media spend you need to do good work?
4. Which event do you optimize to, and how do you handle iOS measurement (SKAN, MMP)?
5. Where does creative come from: in-house, AI tools, or real creators? How many new concepts a week?
6. Who owns the ad accounts, pixels and creative if we part ways?
7. Who handles platform approvals in restricted categories (finance, health, dating)?
8. How is creator content in ads disclosed? FTC guidance says a material connection must be obvious (FTC).
9. Do you work with a direct competitor of ours right now?

What else should you read?

• Creator marketing or paid social first? Compare the two for apps
• Meta and TikTok for AI creative tools: the playbook
• Fintech: scaling Meta and TikTok after a Series A and paid ads for consumer fintech
• Dating apps: paid ads measured on match quality
• Creator tools: Meta and TikTok acquisition
• Creator agencies by industry: dating, education, health and fitness, fintech

How we scored

Agencies are scored out of 100, with 25 points each for relevant client work, service scope, published process and pricing, and recency. The linked sources show the work behind each score. Kiko is the publisher and is not scored.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best paid social agencies for apps?

Admiral Media, RocketShip HQ, Growthr, AppAgent (for games) and The Social Outline publish the most named app results. Admiral and RocketShip HQ say they work best at $50,000+ a month in media.

How much does a paid social agency for apps cost?

Growthr publishes $10,000 a month plus 10% of media. The Social Outline starts at £1,500 a month. Admiral charges a monthly fee separate from media, with AI creative batches from €10,000 for 20 videos. Kiko starts with a 90-day growth sprint from $10,000 a month and bills media at cost. Most others don't publish fees.

What's the minimum ad spend for an app UA agency?

RocketShip HQ requires at least $50,000 a month for fully managed work, and Admiral says its ideal clients spend $50,000+. Growthr suggests smaller options below about $20,000 a month, and The Social Outline sets a £3,000 floor. Kiko needs at least $15,000 a month in media to test properly.

Should an app use creators or a paid social agency?

Use both: creators make the ads, and paid social scales the winners. See our comparison of creator marketing and paid social for apps.

Is this list ranked?

The thirteen scored agencies are ordered by a published 100-point rubric that measures public evidence, not fit. Kiko is featured at the top and not scored. Price is not scored.