# CPA (Total)

URL: https://storelift.net/glossary/cpa-total/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-19

CPA (Total) is Apple Ads spend divided by all attributed installs: the ones that followed a tap on your ad, plus view-through installs from people who saw the ad, did not tap it, and installed the app later. It is the broader of the two cost-per-install figures Apple Ads reports.

## How CPA (Total) is calculated

CPA (Total) = spend ÷ (tap-through installs + view-through installs). Take the hypothetical week from CPA (Tap): $240 of spend, 48 installs after a tap and 12 view-through installs. CPA (Total) is $240 ÷ 60 = $4.00, against $5.00 for CPA (Tap).

A view-through install is an install Apple Ads attributes to an ad that was seen but not tapped: the person saw your ad, moved on, and installed the app afterwards. Apple Ads decides which installs count as view-through; CPA (Total) adds them to the tap-through ones.

## How to read CPA (Total)

- Use it for what the budget bought. It answers "what did each install cost, counting everyone the ad reached" — the figure to set against total spend and revenue.
- Watch the gap to CPA (Tap). When the two are close, almost every install came through a tap. A wide gap means the ad also works as something people see and come back to.
- Keep one version per comparison. Setting one keyword's CPA (Total) against another's CPA (Tap) mixes two denominators; pick one and use it across the table.

Storelift's Apple Ads screens use the same name, CPA (Total), for this column.

## CPA (Total) vs CPA (Tap): which one to use

Use CPA (Tap) when you judge a single keyword's bid: every install in it followed a tap on that keyword's ad. Use CPA (Total) when you judge a campaign as a whole, because view-through installs are part of what the spend bought.

Both share the same spend, so CPA (Total) is never higher than CPA (Tap). If CPA (Total) improves while CPA (Tap) stays flat, the extra installs came from people who saw the ad, not from more taps.

## FAQ

Q: What is a view-through install in Apple Ads?
A: An install Apple Ads attributes to an ad that was seen but not tapped: the person saw your ad, did not tap it, and installed the app later.

Q: Is CPA (Total) always lower than CPA (Tap)?
A: It is equal or lower. Both divide the same spend, and CPA (Total) divides it by more installs.

Q: Which CPA should I use to set bids?
A: For one keyword's bid, CPA (Tap) is the stricter guide, because each install in it followed a tap on that keyword's ad. CPA (Total) is the better view of what the whole budget bought.