CIS In-App Traffic in 2026: Real Numbers, Real Mistakes, Real Budget Breakdown

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CIS in-app: $10K to test from scratch, $500 if you have a working model. Here's what actually matters.

Most teams are still laser-focused on Tier-1. Meanwhile, CIS in-app sits at moderate competition, CPI close to the lower end of the global range ($0.34 vs $5.28 in North America), and 88–93% internet penetration — on par with Europe.

We worked with the media buying team Traffy and broke down the real numbers:

• How much budget you need for first tests (and why $500 can be enough)
• 7 mistakes that kill CIS campaigns — payment method timing, wrong app categories, bad scaling pace
• Why splitting by ad format matters more than most teams think

Read our article before your next test. It might save you a few thousand dollars