Simple math, uncomfortable answer

If CPM is $2 and IPM is 1, your install can't cost $0.15

Someone is selling you installs at $0.15. But showing an ad to 1,000 real people in your market costs $2+. Even with a best-in-class IPM of 1, the minimum real CPI is $2.00.

So where are those $0.15 installs coming from? Not from real impressions to real humans. The math simply doesn't allow it.

Market CPM
$2.00
÷
Best IPM
1.0
=
Min. real CPI
$2.00
≠
"Your CPI"
$0.15
Check your numbers
Calculator: $2.00 ÷ 1 ≠ $0.15 — the share of real installs on a donut chart
Interactive tool

UA Reality Check

Enter what you're being offered — per install (CPI) or per action (CPA). Pick your pricing model below; each check loads real market CPM benchmarks and shows instantly whether the math is even possible.

Static preview. This viewer doesn't run scripts, so the numbers below show a fixed example (United States × Android × Video × Fintech). Open the page in Safari or Chrome to use the live calculator.
Vertical
Country
Platform
Ad format
Market CPM (cost of real impressions)$25.75
Don't know your CPM? Leave it — it's pre-filled with the Reliz DSP median for your selection above.
CPI you're being offered$ 
Drag for quick estimates or type the exact CPI from your offer.
Realistic IPM for your vertical0.8
Don't know your IPM? Leave it — it's pre-filled with a realistic benchmark for your vertical. If unsure, keep it generous: a higher IPM makes the floor lower, so the check stays fair to the seller.
Monthly UA budget$10,000
Real CPM data from Reliz DSP United States × Android × Video × fintech. CPM $25.75, IPM 0.8. Median interstitial CPM (in-app video proxy). Adjust sliders to match your data.
The math
Market CPM
$25.75
Your IPM
0.8
Minimum honest CPI
$32.19
CPM $25.75 ÷ IPM 0.8 = floor
CPI you're paying
$0.50
Floor CPI: $32.19 (Android, Video, United States)
Gap
-$31.69
98% below floor
Impact on your budget
Installs reported
20,000
Installs math allows
311
Ghost installs
19,689
98% of reported installs
Money spent on ghosts
$9,845
⚠ CPI is below floor price

United States Android Video: min CPI $32.19. Yours $0.50 — 98% below.

Floor: $32.19 | Yours: $0.50 (98% below)
Vertical
Country
Platform
Ad format
Market CPM (cost of real impressions)$25.75
Don't know your CPM? Leave it — it's pre-filled with the Reliz DSP median for your selection above.
Realistic IPM for your vertical0.8
Don't know your IPM? Leave it — it's pre-filled with a realistic benchmark for your vertical. If unsure, keep it generous: a higher IPM makes the floor lower, so the check stays fair to the seller.
CPA you're being offered$ 
Drag for quick estimates or type the exact CPA from your offer.
CR: install → target event8%
Pre-filled with a typical rate for your vertical's target event (e.g. registration, first deposit). Use your funnel's real CR if you know it.
Monthly UA budget$10,000
Real CPM data from Reliz DSP United States × Android × Video × fintech. CPM $25.75, IPM 0.8, CR 8% registration. Median interstitial CPM (in-app video proxy). Adjust sliders to match your data.
The math
Market CPM
$25.75
Your IPM
0.8
Minimum honest CPI
$32.19
CPM $25.75 ÷ IPM 0.8 = floor
CPA vs floor
CPA you're paying
$5.00
Implied CPI from CPA
$0.40
CPA $5.00 × CR 8%
Minimum honest CPA
$402.34
$32.19 ÷ 8% = floor CPA
CPA gap
-$397.34
99% below CPA floor
Impact on your budget
Events reported
2,000
Events math allows
25
Ghost events
1,975
99% of reported events
Money spent on ghosts
$9,875
⚠ CPA is below floor price

United States Android Video: min CPA $402.34 ($32.19 ÷ 8%). Yours $5.00 — 99% below. The implied CPI of $0.40 can't buy a real impression.

Floor: $402.34 | Yours: $5.00 (99% below)
What nobody tells you

The economics don't lie

When the price is too good to be true, you're not buying what you think.

$0.15

can't exist at $2+ CPM

If showing an ad to 1,000 real people costs $2, one install can't cost $0.15. You'd need an impossibly high IPM of 13 just to break even at that price — and nobody converts at IPM 13. The question is: where do these installs actually come from?

Bots

pass your retention checks

Modern bots emulate Day 1, Day 7, even Day 30 retention. They mimic organic behavior patterns. Your MMP says clean — but the math says otherwise. Trust the math.

CPM

is the one metric that can't be faked

The cost of showing an ad to a real person in a real app is set by RTB auctions with millions of data points. It's the ground truth of digital advertising. Everything else can be manipulated.

No bullshit

Questions you should ask any traffic source

And answers you won't hear from those selling $0.15 installs.

"Why is your CPI higher?"

+
Honest answer

Because we buy real impressions at market CPM and convert real users. Our CPI reflects what it actually costs to reach a real human. If someone's CPI is below CPM ÷ IPM — ask them where the installs come from.

"My MMP shows clean traffic though."

+
Honest answer

Modern bots pass SDK verification, emulate retention, mimic organic patterns. MMPs catch basic issues — click injection, device farms. But sophisticated attribution manipulation looks clean everywhere except in basic math.

"Can you guarantee better results?"

+
Honest answer

We guarantee real impressions, real users, real data. We run a 2-week pilot, you see actual numbers. If our CPI is higher but your CPA is lower — you're paying less per real outcome. If not, we'll tell you honestly.

"Why a smaller DSP over Moloco?"

+
Honest answer

Maybe you shouldn't switch. Self-serve DSPs work for big budgets. But if you need someone checking your math, verifying traffic quality, and optimizing with your specific funnel in mind — that's what a 20-client limit buys you.

Start checking your math today

Send us your app, your geo, your current CPI. We'll show you the CPM floor price for your market and whether your current traffic sources are mathematically possible. Free. No strings.

Get your free UA audit
A smiling media buyer and a growth chart of real installs