# Best App Marketing Companies & Agencies (2026) > The best app marketing agencies charge $3,000–$25,000+/month. Compare 7 top app marketing companies, their services and costs — plus the DIY alternative. - **Author:** Peter Sutarik - **Published:** July 20, 2026 - **Updated:** August 24, 2026 - **Tags:** app marketing agencies, app marketing services, aso, user acquisition, mobile marketing - **Reading time:** 20 min - **Canonical:** https://trysonar.app/blog/best-app-marketing-agencies --- ## The Best App Marketing Agencies: What They Cost, What They Do, and When to Skip Them App marketing agencies charge between $3,000 and $25,000+ per month on retainer, depending on portfolio size, market coverage, and scope (source: [Business of Apps, ASO Costs](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/app-store-optimization/research/app-store-optimization-costs/)). For well-funded apps targeting multiple markets, that spend can pay for itself in reduced CPI and higher organic rankings. For indie developers and small teams with one or two apps, the math rarely works out. I run Sonar, an ASO tool, so I see both sides daily. Agencies using our API pull keyword data across iOS and Google Play for dozens of client apps. Solo developers use the same data at a fraction of the cost. This article covers seven of the best app marketing agencies worth evaluating in 2026, then breaks down when the DIY route delivers better ROI. ## What Do App Marketing Agencies Actually Do? Full-service app marketing companies typically bundle five to eight services into a monthly retainer. The core offerings across the agencies I evaluated break down like this: | Service | What It Covers | Typical Monthly Add-On | |-|-|-| | App Store Optimization (ASO) | Keyword research, metadata optimization, screenshot/video testing | $3,000–$10,000 | | Paid User Acquisition (UA) | Meta, Google, TikTok, Apple Search Ads campaign management | $5,000–$25,000+ (plus media spend) | | Creative Production | App store screenshots, preview videos, ad creatives | $2,000–$8,000 | | CRM / Retention | Push notifications, in-app messaging, lifecycle campaigns | $3,000–$7,000 | | Analytics & Attribution | MMP setup (Adjust, AppsFlyer), SKAN audits, reporting | $2,000–$5,000 | *Ranges based on publicly available pricing from agencies listed below and industry benchmarks from [Business of Apps](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/app-store-optimization/research/app-store-optimization-costs/) and [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/agencies/app-marketing), accessed July 2026.* Most agencies require a 3-to-6-month minimum commitment because ASO improvements compound over multiple optimization cycles (source: [AppAgent, ASO Pricing](https://appagent.com/blog/app-store-optimization-pricing/)). That means your minimum spend before evaluating ROI is $9,000 to $75,000+. For a deeper breakdown, see our guide on [what ASO costs across tools, agencies, and DIY approaches](https://trysonar.app/blog/aso-cost). ## 7 Best App Marketing Agencies in 2026 ### 1. Moburst — Best for Enterprise-Scale Growth **Founded:** 2013 | **HQ:** New York, San Francisco, London, Tel Aviv | **Minimum project:** $10,000 (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/moburst)) Moburst works with brands that have massive install bases. Of the 15 apps with over one billion downloads worldwide, 46% work exclusively with Moburst (source: [moburst.com](https://www.moburst.com/)). Clients include Google, Samsung, Reddit, Uber, Bumble, and Robinhood. **Services:** ASO, paid UA across all major channels, influencer marketing, creative production, product consulting, social media strategy. **Pricing:** Project-based engagements range from $10,000 to $199,000+. Monthly retainers typically start above $15,000/month (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/moburst)). **Best for:** Enterprise apps with six-figure marketing budgets. Not a fit for indie developers or early-stage startups. ### 2. Gummicube — Best for Pure ASO **Founded:** 2010 | **HQ:** San Jose, CA | **Hourly rate:** $50–$99 (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/gummicube)) Gummicube is one of the oldest dedicated ASO agencies, combining managed services with proprietary technology (DATACUBE for keyword intelligence, Splitcube for A/B testing). Clients include Microsoft, Adobe, LinkedIn, Electronic Arts, and Sephora (source: [gummicube.com](https://www.gummicube.com/)). In my experience, agencies that build their own keyword intelligence — as Gummicube does with DATACUBE — tend to deliver more actionable recommendations than those relying solely on third-party tools. **Services:** Keyword optimization, conversion rate optimization, A/B testing through Splitcube, competitive intelligence, and search optimization for both App Store and Google Play. **Pricing:** Minimum project size is $1,000+, with custom retainers that clients describe as "expensive but justified by results" (source: [Clutch.co reviews](https://clutch.co/profile/gummicube)). Based on comparable ASO-focused agency retainers on [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/agencies/app-marketing), I estimate managed engagements in the $5,000–$15,000/month range for mid-market clients — contact them directly for current rates. **Best for:** Mid-to-enterprise apps whose primary bottleneck is organic App Store and Google Play visibility, not paid acquisition. ### 3. Phiture — Best for Data-Driven Growth Strategy **Founded:** 2016 | **HQ:** Berlin, New York | **Team:** 30+ nationalities (source: [phiture.com](https://phiture.com/who-we-are/)) Phiture created the influential [Mobile Growth Stack](https://phiture.com/resources/) framework that many agencies now reference. Co-founders Andy Carvell and Moritz Daan treat growth as a system, not a series of campaigns. Clients include Spotify, SoundCloud, Headspace, Deezer, and foodspring (source: [phiture.com](https://phiture.com/)). **Services:** ASO, performance marketing, engagement & CRM, creative production, and data/AI-driven optimization. **Pricing:** One publicly referenced engagement was approximately $15,000/month (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/phiture)). Custom pricing based on scope. **Best for:** Growth-stage apps with $1M+ ARR that need a strategic partner. Phiture's consultancy model suits teams building internal growth capabilities. ### 4. Yodel Mobile — Best for Full-Funnel App Growth **Founded:** 2007 | **HQ:** London | **Awards:** 65+ since 2018 (source: [yodelmobile.com](https://yodelmobile.com/)) Named App Marketing Agency of the Year at the App Growth Awards, Yodel Mobile has 16+ years of app marketing experience. Clients include Dick's Sporting Goods, TUI, Gymshark, The Economist, and NBCUniversal (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/yodel-mobile)). **Services:** ASO, paid UA, app launch strategy, CRM and marketing automation, creative production, CRO, localization, and custom product pages. **Pricing:** Custom retainers; industry benchmarks for agencies of this caliber suggest $7,000–$20,000/month (source: [Business of Apps](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/app-store-optimization/research/app-store-optimization-costs/)). **Best for:** Apps looking for a UK-based agency with deep expertise across the acquisition-to-retention funnel. ### 5. REPLUG — Best for Mobile-First Companies in Europe **Founded:** 2020 | **HQ:** Berlin | **Founded by:** Luca Mastrorocco, Lorenzo Rossi (source: [rplg.io](https://www.rplg.io/about-us)) REPLUG is a newer agency built by two AdTech veterans. Recognized as a Top Mobile App Marketing Company by Business of Apps from 2021 to 2025 (source: [businessofapps.com](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/replug/)). Clients include Bolt, McDonald's, Le Figaro, Intesa Sanpaolo, and Satispay. Having reviewed several REPLUG case studies, I find their strength is in combining martech audits with hands-on UA execution — a pairing few smaller agencies offer. **Services:** Growth consulting (martech setup, MMP/SKAN audits), paid UA across Meta, Google, TikTok, Apple Search Ads, and OEM placements, ASO (metadata, creatives, A/B testing, localization), and retention/mobile CRM. **Pricing:** Custom. Based on their mid-size European agency positioning and [Clutch.co reviewer feedback](https://clutch.co/profile/replug), I estimate retainers in the $5,000–$12,000/month range — but this is an author estimate, not a confirmed figure. Contact REPLUG directly for current rates. **Best for:** European mobile-first companies or apps expanding into European markets that need an agency fluent in multi-market UA and ASO. ### 6. ConsultMyApp (CMA) — Best for ASO + Proprietary Data **Founded:** 2016 | **HQ:** London, Altshausen (Germany) (source: [consultmyapp.com](https://www.consultmyapp.com/)) CMA won ASO Company of the Year at the 2023 App Growth Awards (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/consultmyapp-cma)). They are the only agency on this list that operates its own proprietary data platform, APPlyzer, giving them exclusive keyword and market intelligence. **Services:** ASO, paid UA, retention and engagement, SEO, creative design, performance marketing, and data analytics. **Clients:** Macy's, Papa Johns, Virgin Media O2, Paramount, L'Oreal, Western Union, MonopolyGo, Deliveroo (source: [consultmyapp.com](https://www.consultmyapp.com/appmarketingagency)). **Pricing:** Custom. Clutch reviewers describe pricing as "budget-friendly" relative to competitors (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/profile/consultmyapp-cma)). **Best for:** Mid-market apps that want ASO-first strategy backed by proprietary data rather than off-the-shelf tooling. ### 7. PreApps — Best for App Launch Campaigns **Founded:** ~2011 | **HQ:** Boston | **Downloads delivered:** 550M+ (source: [preapps.com](https://www.preapps.com/)) PreApps focuses on getting apps from zero to traction. Their launch programs blend ASO, paid UA, PR, influencer outreach, and viral video marketing. They claim up to 250% more downloads within 60 days (vendor-reported, not independently verified) (source: [preapps.com](https://www.preapps.com/)). They also offer a 14-day happiness guarantee. **Services:** Pre-launch marketing, ASO, user acquisition, influencer marketing, press outreach, and viral video production. **Pricing:** Average engagement starts at $20,000–$25,000/month. Hourly rate: $150–$199 (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/agencies/app-marketing), [preapps.com](https://www.preapps.com/)). **Best for:** Funded startups launching a new app that need a big push in the first 60–90 days. Too expensive for bootstrapped indie developers. ## Agency Comparison: Costs, Services, and Fit | Agency | Min. Monthly Cost | ASO | Paid UA | CRM | Creative | Best For | |-|-|-|-|-|-|-| | Moburst | ~$15,000+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Enterprise apps | | Gummicube | ~$5,000+ | Yes | No | No | Limited | Pure ASO focus | | Phiture | ~$15,000 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Growth strategy | | Yodel Mobile | ~$7,000+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Full funnel | | REPLUG | Custom | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | European mobile-first | | CMA | Custom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ASO + proprietary data | | PreApps | ~$20,000+ | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | App launches | *Estimates based on Clutch.co project data and agency websites, accessed July 2026. Actual pricing varies by scope.* ![Bar chart comparing monthly retainer costs of 7 app marketing agencies vs Sonar DIY — PreApps at $20,000+, Moburst and Phiture at $15,000, down to Sonar at $19/month](https://trysonar.app/blog/best-app-marketing-agencies-hero.png) *Agency retainers range from $5,000 to $20,000+/month. Sonar delivers the same keyword data for $19/month.* ## What Do the Best App Marketing Companies Have in Common? The top app marketing companies share three traits that separate them from generic digital agencies: **mobile-specific tooling**, **cross-store expertise** (iOS and Google Play have fundamentally different indexing rules), and **transparent reporting tied to organic rankings, not just install volume**. A recurring theme in Clutch.co reviews is that marketers cite lack of visibility into keyword ranking changes as a top frustration with agencies (source: [Clutch.co reviewer feedback](https://clutch.co/agencies/app-marketing)). When evaluating any app marketing company, look for these differentiators: - **Proprietary or advanced ASO data** — Companies like Gummicube (DATACUBE) and CMA (APPlyzer) invest in their own keyword intelligence. Agencies relying only on off-the-shelf tools add limited value over a [$19/month ASO tool](https://trysonar.app/pricing). - **Named case studies with ranking data** — Installs can be bought; organic ranking lifts cannot. Ask to see before/after keyword positions, not just download graphs. - **Platform-specific strategy** — Apple's App Store indexes titles, subtitles, and a 100-character keyword field. Google Play indexes the full 4,000-character description (source: [Apple Developer Documentation](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/), [Google Play Console Help](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859455)). Any company treating both stores identically is underdelivering. If you are still weighing whether to hire an app marketing company or handle growth internally, our [mobile app marketing playbook](https://trysonar.app/blog/mobile-app-marketing) walks through a 3-phase strategy (pre-launch, launch, post-launch) you can execute on a $0–$500/month budget. ## How to Choose the Right App Marketing Company for Your App The single most important factor when choosing an app marketing company is whether the firm specializes in your app's growth bottleneck — organic discovery, paid acquisition, or retention — rather than offering a generic bundle. According to Clutch.co reviewer data, a common complaint among marketers who switched agencies is misaligned specialization — hiring a full-service firm when the real need was a narrow ASO or UA fix (source: [Clutch.co, App Marketing Reviews](https://clutch.co/agencies/app-marketing)). Before you contact any app marketing company, run a baseline audit of your own listing. Our [ASO audit guide](https://trysonar.app/blog/aso-audit-guide) walks through six areas you can score in 30 minutes — metadata, visuals, ratings, keyword coverage, competitive positioning, and conversion signals. That audit tells you which service category from the table above (ASO, paid UA, creative, CRM) is your actual bottleneck, and that determines which company type to shortlist. Here is a practical checklist for narrowing your shortlist (for specific interview questions to ask once you have finalists, see [How to Evaluate an App Marketing Agency](#how-to-evaluate-an-app-marketing-agency) below): - **Match company type to bottleneck.** If your app's organic search rankings are the problem, an ASO specialist (Gummicube, CMA) will outperform a full-service agency charging 2–3x more for services you do not need yet. - **Demand keyword-level reporting.** Any app marketing company worth hiring should report organic keyword rank changes — not just aggregate install counts. Run a [competitor keyword analysis](https://trysonar.app/blog/competitor-keyword-analysis) before the first call so you can evaluate whether their keyword strategy adds terms you have not already found. - **Check platform-specific depth.** Apple's App Store and Google Play use different indexing rules (source: [Apple Developer Documentation](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/), [Google Play Console Help](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859455)). A company that applies the same metadata template to both stores is leaving performance on the table. - **Verify minimum commitment against your runway.** Most app marketing companies require 3–6 months at $3,000–$25,000+/month (source: [Business of Apps](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/app-store-optimization/research/app-store-optimization-costs/)). That is $9,000–$150,000 before you can evaluate ROI. If that exceeds your budget, a [$19/month ASO tool](https://trysonar.app/pricing) covers the keyword research layer and lets you defer agency spend until revenue justifies it. ## The DIY Alternative: When ASO Tools Beat App Marketing Agencies Here is the honest math. If you are an indie developer or a small team with one to three apps, hiring an agency at $5,000+/month means spending $60,000+/year before you see compounding results. For many apps, that budget exceeds total annual revenue. The alternative is doing ASO yourself with the right tooling. An ASO tool like Sonar costs [$19/month](https://trysonar.app/pricing) — roughly 0.4% of a mid-range agency retainer. The tradeoff is your time, but the keyword research and competitor analysis that agencies charge thousands for is the same data you can pull yourself. Take 'habit tracker' — Sonar shows iOS popularity 59 with difficulty 67. Without professional keyword research or a solid ASO tool, an indie app targeting this term is invisible in search results. (source: Sonar /api/v1/keywords/search, queried 2026-07-20) Cross-platform: 'budget planner' has iOS difficulty 66 vs Android difficulty 59 — the gap matters when allocating optimization budget across stores. (source: Sonar /api/v1/keywords/search, queried 2026-07-20) With a tool, you see this gap yourself instead of paying an agency to tell you. For more on interpreting difficulty scores, see our [keyword difficulty explainer](https://trysonar.app/blog/keyword-difficulty-explained). ### What You Can Do Yourself with ASO Tools - **Keyword research and tracking** — Tools like Sonar show search popularity, difficulty, and autocomplete suggestions for both iOS and Google Play. This is the core deliverable app marketing agencies charge $3,000–$10,000/month for. - **Metadata optimization** — Apple's App Store title field accepts 30 characters; the subtitle adds another 30. Google Play indexes up to 4,000 characters in the description (source: [Apple Developer Documentation](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/), [Google Play Console Help](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859455)). You can optimize these fields yourself using our [ASO keyword research guide](https://trysonar.app/blog/keyword-research-guide). - **Competitor analysis** — See which keywords your competitors rank for and identify gaps. Our [6-step keyword research workflow](https://trysonar.app/blog/app-store-keyword-research-6-step-workflow) walks through this process. - **Rank tracking** — Monitor daily ranking changes across keywords and stores. ### The First 90 Days, Without an Agency If you're weighing a retainer against doing it yourself, it helps to see what the first quarter of work actually contains. This is the sequence I'd follow, and it's close to what a mid-range engagement delivers in its first three months. **Month 1 — get the foundation right.** Read the [indie developer ASO guide](https://trysonar.app/blog/indie-developer-aso-guide) end to end first; it covers the fundamentals the rest of this assumes. Then decide your monetization posture, because it changes your keyword strategy more than most people expect — [free versus paid apps rank and convert differently](https://trysonar.app/blog/free-vs-paid-apps-aso), and optimizing a paid app with a free app's keyword set wastes the whole quarter. If you haven't launched yet, [TestFlight beta testing is also a metadata rehearsal](https://trysonar.app/blog/testflight-beta-testing-for-aso-metadata) — you can validate positioning language on real testers before it's public and permanent. **Month 2 — launch mechanics and momentum.** On Google Play, [pre-registration](https://trysonar.app/blog/google-play-pre-registration) is a free install-velocity lever that most indie developers skip entirely, and install velocity feeds Play's ranking directly. On iOS, [In-App Events are the ASO surface most indie devs miss](https://trysonar.app/blog/in-app-events-aso-what-indie-devs-miss) — they're indexed, they get their own cards in search, and almost nobody in the indie segment uses them. **Month 3 — expand carefully.** Two decisions belong here. First, paid: understand how [Apple Search Ads and organic ASO interact](https://trysonar.app/blog/apple-search-ads-vs-organic-aso) before you spend, because they're not independent channels and the naive version of "just bid on our keywords" is how budgets disappear. Second, markets: [localization can cost you home-market rankings](https://trysonar.app/blog/app-localization-keep-home-rankings-intact) if you do it carelessly, which is the single most expensive self-inflicted ASO wound I see. That's roughly a quarter's agency output for the cost of a tool subscription and a few hours a month. The reason to hire an agency isn't that this list is secret — it's that executing it consistently while also building the app is genuinely hard. ### What You Cannot Easily Do Yourself - **Paid user acquisition at scale** — Managing campaigns across Meta, Google, TikTok, and Apple Search Ads requires specialized media buying expertise. - **Creative production** — Professional screenshot design, preview videos, and ad creatives need design skills or a freelancer. - **CRM and lifecycle marketing** — Push notification sequences and in-app messaging flows require both technical and strategic expertise. - **Multi-market localization** — Optimizing listings across 20+ languages needs native speakers and cultural context. One middle path: [marketing automation agents](https://trysonar.app/blog/app-marketing-automation-agents) can handle repetitive ASO workflows (keyword monitoring, cross-platform opportunity detection) without the cost of a full-service agency. ### The Decision Framework | Criteria | Hire an Agency | DIY with ASO Tools | |-|-|-| | Monthly budget | $5,000+ available for marketing | Under $5,000 total | | App portfolio | 10+ apps across markets | 1–3 apps | | Primary need | Paid UA + ASO + CRM combined | Keyword research + ASO | | Team size | Marketing team of 3+ | Solo dev or small team | | Revenue stage | $50K+/month app revenue | Pre-revenue or early revenue | | Time available | Limited — need to delegate | Can invest 5–10 hours/month in ASO | For a deeper dive on this decision, I wrote a full cost-benefit breakdown in [ASO Agency, Tool, or DIY?](https://trysonar.app/blog/aso-agency-tool-or-diy). ## Full-Service Agencies vs Search Ads Specialists A distinction worth making before you shortlist anyone: "app marketing agency" covers two quite different businesses, and hiring the wrong type is a common and expensive mistake. **Full-service agencies** (Moburst, Yodel Mobile, Phiture) cover organic and paid together — ASO, user acquisition across networks, creative production, lifecycle marketing, and analytics. You're buying breadth and a single point of coordination. Retainers reflect that: $8,000–$25,000+/month is typical, and the minimum contract exists because it takes them a month or two just to learn your product. **Search Ads and ASO specialists** (Gummicube, The ASO Project, RadASO) go deep on the App Store and Play Store specifically — keyword strategy, metadata, Apple Search Ads campaign structure, Custom Product Pages. Narrower scope, lower retainers, usually $3,000–$8,000/month, and generally more measurable because the surface area is smaller. The reason to care: paid search and organic search on the App Store are the same keyword space. An agency that runs your Apple Search Ads without touching your metadata is bidding for terms your listing doesn't support organically, which means paying for every install on a keyword you could have partly earned. Conversely, an ASO specialist with no paid capability leaves you blind to the fastest keyword-validation method available — a small Search Ads budget tells you in a week which terms actually convert, which then informs the metadata. If you can only hire one, hire the specialist and keep paid in-house or unspent. If your budget supports both sides, insist that whoever you hire treats them as one keyword strategy rather than two workstreams with separate reports. Our [Apple Search Ads guide](https://trysonar.app/blog/apple-search-ads-guide) covers enough of the mechanics to tell whether an agency's answer on this is substantive. ## How to Evaluate an App Marketing Agency If you do decide to hire one of these app marketing agencies, these four questions filter out agencies that will waste your budget: 1. **"What is your minimum contract length?"** Most agencies require 3–6 months. If they require 12 months with no performance benchmarks, walk away (source: [AppAgent](https://appagent.com/blog/app-store-optimization-pricing/)). 2. **"Can you show ASO results with keyword rankings, not just install counts?"** Installs can be bought. Organic ranking improvements prove the work is real. Sonar's keyword index puts 'budget planner' at iOS popularity 51 and difficulty 66 — a competitive category where ASO expertise directly determines whether users ever see your listing. (source: Sonar /api/v1/keywords/search, queried 2026-07-20) 3. **"Do you use proprietary tools or third-party platforms?"** Agencies using only generic tools add limited value over what you could do with a [$19/month ASO tool](https://trysonar.app/pricing). 4. **"How do you handle iOS vs Android differences?"** The stores have fundamentally different metadata structures and indexing rules. An agency that treats them identically is leaving performance on the table. Our [iOS vs Google Play ASO comparison](https://trysonar.app/blog/ios-vs-google-play-aso) covers the key differences to ask about. ## FAQ ### How much do app marketing agencies charge per month? Retainers typically range from $3,000 to $25,000+ per month, depending on services, portfolio size, and market coverage (source: [Business of Apps](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/app-store-optimization/research/app-store-optimization-costs/)). Pure ASO agencies tend toward $3,000–$10,000, while full-service agencies bundling paid UA, creative, and CRM charge $10,000–$25,000+. Most require a 3-to-6-month minimum commitment. ### Can I do app marketing myself without an agency? Yes, particularly for ASO-focused marketing. The keyword research, metadata optimization, and rank tracking that agencies charge $3,000–$10,000/month for can be done with an ASO tool like Sonar starting at $19/month (source: [trysonar.app/pricing](https://trysonar.app/pricing)). Paid user acquisition and multi-market localization are harder to DIY without specialized expertise. For a step-by-step approach, see our [indie developer's guide to ASO](https://trysonar.app/blog/indie-developer-aso-guide). ### What is the difference between an ASO agency and a full-service app marketing agency? ASO agencies focus on optimizing your App Store and Google Play listings for organic search — keyword research, metadata, screenshots, and A/B testing. Full-service app marketing agencies add paid UA, CRM, creative production, influencer marketing, and analytics on top of ASO. ASO agencies typically charge $3,000–$10,000/month; full-service agencies charge $10,000–$25,000+ (source: [Clutch.co](https://clutch.co/agencies/app-marketing)). ### What app marketing services should I prioritize first? Start with App Store Optimization. ASO drives compounding organic installs that reduce your long-term cost per acquisition. According to Apple, 70% of App Store visitors use search to discover apps (source: [Apple Developer, App Store](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/discoverability/)). Once your organic baseline is strong, layer on paid UA to amplify what is already working. Our [app store optimization marketing funnel guide](https://trysonar.app/blog/app-store-optimization-marketing-funnel) covers this sequencing in detail. ### Are the best app marketing agencies worth the cost for indie developers? For most indie developers, no. Agencies require minimum spends of $3,000–$5,000/month, which means $36,000–$60,000/year — more than many indie apps earn. The better investment is a dedicated ASO tool ($19–$99/month) combined with 5–10 hours of monthly optimization work. The exception is if you have secured funding specifically for user acquisition and need expert media buying across paid channels. ### What do app marketing companies do, and how much do they cost? App marketing companies handle ASO, paid user acquisition, creative production, and CRM/retention to grow mobile app installs and revenue. Monthly retainers range from $3,000 for ASO-only specialists to $25,000+ for full-service firms, with most requiring a 3-to-6-month minimum commitment (source: [Business of Apps](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/app-store-optimization/research/app-store-optimization-costs/)). The terms "app marketing company" and "app marketing agency" are interchangeable — evaluate either on mobile-specific expertise, transparent keyword-ranking reports, and a minimum commitment that fits your budget. ### Should one agency handle both ASO and Apple Search Ads? Ideally yes, because they compete in the same keyword space. An agency running Search Ads without touching your metadata bids on terms your listing can't support organically, so you pay for every install on keywords you could have partly earned. If you can only hire one, take the ASO specialist — a small self-managed Search Ads budget is the fastest way to learn which keywords convert, and that finding should drive the metadata anyway. ### What is the difference between a full-service app marketing agency and an ASO specialist? Full-service agencies (Moburst, Yodel Mobile, Phiture) cover organic plus paid plus creative plus lifecycle, typically at $8,000–$25,000+/month, and you're buying breadth and coordination. ASO and Search Ads specialists (Gummicube, The ASO Project, RadASO) go deep on the two app stores at $3,000–$8,000/month, with narrower scope and more measurable output. Match the type to your bottleneck: if your problem is "nobody finds us in search," a specialist is a better buy than breadth you won't use. *Looking for the keyword data agencies use — without the agency price tag? [Try Sonar free](https://trysonar.app/pricing) — search popularity, difficulty scores, and competitor analysis for iOS and Google Play, starting at $19/month.* --- Source: https://trysonar.app/blog/best-app-marketing-agencies — published by [Sonar](https://trysonar.app), an App Store Optimization platform for keyword research, difficulty analysis, and rank tracking.