What is eCPM?

eCPM (effective Cost Per Mille) is the amount of revenue earned or cost paid for every 1,000 ad impressions.

In mobile growth, it answers the question:

“How much am I making (or spending) per 1,000 views of an ad?”

For example:

• If your app earns $200 from 50,000 ad impressions, the eCPM is $4.

• If you spend $500 to buy 100,000 impressions, the eCPM is $5.

This standardizes performance across campaigns and ad networks, letting you compare efficiency regardless of scale.

How does it work?

eCPM is calculated with a simple formula:

eCPM = (Revenue ÷ Impressions) × 1000

It can be applied in two main ways:

• Publisher side (Revenue): How much money the app earns per 1,000 impressions.

• Advertiser side (Cost): How much the advertiser pays per 1,000 impressions.

For example, two ad networks might show different fill rates and payouts, but comparing their eCPM tells you which one is more profitable or efficient.

Why it matters

eCPM is a key benchmark for monetization and marketing efficiency. It helps teams:

• Publishers: Optimize ad placements, formats, and partners to maximize revenue per impression.

• Advertisers: Compare the cost-efficiency of campaigns across networks and geographies.

• Marketers: Evaluate creative performance by measuring revenue impact normalized to impressions.

Without eCPM, results are hard to compare at scale. With it, you can identify the highest-yielding channels and maximize ROI.