Key Takeaway
- Airbridge Core Plan attributes initial paid subscriptions back to the install source and breaks down the install-to-subscription path by campaign.
- Three standard subscription events—Start Trial, Subscribe, and Unsubscribe—track subscriptions, with Subscribe firing on the first purchase, a trial conversion, and each renewal.
- Once network ad spend sync is set up, a custom metric shows cost divided by subscriptions next to CPI and ROAS in the same table, and combined report metrics calculate cost per trial, cost per subscription, and trial-to-paid rate.
Optimizing ad budgets around cost per install because every ad dashboard agrees on install counts leaves subscription apps blind to what happens when the free trial ends. You might scale a campaign with the lowest CPI, only to watch revenue stay flat three months later because those users never convert to paid plans or renew. Connecting trial starts, initial purchases, and subsequent billing cycles back to the exact campaign and creative that drove the download requires a mobile measurement setup built around subscription lifecycle events. Airbridge Core Plan tracks this sequence using three standard events—Start Trial, Subscribe, and Unsubscribe—and includes subscription revenue aggregation starting at $40+/mo after a 30-day free trial.
Tying Trials and Renewals to Installs
Tracking installs alone treats a user who deletes the app on day two the same as a user who converts after a seven-day trial and renews for six months. To see which ads actually produce paying subscribers, your attribution tool has to capture lifecycle events that happen days or weeks after the initial download and tie them back to the original acquisition source.
Airbridge Core Plan attributes a user's first paid subscription directly to the source of the install. The platform tracks subscriptions using three standard events in its standard subscription-event setup: Start Trial, Subscribe, and Unsubscribe. In Airbridge, the Subscribe event fires on the first purchase, a trial conversion, and each renewal.
Core Plan includes both Revenue and Funnel reports alongside subscription revenue aggregation. You can test this workflow during a 30-day free trial, after which Core Plan costs $40+/mo with 500,000 monthly data points included and $0.0001 per additional data point, operating without an annual contract so you can cancel anytime.
Splitting the Trial Funnel by Campaign
Knowing your app's overall trial-to-paid conversion rate does not tell you where to move your budget on Monday morning. One creator video or ad group might flood your app with curious users who start a free trial and immediately cancel, while another brings in fewer installs that convert to paid plans at a much higher rate.
Core Plan's Funnel Report traces the user path from install to trial start to subscription. Rather than showing a single blended conversion curve for the whole app, the report splits each step by channel, campaign, or creative. If you work with multiple creators or test distinct hooks, viewing the install-to-subscription progression by campaign lets you compare the trial-to-paid conversion rate across individual creators. Core Plan includes Revenue and Funnel reports alongside subscription revenue aggregation.
Mapping RevenueCat Without Double Counting
When your subscription billing runs through RevenueCat, server-side renewals and cancellations happen outside the app session. Connecting RevenueCat to Airbridge maps those subscription events, provided the integration is connected, both platforms receive the same user ID and device ID, and you avoid firing duplicate events from the client.
- Configure the RevenueCat SDK in your app to send the device IDs collected by Airbridge over to RevenueCat so both systems can match the user.
- Connect Airbridge's RevenueCat integration, which automatically maps a trial start to Start Trial, maps an initial purchase, trial conversion, and renewal to Subscribe, and maps a cancellation to Unsubscribe.
- Disable or remove direct client-side subscription event calls from the app SDK to Airbridge; sending the same subscription events from both the app SDK and RevenueCat counts every purchase twice.
Measuring Cost Per Subscriber Over CPI
Judging ad channels by cost per install or raw trial volume hides how much you actually pay to acquire a paying customer. A campaign with a low CPI that converts a tiny fraction of installs into subscribers can cost far more per paying user than a higher-CPI campaign that converts consistently.
Once ad spend sync is set up for the network, Core Plan syncs ad spend automatically from each network. By combining metrics in the report, teams can calculate cost per trial, cost per subscription, and the trial-to-paid rate. With network ad spend sync set up, a custom metric can show cost divided by subscriptions next to CPI and ROAS in the same table.
When you need to drill down into specific ad assets, the Actuals report groups installs, trial starts, First Subscribe (App), and subscription revenue across three hierarchy levels: campaign, ad group, and creative.
Subscription Attribution Platforms Compared
When you narrow your evaluation down to Airbridge Core Plan, AppsFlyer, and Adjust, the practical differences come down to which subscription lifecycle events are captured, how campaign reports break down the funnel, and whether subscription measurement is open to your account tier.
| Platform | Subscription Event Scope | Campaign & Revenue Reporting | Plan Access & Included Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbridge Core Plan | Tracks Start Trial, Subscribe (first purchase, trial conversion, and each renewal), and Unsubscribe. | Funnel Report splits install-to-subscription steps by channel, campaign, or creative; includes Revenue, Funnel, Retention, and Cohort reports, cost and ad spend aggregation, subscription revenue aggregation, and Predictive LTV. | $40+/mo after a 30-day free trial (500,000 monthly data points included, $0.0001 per extra data point, no annual contract); covers ad network attribution for Google Ads, Meta, Apple Ads, and TikTok, plus up to 2 third-party integrations. |
| AppsFlyer | Receipt validation records the trial-start subscription event (as a production or sandbox subscription event as specified by the event) and paid-subscription starts without a trial period as a production event. ROI360 store revenue covers renewals, cancellations, refunds, and upgrades. | Receipt validation supports campaign optimization based on verified revenue data. ROI360 store revenue validates transactions with app stores server-to-server and returns enriched, verified revenue data. | Receipt validation is free of charge to all account plans. ROI360 store revenue is available only to customers on the ROI360 premium plan. |
| Adjust | Adjust Subscriptions covers conversions, renewals, and cancellations. | Adjust Subscriptions reports subscription revenue by channel. With an existing setup and Adjust SDK v4.22.0 or later, subscription data can be passed to the SDK for data exports and callbacks. | Adjust no longer offers subscription measurement to new customers. |
Based on official documentation from Airbridge, AppsFlyer official site (support.appsflyer.com), and Adjust official site (help.adjust.com).
FAQ
If we only advertise on major social and search channels, which ad networks does Airbridge Core Plan cover?
Airbridge Core Plan includes ad network attribution for four channels: Google Ads, Meta, Apple Ads, and TikTok, along with up to two third-party integrations.
Our tool records initial in-app purchases but misses renewals, so long-term channel revenue is understated. How does Airbridge handle renewals?
In Airbridge's standard setup, the Subscribe event fires not only on the first purchase and trial conversion, but also on each renewal. When connected to RevenueCat with matching user and device IDs, the integration maps renewals directly to the Subscribe event alongside initial purchases and trial conversions.
Can a small team test Airbridge Core Plan without locking into an annual enterprise contract?
Yes, Airbridge Core Plan starts with a 30-day free trial and continues at $40+/mo with no annual contract and the option to cancel anytime.