Ad click-through rate (CTR): how to calculate it for in-app ads

RevenueDot divides the count of rc_ads_ad_opened events by the count of rc_ads_ad_displayed events in the period and shows a percent with one decimal. The table also lists Clicks and Impressions, which are not plotted. If a period has no impressions, the rate is blank.

A week or a month is the ratio of that period's totals, not the average of daily rates, so busy days weigh more. Your SDK ad tracking sends both event types to RevenueDot's /v1/events endpoint, from an ad network adapter or by manual capture. Sandbox events are excluded.

Filter or segment by app, country, platform and app version. The default resolution is day, and week, month, quarter and year are available.

Find it in the dashboard under Analytics > Charts, or call GET /v2/projects/{project_id}/charts/ad_ctr. The response has the same shape as RevenueCat's Charts API.

Illustrative numbers for one week.

CTR = 150 ÷ 12,500 × 100 = 1.2%.

CTR shows how well your ads and placements hold attention. When a new placement or format lowers CTR, users probably see the ad as noise. When it raises CTR, check that revenue rose too and that the taps are not accidents.

Use it to compare countries, platforms and app versions on equal terms. A change in CTR with steady eCPM tells you about user behavior. A change in eCPM with steady CTR tells you about the price the network pays.

How to read it

• Look at the clicks and impressions behind the percent. A small number of impressions makes the rate jump.
• A CTR spike with flat revenue can be accidental taps. Move the ad away from your buttons and see if it drops.
• Do not compare CTR across ad formats without segmenting. Formats get tapped at different rates.
• A blank CTR means no impressions in that period.
• Segment by app version to see the release that changed an ad placement.