Creative and media in one loop
The people who make your ads also buy the media, so every new concept is judged on installs, subscriptions and ROAS.
Agency comparison
Applica sells subscription growth across UA, CRO and lifecycle. Admiral Media brings published results in Applica's own industries, from 50% lower cost per lead for Clark to +320% ROAS for ChatPDF, and runs games too.
Last verified 4 October 2026Published by Admiral Media, one of the two agencies comparedEvery Applica fact is sourced and dated
Both run paid UA, ASO, ad creative and CRO for mobile apps, and both optimise apps for AI search.
Key facts
What each offers
Based on what each agency publishes about its own services, checked 4 October 2026. Partly means the service exists in a narrower form.
About Admiral Media
The people who make your ads also buy the media, so every new concept is judged on installs, subscriptions and ROAS.
Our AI Creative Factory cut Fastic's cost per result by 70% and won Silver for AI at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA 2026.
Founded in 2019 by Andre Kempe, who has scaled apps for 15+ years. The specialists you meet run your account.
From +45% ROAS for the game Star Chef 2 to 43% lower CPA on Apple Ads for ImmoScout24 and +320% ROAS for ChatPDF.
In detail
| Criterion | Admiral Media | Applica |
|---|---|---|
| Founded and HQ | 2019, by Andre Kempe (15+ years scaling apps); remote senior team | Founded 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine; team across Europe and Latin America[2] |
| Team size | Senior specialists only: the people you meet run your account | 25+ specialists, per its own site[2] |
| Focus | Mobile apps and games, plus ecommerce: 200+ apps scaled, €500M+ ad spend managed | Subscription apps, with FinTech, WellTech and EdTech as its named industries[1] |
| Core services | Paid UA, AI creative, ASO, CRO and AEO, run by one senior team | Performance marketing, creative production, ASO, CRO, A/B testing and data analysis, retention and engagement[1] |
| Ad channels | Meta, TikTok, Google (Search, App campaigns, YouTube), Apple Ads, Snapchat, Moloco and Telegram; official partner of Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat | Meta, TikTok, Google and Apple Ads, plus direct buys and web-to-app campaigns[4] |
| Creative production | AI Creative Factory: AI UGC, video and static in batches of up to 80 videos; Silver for AI, The Drum Awards EMEA 2026 | UGC, motion and static ads with AI-assisted production; it reports 10,000+ ads produced[5] |
| ASO | iOS and Google Play: localised Korean metadata brought NeuroNation 93% more downloads | iOS and Google Play: keywords, store A/B tests, localisation, in-app events and custom product pages[3] |
| AI search (AEO/GEO) | AEO measured on enquiries: ChatGPT visitors are 4.6x more likely to contact us; free GEO Checker | AEO for app discovery in ChatGPT and other AI assistants, as part of its ASO service[3] |
| Pricing model | Monthly management fee (flat retainer or % of media spend), separate from media | Performance marketing: a percentage of monthly ad spend; no price list published[4] |
| Published minimum | Quoted in a written proposal after a 30-minute call | Performance marketing usually begins at $50k+ per month in ad spend, per its FAQ[4] |
| Clutch rating | 4.9 from 48 reviews; Clutch Global Champion 2025 | 5.0 from 19 reviews[7] |
Their own claims
Quoted from Applica’s own pages. These are self-descriptions, not independent results.
“We turn one-time installs into long-term subscribers through lifecycle systems, behavioral segmentation and automated CRM journeys.”
Retention and lifecycle marketing is one of Applica's six services, next to CRO and A/B testing.
Source [9] · checked 4 October 2026“We work on a performance-based model, taking a transparent percentage of your monthly ad spend.”
Applica gives this answer to the question of how it charges for performance marketing.
Source [4] · checked 4 October 2026Our edge, with proof
Applica names FinTech, WellTech and EdTech as its industries. Admiral Media has published results in all three: the insurance app Clark, the fasting app Fastic and the study app ChatPDF.
−50%cost per lead · Clark case studyApplica reports 10,000+ ads produced. Admiral Media judges AI creative on cost per result: for Fastic it fell 70%, and the work won Silver for AI at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA 2026.
−70%cost per result · Fastic case studyApplica lists no game case studies on its site. Admiral Media runs UA and AI creative for mobile games such as Star Chef 2.
+45%ROAS · Star Chef 2 case studyFit
Applica lists CRO, A/B testing and retention as services next to performance marketing.
Admiral Media pairs UA for games with monthly AI creative; Star Chef 2 saw +55% CTR and +45% ROAS.
Admiral Media cut Clark's cost per lead by 50%, and rubarb's cost per ID verification on TikTok by 52%.
Pricing
A monthly management fee, either a flat retainer or a percentage of media spend, separate from the media budget. ASO is quoted in a written proposal after a 30-minute call. AI Creative Factory: EUR 10,000 / 16,000 / 29,000 per batch of 20 / 40 / 80 videos.
Not published. Its performance marketing FAQ says it charges a percentage of monthly ad spend and that work usually begins at $50k+ per month in ad spend. Clutch lists a minimum project size of $5,000+ (checked 4 Oct 2026).
Switching
Clients and recognition
“Since the beginning of our work with Admiral Media, we have seen only one direction: upwards.”
Phillip WaymanCMO, Fastic“We were able to scale our paid social spend by more than 200% while achieving our target ROAS.”
Jakob FutorjanskiCo-founder, NeuroNation“Admiral Media were extremely helpful and efficient in making Apple's Custom Product Pages work for us.”
Alexandra ZinnowLead PPC, Digital Marketing, ImmoScout24Questions
Admiral Media is the more focused choice for games, because it works on games as well as apps and has a published game result: +45% ROAS for Star Chef 2. Applica names FinTech, WellTech and EdTech as its industries and lists no game case studies on its site (checked 4 Oct 2026).
Either can fit, depending on what you need. Applica adds paywall, onboarding, A/B testing and CRM lifecycle work to UA and ASO. Admiral Media pairs paid UA with AI creative, ASO and CRO, with results such as 66% lower cost per subscription for the FET dating app and +320% ROAS for ChatPDF.
Admiral Media publishes its AI creative prices and Applica does not publish a price list. Applica charges a percentage of monthly ad spend for performance marketing, says this work usually begins at $50k+ per month in ad spend, and offers a revenue share model for selected app publishers. Admiral Media charges a monthly management fee, quotes ASO in a written proposal after a 30-minute call, and prices AI creative from EUR 10,000 per 20 videos.
Yes, both do. Applica's ASO checker scores an App Store listing against its category and nearby competitors, and reads the Apple App Store only. Admiral Media offers a free ASO Checker, a GEO Checker and a Creative Testing Assessment, and its ASO work brought NeuroNation 93% more downloads in Korea.
Applica is rated 5.0 from 19 reviews and Admiral Media is rated 4.9 from 48 reviews, more than twice as many (checked 4 Oct 2026). Admiral Media was also named a Clutch Global Champion in 2025.
Sources and method
Each Applica fact was read on its own website or public profile on 4 October 2026 and is quoted or summarised without estimates. Admiral Media figures come from admiral.media and published case studies. We re-check this page every 90 days. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us through the contact page and we will review it within 5 working days.
More comparisons
Talk to our team
Share your app, markets and goal. A senior strategist replies within one business day, and will tell you if another agency is a better fit.
Book a meeting
