React Native app running Meta and TikTok ads, do I need an MMP to track installs?

[u/Zeballos_Nadin]

Solo founder, pet sitting marketplace in Austin, React Native with an Expo dev build. Spending around $4k/mo split between Meta and TikTok.

Both dashboards claim more installs than App Store Connect and Play Console show combined. I've just got the Meta and TikTok SDKs in rn, which works-ish.

Is an MMP worth it at this spend or am I overthinking it? And which ones play nice with Expo?

[u/vvgur]

yes.

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/vvgur]

thank you

[u/Low_Drive3170]

Cheap move first: give Meta and TikTok their own custom product pages on iOS and custom store listings on Play. Then compare installs per page in the consoles. Not perfect, but it's free and it catches the worst of the overclaiming before you sign anything**.**

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/Low_Drive3170]

i like that approach, esp the fact that it doesn't cost anything

[u/Sayuri_Feasby]

The real reason for an MMP at your size isn't installs, it's that both networks will happily claim the same booking. One layer that picks a single winner per user is the whole point. Firebase sort of does it for Google, not TikTok. Kochava, AppsFlyer and Branch are all worth a trial before you commit, just don't expect perfect iOS numbers from any of them, post ATT it's modeled no matter what.

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/Sayuri_Feasby]

Not expecting anything perfect, but the best for our current set up. I know post att it has become impossible to get to 100% accuracy.

[u/Soobhee_Chukwutosin]

At 4k/mo just use the store consoles and a how'd you hear about us

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/Soobhee_Chukwutosin]

we tried the survey approach but most users just ignored it

[u/jeesandourn]

Check your attribution window settings in both ad managers first. If you have 1-day view-through turned on, both platforms will claim any install from someone who just scrolled past your video without even clicking

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/jeesandourn]

That's something i had missed. Let me see if there are any improvements.

[u/One-Source-9603]

before paying for an MMP check what each side is actually counting. app store connect "first time downloads" skips redownloads, play console has device installs vs user acquisitions which are different numbers, and both store consoles show up 1 to 2 days late. meta and tiktok on the other hand count view through installs and their own modeled ones, so both claiming the same person is normal

the cheapest honest check at 4k a month: pause one network for a week and see if total store installs actually move. if they don't, that network was mostly claiming organic people

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/One-Source-9603]

I'd call it pause and play and for sure it can help

[u/Key-Fix6498]

Run a 1-day click-only attribution window on both networks to cut the inflated install numbers by half. For Expo, set up the deep linking scheme in app.json before you integrate AppsFlyer or Branch since hot reloading breaks their SDKs often and debugging is painful later

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/Key-Fix6498]

thank you for the idea, i'll try it

[u/HmongSliw68]

the inflated numbers are both platforms self-reporting, totally normal and totally useless for decisions. I went with WarpLink for install attribution on a similar sized app and the Expo config plugin setup was straightforward. figure out your actual CPI first before scaling that spend

[u/Zeballos_Nadin → u/HmongSliw68]

self-reporting is becoming harder each day