Apple Search Ads: Costs per Install much higher than benchmark

That $1.26 average CPI for education is misleading - it blends everything from flashcard apps to kids' coloring books. Language learning specifically is one of the most expensive education niches because you're competing against Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone — companies spending millions on ASA.

$4-8 CPI for a Spanish learning app in the US is actually not surprising at all. A few things that might help:

1. Get out of the US. Seriously. The US is the most expensive ASA market by far. Try countries like Poland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Sweden - English keywords work there, competition is way lower, and CPIs drop to $0.50-1.50. You'll get 5x more data for the same budget.

2. Stop using Basic. It gives Apple full control over your bids and keywords, and they'll happily spend your money on broad, expensive queries. Use Advanced with exact match keywords only - you control exactly what you bid on.

3. Check your search terms report. With $7-8 CPI on Advanced, either your keywords are too broad/competitive ("learn Spanish" is a bloodbath) or your conversion rate is low. Long-tail keywords like "spanish vocabulary practice" or "spanish grammar exercises" are usually much cheaper than head terms.

4. Your listing might be the bottleneck. High CPI often means low conversion rate - people see your ad, tap it, but don't download. If your screenshots look generic compared to Duolingo's polished listing, you'll pay more per install because Apple factors conversion rate into ad placement.

Language learning in ASA can work but you need to be strategic about it - pick your battles on keywords and countries instead of going head-to-head with the big players in the US.

If your budget is less than $4k a day, then only target [Exact] match keywords. If you're able to put in the effort then always use Advanced.
Educational apps in the US at $1.26 seems low to be honest, you have big players in this space like Duolingo that have a really great product and monetization that probably pushes up the price there too.