Organic install share (Organic share)
Acquisition metric. How do users find and install the app?
What is organic install share?
Organic install share is the percentage of an app's installs that no paid campaign or tracked link is credited with.
Organic install: an install that no tracked campaign or link is credited with.
Cannibalisation: when paid campaigns take credit for users who would have installed organically anyway.
How to calculate Organic share
Organic share = Organic installs ÷ Total installs × 100- Organic installs
- installs with no attributed paid or tracked source
- Total installs
- organic plus attributed installs in the same period
Where definitions differ
| Variant | Formula | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| MMP organic share | Unattributed installs ÷ All installs × 100 | Organic means 'not credited to any tracked source', so untracked paid traffic lands here. |
| Store-reported organic | Store search and browse installs ÷ All store installs × 100 | From the store consoles; their source categories are not the same as an MMP's. |
By channel: Separating organic from paid installs depends on every paid source being connected to one attribution tool; MMPs such as Linkrunner, AppsFlyer and Adjust report installs they cannot credit to a source as organic.
Organic share calculator
Example inputs: change them to your own numbers. The examples only make the calculator show a worked answer; they are not benchmarks or targets. Runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
- Organic share
- 60%
- Attributed share
- 40%
Is a high organic share good?
It is good for cost, but it can also mean your tracking misses paid sources, which then show up as organic. Before celebrating a rising organic share, check that every paid channel and link is tagged.
How Organic share differs by vertical
| EdTech | Exam seasons and word of mouth push organic share up at the same time as paid spend. |
|---|---|
| Fintech | Referral programmes are tracked, so they move installs out of organic. |
| OTT and streaming | Big title launches lift organic installs; separate launch weeks in reports. |
| Gaming | Featuring and chart position drive organic spikes after paid bursts. |
Common mistakes
- Treating organic as free growth without checking for untagged paid traffic.
- Cutting paid spend because organic share is high, then finding organic falls too.
Questions
How do you calculate organic install share?
Divide organic installs by total installs and multiply by 100. 6k organic installs out of 10k total is a 60% organic share.
Why did my organic installs drop when I paused ads?
Paid campaigns lift store ranking and brand searches, so some organic installs depend on paid activity. A drop after pausing is a sign of that halo, not necessarily of misattribution.
Can paid installs show up as organic?
Yes. Untagged links, broken postbacks or networks that are not connected to your MMP all leave paid installs unattributed, and unattributed installs are reported as organic.
Are the calculator's example inputs benchmarks?
No. The example inputs only make the calculator show a worked answer when the page loads; they are not typical, good or target values. Replace them with your own numbers.
Does the calculator send my numbers anywhere?
No. It runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
Why do tools report different values for the same metric?
Because definitions differ: what counts as active, which attribution window applies, whether organic users are included and how days are cut by timezone. Align the definition before comparing numbers.