New mid-year analysis shows in-app purchase revenue across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC outpacing download growth 4.5 to 1, raising the bar for acquisition quality in an increasingly competitive market
DUBAI, UAE, Sep, 2026 – In-app purchase revenue across the GCC grew 41 percent between Q1 2024 and Q1 2026, nearly double the 21 percent global revenue growth benchmark, according to the 2026 Mid-Year Middle East App Growth Report from Bidease, the transparent, performance-driven mobile customer acquisition partner, and Sensor Tower, the leader in digital market insights. The UAE led the region at 46 percent, followed by Saudi Arabia at 43 percent, both well ahead of the global benchmark. Downloads grew 9 percent over the same period, meaning revenue expanded 4.5 times faster than installs. The report pairs Sensor Tower market data with a survey of 400 app marketers across the GCC.
The survey data points to a second trend running alongside that growth: competition for users is intensifying. Asked why campaign planning has become harder, marketers cite rising competition more than any other factor, at 48 percent, followed by shifting consumer behavior at 44 percent. Three in four (75 percent) say they raise paid media budgets when growth signals weaken, concentrating spend in the same peak windows. And while 86 percent of GCC marketers still consider Ramadan and Q4 reliable growth periods, only 54 percent describe them as very reliable.
A high-value market raises the bar for acquisition:
Read together, the two data sets describe a regional app economy that is maturing quickly. Users across the GCC are not only downloading more apps; they are spending significantly more inside them. Acquisition remains the starting point of that growth. Downloads are still rising, and every transaction, subscription and repeat session begins with a user an advertiser had to reach and win. What the data adds is that more of the value in the market is now generated across the full customer journey that follows the install.
For advertisers, that changes what a successful acquisition campaign looks like. Cost per install and install volume remain important, but on their own they no longer capture what a campaign is worth. The return on acquisition increasingly depends on the quality of the users acquired, which puts a premium on identifying, reaching and measuring the users most likely to generate value over time. The survey reflects that shift in measurement: when conditions change, retention (32 percent) is the metric GCC marketers say they trust most, ahead of CPA, CPI and ROAS.
“The GCC numbers describe a market moving into a new phase,” said Anthony Bartolacci, Chief Strategy Officer at Sensor Tower. “Revenue growth of 41 percent against a 21 percent global benchmark, running 4.5 times ahead of download growth, tells us users in the region are spending more, not just downloading more. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the clearest examples of a fast-maturing, high-value app economy.”
How GCC marketers are adapting:
The report shows GCC marketers actively adjusting their playbooks in this more competitive market. When growth signals weaken, 70 percent test new channels more aggressively rather than retreating to familiar ones. Creative velocity has become standard practice, with 77 percent of GCC marketers refreshing creative weekly or more often.
“That maturity is the opportunity,” added Shayan Rahimi, Managing Director MENA at Bidease. “A market growing this fast rewards the advertisers who reach the right users first, and more of them are competing to do it. Nearly half tell us rising competition is the main reason planning has become harder. Growth still starts with acquisition, and it always will. What has changed is the standard for what good acquisition means. Winning in this market means reaching the users who go on to purchase, subscribe and return, and judging campaigns on the value those users create, with full transparency into where budgets go and what they return. That is how advertisers turn a competitive Q4 into a profitable one.”
The full 2026 Mid-Year Middle East App Growth Report is available at bidease.com.
Methodology:
The report combines Sensor Tower market data covering the GCC app economy from Q1 2024 to Q1 2026 with a Bidease survey of 400 app marketers across the GCC.
About Bidease:
Bidease is a transparent mobile customer acquisition channel that helps app advertisers reach new customers across millions of apps and major programmatic exchanges. Headquartered in New York and established in MENA since 2022 with a regional base in Dubai, Bidease operates in 130 countries and works with leading brands across retail and commerce, telco and finance, travel, content streaming, and food delivery. The company was named one of the Financial Times’ Fastest Growing Companies in America for 2025 and is a member of IAB MENA. Learn more at http://www.bidease.com.
About Sensor Tower:
Sensor Tower is the leader in digital market insights. On a mission to measure the world’s digital economy, Sensor Tower provides mobile app, gaming, digital advertising, and web insights for the largest brands and app publishers across the globe. Their award-winning platform delivers unmatched visibility into the mobile app and digital ecosystem, empowering organizations to measure and analyze their competitors, and make informed, strategic decisions to grow their business. Founded in 2013, Sensor Tower’s mobile app insights have helped marketers, app, and game developers demystify the mobile ecosystem with visibility into usage, engagement, and paid acquisition strategies. Today, Sensor Tower’s digital market insights platform includes Website, Gaming, Audience, Retail Media, and Pathmatics Digital Advertising Insights, unlocking access to the most comprehensive competitive intelligence in the digital economy.
