Apple Ads account setup
Unless you have a specific reason not to, choose Advanced at signup.
Advanced is not a paid upgrade. Its signup cost and core account requirements are the same as Basic—you are simply choosing a different Apple Ads product when you register.
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Advanced
Important distinction: Account opening costs are the same; ad-spend billing is different. Advanced is not a separate paid plan. Once ads run, Apple bills Advanced by tap and Basic by install.
The decision rule
The same signup cost and requirements. More room to grow.
So make Advanced the default. Choose Basic only when its deliberately limited, low-maintenance workflow is itself the requirement.
Advanced is an operating system, not an expert badge.
Basic is designed to reduce operating work: choose an app, set a monthly budget and target cost per install, then let Apple automate delivery. Advanced is designed for developers, advertisers, and agencies that need to decide where ads appear, which search terms to target, how much to bid, and how to allocate budget.
For a team that only wants more installs, simplicity can be useful. For a team that needs to explain why revenue moved—or let Lily analyze and manage campaigns—the missing dimensions become a hard technical limit.
See intent
Choose keywords and inspect performance.
Control spend
Set bids and campaign daily budgets.
Explain ROI
Use detailed reporting and integrations.
What Advanced adds in practice.
Apple positions the two products for different operating needs. The differences below come from Apple's current product comparison.
“No added signup fee” refers to opening and selecting the product. It does not mean advertising is free: campaign spend is charged under each product's billing model.
Read Apple's product comparisonAttribution works in Basic. Decision-grade attribution needs Advanced.
RevenueCat supports Apple Ads attribution for both Basic and Advanced. Your app can send the AdServices token in either case. The difference is the detail Apple makes available around the attributed install and the campaign surface that other tools can read or manage.
Why Basic often becomes Unspecified
RevenueCat documents that Basic may not provide campaign name, ad group name, or keyword. Transactions can therefore be correctly attributed to Apple Ads but still appear under Unspecified dimensions.
Segment subscription revenue by the campaign, ad group, or keyword fields Apple returns.
Join Apple Ads spend and delivery with RevenueCat paying-user outcomes.
Use the Campaign Management API for reporting, controlled edits, and bid workflows—an API Basic does not provide.
Select Advanced in the Apple Ads registration flow.
Apple's Get Started flow creates an Advanced account; Basic has a separate entry page. Advanced does not require an upgrade payment or a second class of registration. Use the Advanced entry, then complete the normal account, business, tax, and payment details.
- 01Open Apple Ads and use Get Started to create an Advanced account.
- 02Sign in with the Apple Account your organization will continue to control.
- 03Enter the legal entity, country or region, primary contact, tax, and payment details.
- 04Double-check currency and time zone; Apple says they cannot be changed after setup.
- 05Finish the Advanced account and link it to App Store Connect.
- 06In RevenueCat, select Advanced, click Sign in with Apple, and grant Read Only access.
RevenueCat only needs Read Only access. Read and Write also works, but grants more access than attribution requires.
Choose Basic only when its limitations are intentional.
Basic can fit a developer who explicitly wants a low-maintenance search-results promotion, thinks only in cost per install, does not need keyword or audience settings, and will not use campaign APIs or granular revenue analysis. If none of those limits is a requirement, choose Advanced.
Choose Basic when
- You want minimal campaign work
- Install volume is enough
- You do not need keyword data
Move to Advanced when
- You ask which keyword made money
- You need reporting integrations
- You want controlled automation
Common questions
Before you create the account.
Does Advanced add signup costs or requirements?
No. Advanced is not a premium subscription and does not add a product signup fee or a higher class of account requirements. You choose the product at registration and provide the normal account, business, tax, and payment details. The cost difference begins when ads run: Advanced is billed per tap and Basic per install.
Can a Basic account still use RevenueCat attribution?
Yes. RevenueCat supports both products, and Basic still has the AdServices Attribution API. Expect fewer campaign details and possible Unspecified campaign, ad group, or keyword values.
Does choosing Advanced require ATT consent?
No. Account type and attribution detail are separate decisions. RevenueCat Standard AdServices collection does not require ATT; Detailed attribution adds click and impression dates and does require ATT consent.
Can I switch from Advanced to Basic during signup?
Apple says that once you begin creating an Advanced account, you must finish it and link it to App Store Connect before switching to Basic. That is another reason to make the choice intentionally at the start.
No special reason? Choose Advanced.
It costs no more to open and asks for no higher class of signup requirements, while preserving the data, controls, and integrations you are likely to need later.