Realized LTV
Also: Actual LTV · Predicted LTV
Realized LTV is the revenue a cohort has actually generated as of a given day since install, per user. It differs from predicted LTV, which extrapolates a revenue curve forward from early data.
Realized LTV cannot see the future, which is exactly why it cannot flatter you. It is the safe number to divide CPI by when deciding this week's budget. Predicted LTV is more useful for annual planning and degrades quickly when anything about the funnel changes.
Read realized LTV from a cohort matrix: acquisition week on the rows, days since install on the columns. Never average a column across cohorts of different ages — a cohort that is 20 days old has a low D30 cell because it is not finished, not because it is bad.
Common mistake
Including immature cohorts in a D30 average. It manufactures a fake decline every single week.
Go deeper: D30 realized LTV, and why D7 lies
Related terms
In Roasy
Roasy computes this across every ad network, Adjust, and RevenueCat on one screen — real revenue, cohort windows, and the same definition everywhere.