ROAS
Also: Return on Ad Spend
ROAS (return on ad spend) is revenue generated by advertising divided by the amount spent on it. A ROAS of 2.0x means every $1 of spend returned $2 of revenue.
ROAS = Revenue attributed to ads ÷ Ad spend
ROAS is the default performance metric across every ad platform, which is exactly why it needs qualifying. Meta's ROAS, Google's ROAS, and the number in your finance report are three different calculations: each platform uses its own attribution window, counts its own modeled conversions, and reports gross revenue before the app store's cut.
For mobile apps the useful version is time-boxed and cohort-based: D7 ROAS, D30 ROAS, D90 ROAS — revenue from users acquired in a period, measured N days after install, divided by the spend that acquired them. Without the time box a ROAS figure is meaningless for subscription and IAP businesses, where most revenue arrives weeks after the install.
Common mistake
Comparing platform-reported ROAS across networks as if they were the same number. They are not — see over-attribution.
Go deeper: How to calculate true ROAS from RevenueCat
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.