Project summary
- ExploreApps builds mobile subscription apps across multiple verticals. AIR Music is one of their products.
- Initially, the team relied on traditional app store campaigns to acquire users, but cost per subscriber (CPS) was too high, and product validation was slow. They decided to explore web2app funnels for their mobile apps and opted for FunnelFox.
- Rather than build the funnels themselves, ExploreApps fully outsourced funnel setup, creative production, and campaign management to the FunnelFox growth team.
- In A/B tests, FunnelFox-driven funnels delivered CPS that was 1.5x lower than app store campaigns for the same app.
- Beyond acquisition, web2app funnels also help ExploreApps test demand for specific features before development, enabling the team to prioritize what users really want.
Challenge
ExploreApps builds and tests mobile subscription apps using lightweight MVPs to quickly validate new ideas. One of their latest launches was AIR Music — an AI-powered app that lets users generate songs, beats, and melodies across various genres.
The team needed to quickly assess if there was genuine demand for AI-generated music, which features resonated most, and whether the product had monetization potential.
At the same time, they were looking for a more cost-efficient alternative to app store acquisition, where high costs and 30% commission fees made scaling unsustainable.
Solution
When ExploreApps decided to adopt a web2app strategy, they wanted to do it right from day one. FunnelFox was the clear choice — a purpose-built platform designed specifically for subscription-based mobile products. Competing solutions weren’t seriously considered.
FunnelFox offers two ways to work: teams can either build and run funnels themselves or fully outsource the process to the FunnelFox growth team. ExploreApps chose the latter, handing off the entire web2app workflow to move faster and stay focused on product development.
How does the FunnelFox growth team work?
1. Funnel building
The FunnelFox team builds web2app funnels — from landing pages and onboarding to paywalls, checkouts, and upsell flows. Funnels are built and deployed directly within the FunnelFox platform, with zero engineering lift required from the client.
2. Creative production
Creative specialists from the FunnelFox growth team develop ad concepts and produce both static and dynamic creatives. The team creates and tests a high volume of variations — the more creative angles explored, the greater the chances of finding a scalable winner.
3. User acquisition
Our UA managers launch and optimize campaigns using the client’s ad accounts — this setup ensures transparency, faster review times, and access to first-party performance data. For ExploreApps, Meta is the primary acquisition channel, but our team works with all major platforms.
4. Optimization & reporting
The growth team runs ongoing A/B tests to improve funnel performance while monitoring unit economics to assess profitability and make informed scaling decisions.
Validating product direction through funnels
ExploreApps also uses funnels to guide product development decisions.
Rather than invest engineering resources upfront or wait through long user research cycles, the team tests new feature concepts directly within funnel flows. If users respond positively, those signals guide what gets prioritized for development.
In the case of AIR Music, the team wasn’t sure whether cover-song generation would resonate. So they launched a funnel variation spotlighting that feature and quickly validated strong user interest.
This approach now enables ExploreApps to validate product direction with real user data before committing engineering resources to full builds.
Impact
Lower CPS
In side-by-side tests, web2app funnels delivered 1.5x lower cost per subscription and significantly stronger unit economics compared to direct-to-app campaigns.
Smarter resource allocation & data-driven product direction
By testing feature concepts through funnels first, ExploreApps avoids investing time and budget into ideas that don’t resonate. Underperforming concepts are quickly deprioritized, while high-signal ideas get the focus and resources needed to scale.
Final thoughts
For ExploreApps, switching from direct-to-app campaigns to web2app funnels wasn’t just a change in acquisition channel — it was a shift toward more efficient, data-driven growth.
With FunnelFox, the team cut cost per subscription by 1.5x, validated product and feature ideas before investing in development, and reallocated budget toward the initiatives that convert.
If your team hasn’t started working with web2app funnels because it feels too complex or resource-heavy, that’s exactly where our growth team comes in. We bring the tools, talent, and tested playbooks to help you launch, learn, and scale without overloading your internal roadmap.
Whether you’re validating a new concept or looking to improve unit economics on a live product, we’re here to help.
