JetBrains: Lower Cost per Download Across the Whole Portfolio With Microsoft Advertising Management

Client: JetBrains

JetBrains is the software company behind professional developer tools such as IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm. We took over the management of its Microsoft Advertising campaigns in early 2026.

The challenge: efficiency across the product portfolio

JetBrains, the software company behind IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and other professional developer tools, wanted to improve the efficiency of its Microsoft Advertising campaigns across its product portfolio. The key metric was cost per download (CPD): the goal was to get more downloads for less money, product by product.

Our approach

• Account takeover and audit: A detailed analysis of the existing campaigns and the performance of individual products.
• Strategic campaign restructuring: A new structure built around the products and their audiences.
• Bid optimization: Bid management with one clear goal: a lower cost per download with a growing volume of downloads.

Results

Year-over-year comparison (Jan 1 to Mar 25, 2026):

• Rider: 32% lower CPD with 16% more downloads
• WebStorm: 47% lower CPD with 43% more downloads
• IntelliJ IDEA: 21% lower CPD with 5% more downloads
• PhpStorm: 20% lower CPD with 34% more downloads

Comparing the period after the takeover with the period before it:

• PyCharm: 39% lower CPD with 56% more downloads
• Rider: 7% lower CPD with 16.5% more downloads
• WebStorm: 8% lower CPD with 12% more downloads

Conclusion

Microsoft Advertising tends to stand in the shadow of Google Ads, but for a technical audience it is a channel with great potential. Through campaign restructuring and systematic bid optimization, we reduced the cost per download and increased downloads across all JetBrains products.

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