Finding the best app monetization platform is less about popularity and more about strategic alignment. Discover the top 10 app monetization platforms with us that offer the best adstack to create a sustainable revenue stream.
How many hours does a user spend on their phone daily? 3.46 hours on average (DataReportal). With it, the stiff rush for businesses to create augmented mobile versions with in-app monetization doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon. Especially when these app monetization platforms end up becoming a solid source of passive income.
However, choosing the best app monetization platform is no easy task for an app publisher. The decision entails many factors like the app category, user behavior, and long-term revenue goals. A perfectly-fitting platform will not only boost your earnings but will also maintain the user experience.
10 Best App Monetization Platforms
This blog post explains what app monetization platform you choose based on your app type, monetization goals, your users, and many other factors.
Let’s take a look at all these app monetization platforms in more detail.
1. AdPushup – Top App Monetization Platform
AdPushup, a Google-certified publishing partner, is a global app monetization platform that offers all-in-one monetization solutions for app publishers. With its unified AP mobile SDK, app publishers can access premium demand, smart ad placement, and higher revenue.
Moreover, with its built-in mediation logic and smart auction handling, publishers can extract the exact true value out of their ad space.
It also supports VAST tags, so you can run video and rewarded ads on gaming and OTT apps. Whether you’re just starting out or already have experience, AdPushup offers hands-on support and tools like the Zelto Mediation Adaptor (great for AdMob users) to help you succeed.
Features:
- Associated with 500+ publishers globally
- Manages +1B impressions monthly
Has partnered with 35+ SSPs
2. AdMob – Google’s Smart App Monetization Platform
This platform is one of the most preferred platforms for app developers as it offers
AdMob is one of the most preferred platforms for app developers as it offers valuable features that go beyond providing in-app advertising. This platform teems with sponsors, from large global faces to smaller names in business, who are interested in buying ad space in your mobile app.
Access to top-tier advertisers, well-built reputation, and ease of use makes Google AdMob the best app monetization platform for beginners.
Features:
- Offers multiple ad network integration via its mediation services to optimize ad fill rates and maintain the quality of ads.
- Uses innovative and non-intrusive ad formats like rewarded video ads, native ads, and interstitial ads.
- Offers multiple targeting options based on behaviors, demographics, and interests.
Brings you the latest app monetization technology, including hybrid revenue models.
2. InMobi – An Innovative Approach to Success
InMobi started as a small business venture, as simply an SMS-oriented search and monetization platform; it soon grew to be a top global innovative initiative. Working on the CPM model, the app monetization platform operates across 1.5 billion devices.
Features:
- Offers dynamic interstitial ad insertion for seamless delivery of ads during natural transitions to complement user experience.
- Allows you to reach out to users and filter them not just by location but other criteria such as their OS, time, channel, device, operator, carrier, and so on.
- Offers an array of ad formats such as playable ads, rich media ads, and carousel ads for a positive user experience.
- Offers exclusive access to 200+ DSPs and 5000+ programmatic buyers from top brands.
4. ChartBoost – Analyze and Advertise
Yahoo app publishing, a segment of the Yahoo Developer Network, is one of the leading
Chartboost is one of the leading app monetization platforms for gaming publishers looking to combine in-app advertising with in-app purchases. Built by gaming experts, it is an ideal programmatic platform for beginners due to its user-friendly interface and features.
The experience and expertise of seasoned gamers that Chartboost brings to the mix makes it the best app monetization platform for gaming app publishers.
Features:
- Offers in-built A/B split testing capabilities to refine the app monetization strategy for maximized revenue
- One of the very few monetization platforms to support ad monetization on Amazon AppStore
- Programmatic in-app unified auction-based Helium SDK brings global demand to increase bid pressure, which leads to increased yield
- Ad formats include interstitial ads, banner ads, and rewarded ads.
5. Digital Turbine – An Ecosystem of In-App Monetizers and Publishers
Digital Turbine (DT) is one of the industry giants in mobile app monetization. The app revenue platform, which has acquired companies like Fyber and AdColony, is equipped with high-impact technology to make your app a money magnet. DT has worked with big publishers like Uber, Spotify, Pandora, and Miniclip.
What makes DT the best app monetization platform for big publishers is the OEM marketing. Digital Turbine, via its partnerships with various mobile brands, bypasses the traditional app store discovery stage by pre-installing your apps on their devices.
Features:
- Offers access to 1.2B monthly active users and +800M active devices worldwide for a wider reach
- Perform cross-format ad campaigns by utilizing both in-app and on-device solutions to reach top-tier users
- Offers enticing ad formats like offer walls, video & playable ads, along with display and banner ads
Growth-oriented marketplaces like DT Exchange and DT FairBird with real-time auction technology to provide app publishers with a diverse demand & competitive eCPMs
5. Unity – The Best Game Monetizing Platform
Anyone familiar with the world of gaming is most probably familiar with the name Unity. It not only brings before you ways to monetize your apps but also provides a live data reporting system for decision-making.
You will hit a trifecta by associating with Unity: Unity’s game-centric technology along with, ironSource’s app-oriented tech stack, and TapJoy’s famed Offerwall. This trifecta of advanced monetization features makes Unity the best monetization platform for game app publishers.
Features:
- Unity LevelPlay brings in multiple ad networks to increase bid pressure, generating higher eCPMs for the publisher
- Unity ad formats include rewarded ads, interstitial ads, native ads, and banner/MREC ads, among others
- Unified report includes granular insights like latency metrics and session depth
Automated instance price point optimization setup within in-app bidding to reduce manual operations
7. AppLovin Max – Automated App Monetization
AppLovin acquired MAX way back in 2018 to foray into in-app bidding. Having 1.5B users worldwide, the app monetization platform offers an integrated 360º approach to increase the inventory value and generate revenue. The app provides 25+ SDK networks, 20+ in-app bidders, and premium DSPs through AppLovin Exchange for broad demand access & optimized monetization.
Features:
- Offers an array of ad formats: Native ads, Interstitial ads, Rich media ads, Rewarded ads, Playable ads, and Banner display ads
- In-house A/B testing capabilities to test demand partners, waterfall configurations, ad frequency, price points, refresh rate, and user segments
- Offers comprehensive and customizable dashboard covering aspects like network comparison, user activity, and APIs, among others
- Automated waterfall technique to power smart CPM adjustments by using historical data, and create and manage ad units.
8. Appodeal – A Holistic and Versatile App-Monetization Platform
From supporting several ad formats to different mobile operators to even supporting multi-app monetization, Appodeal welcomes a large and diverse crowd from all around the world. Teamed with global ad networks like Meta, InMobi, and Unity, the app monetization network has worked with +50B impressions to date.
Features:
- Offers ad formats like native ads, rewarded ads, playable ads, and interstitial ads
- Extracts the real value of ad space by making all the demand sources compete in a hybrid auction for every impression
- Has an option to request payment in advance, which includes getting paid in cryptocurrency
- Custom waterfall ads can be tailormade for your target demographics and user behavior
9. Smaato – Create Experience with Verve
Smaato, now a part of Verve, is a mobile-first monetization platform that prioritizes audience experiences. The platform follows an omnichannel approach that delivers consistent ad experiences across devices for optimal user engagement. Smaato offers four main integrations to its publishers: SDK, API, Ad Tag, and Prebid.
Features:
- Offers OTT/CTV ads apart from native ads, video ads, and display ads
- Provides the best ad price within 200 milliseconds
- Offers modular SKAdNetwork-enabled SDK to unlock the app’s full earning capacity
- Provides global support with offices in the US, Germany, Singapore, and China
10. MobFox – An Advanced Mobile App Monetization Platform
The last in our list of top 10 app monetization platforms is MobFox. It offers hassle-free monetization by providing a unified platform that optimizes revenue through advanced mediation and real-time analytics while ensuring a premium user experience. The platform also provides app publishers with consolidated reports with detailed insights from top demand partners for data-driven decisions.
Features:
- Ad formats include rich media ads, banner ads, native ads, interstitial ads, and rewarded ads.
- Offers SDK with quick and easy integration for a hassle-free experience
- Can integrate with major SDK-compliant networks like Unity
- Doubles up as ad exchange and performance, hence can provide all-round solutions to app publishers
How to Choose the Best App Monetization Platform?
The first step of choosing the best app monetization platform is knowing your app inside out. Whether the app is for gamers or utility users, the platform should align with the value proposition of your app. Here are some criteria that you should consider before choosing the best app monetization platform for your business.
1. App Category
The first factor an app publisher should consider is the type of app they are creating. Is it a gaming app or a non-gaming app? If you have created a gaming app, then it’s best to associate it with gaming ad networks or gaming app monetization platforms. Examples include Unity ads and Chartboost.
2. Monetization Model
The next factor that an app publisher should take into consideration is the monetization model they are looking for. Again, this mainly depends on two things: the app and the long-term goal. Gaming app publishers will more or less opt for either in-app ads or in-app purchases. However, a streaming app may opt for a subscription-based model.
3. Payment Options
Before inking the agreement, read the payment terms and criteria carefully. Check whether they have your preferred payment methods. More importantly, confirm the payment cycle. For example, with Appodeal, an app publisher can request payment at any time as they don’t follow a fixed payment cycle.
4. Intuitive Dashboard
Opt for a platform that offers an intuitive dashboard. As metrics dictate your app monetization strategies, having a dashboard that provides detailed insights on user engagement, such as CTR, impressions, session duration, ad interaction, etc, will be advantageous for you in the long run.
Key Takeaways on Mobile App Monetization Platforms
- Users spend 3.46 hours on average using mobile phones every day, which makes in app-advertising a promising monetization model. (DataReportal)
- Programmatic and hybrid auctions drive higher eCPMs by increasing demand-side competition.
- User insights and granular reporting are key to refining and scaling your monetization strategy.
- AdMob is beginner-friendly with top-tier ad demand, non-intrusive formats, and hybrid monetization options.
- AdPushup offers a unified SDK, smart mediation, and video ad support, which is ideal for both new and experienced publishers.
FAQs Related to Mobile App Monetization Platforms
Mobile ads generally have five formats – Interstitial, Native, Banner, OfferWall, and Rich Media Ads.
Publishers and marketers usually divide their target audience by their geographic location, their carriers, their device, operating system, mobile network or connection, gender, other demographic criteria, and most importantly, user interests.
If you develop a free mobile application, there are several ways, such as in-app purchases, in-app advertising, affiliate marketing, getting sponsors, and some other creative ways, but you can still bring in a solid passive income.
