If you have a mobile app and are planning to monetize it or are already generating revenue from it, then you would be familiar with the two major ad network giants – Google AdMob and ironSource.
This article will compare Google AdMob and ironSource to help you understand which is the right platform for you. And if you can use these ad networks together through ad mediation.
We will also look at the various segments where Google AdMob and ironSource are usually compared, such as earnings, current customers, market share, and category ranking.
So, let’s compare the similarities and differences between Google AdMob vs ironSource to learn more.
Defining
Google AdMob is one of the best app monetization platforms through which app publishers can earn revenue. AdMob helps monetize apps through in-app advertising by displaying various ad formats that can be seamlessly added to your app. To earn from AdMob, you must create an AdMob account and place the ad unit IDs within your mobile application.
Similarly, ironSource is a leading growth platform that offers app publishers monetization and analytical tools to boost their app business. It includes a mobile ad network and is among the most prominent mobile ad mediation platforms.
Owned By
AdMob is owned by Google and is a major player in the mobile advertising ecosystem. Likewise, ironSource was recently acquired by Unity Software.
Ad Mediation
Google AdMob Mediation allows app publishers to serve ads from multiple sources, such as – AdMob, third-party ad networks, and through various house campaigns.
With AdMob’s Mediation, publishers can manage multiple ad sources to serve ads on the apps in one place, rather than managing multiple platforms together. Also, with this feature, publishers can send incoming ad requests to multiple ad sources and help ensure they get the best price for each ad impression sold.
ironSource is the industry’s leading ad mediation platform that enables app publishers to increase app revenue and eCPMs. Currently, ironSource offers 15 ad networks to choose from! The platform manages the priority of the selected ad networks, eventually saving time and enhancing monetization.
SDK Integration
AdMob offers Google Mobile Ads SDK, which supports app developers in serving personalized ads to their users. It helps gather insights into users and maximize ad revenue. The default integration of the Mobile Ads SDK collects relevant information and passes it on to the ad server to serve targeted ads.
Integrating the ironSource SDK lets apps connect to third-party ad servers and technologies. The ironSource’s SDK also offers access to their ad mediation features, which allows ironsource to centralize and manage multiple ad networks on one platform.
Estimated Earnings
AdMob earnings are relative to the number of impressions each ad unit serves. This variation eliminates double counting revenue when ad unit mapping is reused across multiple ad placements. AdMob uses the below formula for each ad unit:
Ad unit 1 estimated earnings = Earnings reported by optimized third-party ad network / (Total number of impressions for all ad units that use the same mapping information) * Number of impressions for Ad unit 1
Similarly, ironSource estimates that their rewarded video advertisements can boost an app’s revenue by 20% to 40%. Also, data suggests that the average eCPM in the US from the ironSource ad network is $20 from rewarded video ads, $16 from interstitials, and $2.50 for offer wall.
Comparing Features
Google AdMob Features | ironSource Feature |
Publishers usually explore Google AdMob advertising as the primary or secondary source of revenue. | Increases app's ARPDAU and maximizes the revenue through impactful ad formats. |
It accepts various ad formats, including banner, interstitial, native, and video ads. | Offer a larger and high-quality inventory of video ads. |
AdMob's mediation feature lets app publishers serve ads from multiple demand sources, including AdMob campaigns. Publishers can alter the priority of waterfall manually. | LevelPlay is a mediation platform by ironSource to manage and optimize multiple ad networks with just one SDK. LevelPlay has a pre-existing ad network stack and offers real-time bidding over the manual waterfall. |
Offers manual waterfall ad mediation. | Offers fully automated ad mediation |
Cross-promotion on various Google systems |
Advantages & Disadvantage
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Google AdMob:
Google AdMob Advantages | Google AdMob Disadvantages |
Offers an all-inclusive ad verification system. | Has stringent ad policies and difficulty to get clarity without experts. |
Integration with Google Analytics & FireBase | Earnings are lower as optimization needs immense effort. |
Provides Data Transfer Personalization | Onboarding is easier. However, sustaining is hard and publishers explore the platform on a short-term basis. |
Ad Mediation is a good feature for managing multiple ad networks at once. | Static ad mediation requires manual effort |
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of ironSource:
ironSource Advantages | ironSource Disadvantages |
There is a large video ads inventory. | Offers lower fill rate |
Tier 1 countries have a high supply. | Although, it’s not true for Tier 2 and Tier 3 countries |
The support is excellent. | |
Also is a dynamic ad mediation platform with multiple ad networks. |
Conclusion:
There are several ad networks, but Google Admob is considered the best! AdMob increases the publisher’s earnings substantially with a lot of inventory to offer. On the other hand, ironSource is an extremely popular advertising network used for ad mediation.
App publishers can hope for the best results when both app monetization platforms are used, and publishers are not dependent on one platform to generate revenue.
Would you like to know which app monetization platform is perfect for your mobile application? Book a free appointment with AppBroda’s Ad Ops experts to find out!
