Building applications for companies or for personal usage with a small price for the apps is not the only option for app developers for making money from the knowledge and time they spent in building such high quality apps. Advertisements in one of the various formats are a profit earner for the app developers. When you are using a free Android app, you would usually notice a few ads in the top or bottom, or in the notification panel of the phone and this is all because of the ad network which tries to inject ads, most of which are targeted ones based on the app being used.
Through the ads in applications, the app developers would be able to promote a website, an app of other company or anything that is well within the limit of being called a mobile ad. Here are a few of the best ad networks that would help the App developers / Publishers in making some extra income from their apps:
AdMob
This is the ad network that was independently launched back in 2006, and gained a popularity for being the best then, got acquired by Google in 2009 and right now is one of the best ad networks for the mobile platforms. Not only for Android, but AdMob provides a neutral platform for the advertisers and publishers to get the best out of the ads in iOS, Windows Mobile and most of the Mobile operating systems out there. One of the best advantages of using AdMob is that the users don’t feel very much mislead as most of the time, the ads are very much targeted and you won’t see non-targeted ads. What we call as Adsense for the websites is the same as AdMob in the Android.
The publishers can manage the ads through the powerful tools provided by Admob. They kept it easy for the publishers with the requirements being the latest version of AdMob, an application that the publisher owns, and the Bank account where they can see the earnings coming in.
Airpush
Airpush is one of those ad networks which has been on a rise of popularity and earnings since its launch. The Airpush ad platform allows the users to choose from the various ad types, which inlude the Signup Ads, Push Notification Ads and the Icon Ads. The advantage of using the Airpush network is that you don’t feel you are viewing an ad, but it seems like an integral part of the app you are using. This ad network provides a CPM of more than 10 and it pays every week rather than making the users wait monthly for the same.
The Signup ads display the ads in form of the discounts and offers of various brands, and this is shown only when you launch any app which has such ads. The Push Notification ads are something that don’t disturb the users while they are using the app, and the notification tray would show the ad later on. The Icon ads shows the ad in the form of an icon on the home screen which would open the content when the icon is clicked.
Millennial Media
The Millennial Media provides ads and monetized thousands of applications and even the mobile based websites. What sets this platform apart from others is the big brands advertising through it, and the premium tools offered by the company for both publishers and the advertisers. The demand from the best advertisers in the Millennial Media is what keeps opportunities high for the app developers.
The ad network works with the various mobile platforms including Android, iOS, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry etc. and the web based tools and resources makes it easy for the developers to manage their business through the advertising platform.
The Millennial media developer gives a chance for users to bring in more downloads for their apps, and improve the discovery of the apps through the advertising via other apps where the promotion of apps is done.
LeadBolt
The LeadBolt ad network divides the app usage cycle into three parts and in that, they show on the various points where the ads could be displayed and would be helpful for the app developers to understand what all options they have got to make money through the ads.
There are several places and points during the app usage where LeadBolt would insert the ads:
- Entry Point – When the user is excited about the downloaded app, and has to check a few ads, they won’t mind. Advanced overlay, Interstitial, Banners and Capture Form are the different ways.
- Engagement – This is when the user is using the app and this is the time when the app would receive the high visibility. App Wall, Video Ad, Content Lock, Interstitial and Banners are the various options in this.
- Exit Point – When the app is installed and not being used, LeadBolt would show ads in the form of a push notification or as an icon on the home screen.
There are 8 advanced ad units the developers can select from, and the tools would show all the analytics and reporting of the ads being displayed and converting to earnings.
AdWhirl
This better be called AdWhirl by AdMob as it is an open source advertising platform that is linked to a few different ad networks that work on cross platforms to give the users an easier and better option for making money through their apps.
Using AdWhirl, you can use unlimited ad networks of your choice, and the ad functionality has been made better with a few improvements included.
Mobclix
Mobclix is one such platform where again you would be able to get benefits by connecting to various other ad networks from one place. The service claims to have got around 18000 publishers and the revenues here are calculated based on the number of impressions, and as said earlier, a better performance is achieved when you try out various ad networks at the same time. The advantage with Mobclix is that you won’t be needing to check the stats and earnings reports of each network separately, as everything is available at a single place and you get the collective earnings through cheque at once.
With Mobclix, one would be able to able to connect to the new ad networks but there would be no need to update the app whenever you find new advertisers or networks, and the SDK is one of the smallest making the integration easier. As the company says, “More app, less crap” explains that it won’t make the users feel distracted due to the ads, as they would be limited.
InMobi
InMobi is one of the excellent ad networks that hold a good strength in the market when it comes to the ratio of advertisers to publishers. It works on various mobile OS, of which the Android and iOS are the main ones, and it provides some neat monetization options for the app developers. As of now, inMobi is not accepting any developers to join their developer program, but the normal registrations of developers is allowed.
MobFox
Mobile Advertising. Simplified. This is what the company claims, and it seems to be. It claims to be the highest paying mobile advertising network in the US and Europe regions. When compared to the other ad networks for mobiles, MobFox ups the CPM to 300% and the eCPMcontrol would assist in having a total control on the revenue. The stats shown in the website are real-time, and keep updating all the time.
This is yet another cross platform network that not just works with Android, but also with the iOS and Windows Phone 7 OS. MobFox provides Open API, unlike a few other networks and they include a direct sales portal for getting better deals for the app developers.
Tapjoy
Tapjoy is a marketplace of applications, where the developers get a chance to both market their apps and at the same time monetize them to make money. The developers can drive more downloads for their apps, and can boost their revenues based on the usage their apps get. The network claims to have spread across 500 million devices and 20,000 total applications, and the cross promotion marketplace would make it easier for the marketing of the apps to get them noticed by users.
The ad marketplace would make it easier for the developers to find the right advertisers for their built applications, and the featured ad units is something that could drive in more revenue than normal where a single featured advertiser could bring in extra income for the developer. Other than the featured ads, the normal banner ads as always would bring in the needed income.
Startapp
Getting direct conversions based on the number of downloads an application gets, is though Startapp which pays up to $50 for every 1000 downloads that are made through the US users. The business models and ideas in all the above ad networks was different from this one, and with Startapp one can see the direct fixed conversions. Startapp claims to cash out the highest revenue per app download.
The process of installation and integration is pretty simple, just like the way a user earns through Startapp. And having said about the ease of doing everything with them, the company hasn’t been so popular compared to the other ad networks, probably because they could be selective with the developers and the type of applications.