Sixty to seventy percent of mobile users never make a single in-app purchase — but year after year, app revenue continues to rise. So what gives? Sensor Tower already tracks two core components of app revenue generation: in-app purchases (IAPs) and app subscriptions.. These are, indeed, essential parts of an app’s profitability. But if only a third of users spend money on in-app purchases, where are the rest of the funds coming from? 

The missing piece of the puzzle is ad monetization. When we only look at IAP revenue, purchases, and subscriptions as proxies for an app’s financial health, we miss a crucial part of the picture. No longer! As of today, Sensor Tower is officially filling that gap, demystifying a core component of mobile performance with two brand new reports under the Ad Monetization umbrella. 

App Ad Monetization: A 360 Degree View of the Market 

App Analysis and Top Ad Publishers give clients unparalleled visibility into the monetization strategies of competitors. Not just the big picture, but the details. See not just how much ad revenue an app is making, but also which types of ads are most effective, as well as which app ad networks bring the highest returns on investment.  

Ad revenue is becoming a more and more prominent contributor to net profit in the mobile world, with a full 72% of the top 100 grossing games using a hybrid monetization strategy (IAP + ads). But the use cases don’t end with gaming. Entries across verticals, including News, Ecommerce, and Entertainment apps, are all seeing strong ad revenue growth. 

Here’s exactly what the new data shows, and how you can use it to support your monetization strategy:

1. App Analysis Report

App Analysis allows you to benchmark any set of apps based on how they monetize. Compare metrics including: 

• Ad Revenue

• Ad Impressions

• Revenue per MAU/Minute/Session

• Ads per MAU/Minute/Session

You’ll be able to view trendlines at a glance, and easily compare monetization trajectories with other app performance indicators such as downloads or impressions. Additionally, above the report you can explore the Top Advertisers and Top Advertiser Categories for your selected group of apps, instantly adding color and context to your custom analysis. 

2. Top Ad Publishers Report

Top Ad Publishers serves as the perfect companion to the App Analysis report. Here you can zoom out to a market-level view, quickly identifying peers that are winning the monetization game across market and industry. Below, for instance, are the mobile board games with the highest ad revenue per minute in the United States over the last twelve months. 

This data unlocks a vast array of valuable use cases. Here are a few real-world examples of how clients are using Sensor Tower’s Ad Monetization to get ahead: 

📲 Benchmark competitor monetization to spot your opportunities: Compare Ad Revenue, ARPMAU, and Ads per Minute or Session across any set of apps to see who monetizes more efficiently, and where you can push without hurting retention.

📲  Know which networks and formats actually drive revenue: Identify which networks competitors monetize with and how they split banner and fullscreen inventory, so you know which partners to test, sell into, or move away from.

📲  Find the real market leaders by total revenue: Rank publishers by combined IAP + ad revenue across any country or category, so you can benchmark yourself, target the right inventory, or evaluate acquisition opportunities.

📲  Find the right networks and advertisers to partner with: See which advertisers are buying inventory in your category and which networks deliver the most revenue for similar apps, so you know who to pitch for ad sales or collaborations.

📲  Track monetization shifts over time: Watch how competitors' ad revenue, ad frequency, and network mix change month over month, so you can react to strategy shifts before they show up in market rankings.

📲  Evaluate acquisition and investment targets with full revenue picture: See which apps are undervalued by IAP-only views and which are quietly scaling through ads, so you can value targets on total revenue, not part of it.

Want to learn more about Ad Monetization? Schedule a demo, or log in to App Advertising Insights for an abridged version of the report.