Top Mobile Ad Networks for App Publishers in 2026

This is a guide to the mobile ad networks that actually matter for your app strategy. Learn what makes them effective for app developers, where they fall short, and how to optimize ad placements across multiple platforms for maximum yield.

Google AdMob

AdMob lets you mix bidding and waterfall in the same mediation group, so eligible bidders compete in a real-time auction and you still keep legacy waterfalls where needed. Formats cover banner, interstitial, rewarded, native, and app-open. This is the easy “default” stack for broad demand. 

The non-negotiable part for Europe: if you serve users in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland and want to run personalized ads, you’re required to use a Google-certified CMP that’s integrated with IAB TCF. Google set the effective dates at Jan 16, 2024 (EEA/UK) and Jul 31, 2024 (CH). Skipping this won’t just risk policy issues; it tends to depress delivery and earnings in practice. Budget engineering + QA for consent flows up front.

When it’s useful: teams that want quick coverage and minimal adapter drama.

AppLovin (ALX + MAX)

MAX brings lots of demand partners, built-in A/B testing, and a Mediation Debugger that catches common setup issues (like outdated adapters or missing SKAN IDs). It also works with Google bidding, so you can increase auction competition without redoing your stack. If your team runs regular tests and keeps SDKs tidy, MAX delivers.

The trade-off is operational: performance correlates with how cleanly you maintain SDKs and adapters across all mediated partners. MAX’s own docs nudge you toward frequent validation via the Debugger; treat that as a real, recurring task, not a one-time setup. 

When it’s useful: teams willing to run continuous tests and keep adapters current.

Unity Ads with LevelPlay

LevelPlay is built with game monetization front and center: unified auction, real-time monetization data, A/B tests, and first-class Unity Editor integration via the Ads Mediation package. For Unity-based studios, the day-to-day ergonomics (install, iterate, ship) are hard to beat.

If you’re not a game, you can still integrate; but most examples, KPIs, and workflows are optimized around placements in games. Non-gaming teams often find themselves doing extra translation work to map guidance to their use cases.

When it’s useful: game studios (Unity or otherwise) that want a game-first toolchain.

Digital Turbine (DT Exchange + FairBid)

DT gives you FairBid mediation and DT Exchange, with a strong emphasis on supply-path transparency: public sellers.json, SupplyChain (schain) support, and clear OpenRTB 2.5 specs. If you care about auditable paths and directness in programmatic, their documentation is unusually explicit.

Plan for two tracks of setup (Exchange + FairBid) and corresponding docs. It’s more moving parts than a single-vendor control plane, so be ready to budget integration/time for both layers.

When it’s useful: teams that want independence and full transparency in the ad supply chain.

InMobi

If you’re chasing brand budgets across non-gaming verticals, InMobi’s stack is built to play nicely with privacy rules. They ship a TCF 2.2–aligned CMP and detailed consent APIs, so you can wire consent strings correctly and stay eligible for premium ad demand even in highly regulated regions. Teams that already run consent-or-pay or more advanced consent user experience will find the docs explicit enough to implement without guesswork. 

When it’s useful: news, finance, loyalty, and other non-gaming apps that need brand campaigns with robust privacy posture.

Liftoff Monetize (formerly Vungle)

Liftoff Monetize is still one of the most reliable ways to bring high-value video (rewarded + interstitial) into your mix. It’s IAB OM SDK–certified for viewability across a variety of ad formats, which makes life easier when advertisers press for verification and clean measurement. 

Integration guides are current for Android/iOS/Unity — and most mediations have stable adapters. 

When it’s useful: teams that want strong video eCPMs with proper viewability measurement.

AdPushup

AdPushup comes from the web/AMP + header-bidding world (layout testing, bidder pressure, and GAM expertise) and now offers an app monetization route pitched as “no SDK chaos” (API-driven integration, single line of code). For publishers with real mobile web traffic and GAM already in the stack, this can unify your web + app yield ops under one roof.

When it’s useful: teams that are GAM-native on web and comfortable extending that model into apps.

Pangle (TikTok’s ad network)

Growing in APAC/MENA? Put Pangle in your tests. It plugs into AdMob (Android + Unity) and supports bidding and waterfall, so you can boost auction pressure without custom work. One caveat: check Pangle’s region support in their docs before forecasting results outside their core markets.

Here results are region-dependent. EU/US apps should test cautiously and verify coverage before committing roadmap time.

When it’s useful: Japan/SEA/MENA growth or TikTok-adjacent demand.

adjoe (Playtime & Arcade): Engagement-Driven Monetization

adjoe adds an engagement layer that sits alongside your ad stack: users play third-party games to earn your app’s loyalty points, while you monetize via CPI of the extensive ad inventory behind the scenes. The public numbers are material: Fetch Rewards measured +10% CLTV and roughly +6% MoM app-opens once Arcade went live. For loyalty/fintech/utility apps worried about ad fatigue, this is a way to lift revenue and stickiness without increasing ad frequency. 

Implementation detail that matters: visibility drives usage. adjoe’s own guidance shows home-page entry points can drive up to ~50% more traffic to the gaming hub; bury it, and adoption drops.

When it’s useful: you want incremental revenue + retention/CLTV lift with minimal risk of cannibalizing existing ad placements.

Chartboost

A steady, games-focused demand source with clear controls and docs. One operational gate to note: they expect ≥250 DAU for 7–14 days per app to join the publishing network — sensible for quality control, but it will block very small or brand-new titles until they grow. 

When it’s useful: established games that want incremental demand with straightforward policies.

Increase App Revenue

A good stack mixes a solid mediator, a few purpose-built demand sources, and one lever that grows revenue without turning up ad frequency. That last lever is the one covered by adjoe.

With Playtime/Arcade, you add an engagement layer that sits next to your ads: users play, earn your app’s points, and you earn from CPI/event budgets without cannibalizing existing placements.