What are your experiences with different ad networks?

NatWobble

We have been using Admob banners and interstitials with a few experiments with other ad networks. Millenial Media was awful for us and abandoned, but we are considering rotating a few different ad networks, especially as we see the same ads a few times in a row with Admob, and we think we'd get better CTRs if we spread the networks slightly. We are planning to update the ad rotation from our web server.

We are also going to use reward ads on a limited basis and are currently integrating Applovin, but my main question refers to normal interstitials, in particular, although any ideas would be welcome.

I also notice that some of the SDKs are rather large (particularly on iOS: 10-20MB), so it would seem best not to include too many plugins.

Our experiences so far:
App A (Educational English game for foreign children/teens):

Interstitials (Android) -
Millenial Media $0.09 ECPM !!, 2.26% CTR
Mopub $1.21 ECPM

Banners (Android) -
Admob $0.08 ECPM, 0.52% CTR
Mopub $0.27 ECPM

App B (Educational English game for foreign children/teens):

Interstitials (Android) -
Admob $2.01 ECPM, 3.27% CTR
Millenial Media $0.07 ECPM !!, 2.19% CTR
Mopub $2.31 ECPM

Banners (Android) -
Admob $0.19 ECPM, 0.68% CTR
Mopub $0.51 ECPM

App C (Educational English game for foreign teens/adults):

Interstitials (Android) - Admob $2.60 ECPM, 3.62% CTR
Interstitials (iOS) - Admob $9.74 ECPM, 3.27% CTR
Banners (Android) - Admob $0.25 ECPM, 0.49% CTR
Banners (iOS) - Admob $0.44 ECPM, 0.42% CTR

We would be grateful if people were willing to share some ideas and some info such as the type of app, the age/demographics their apps are aimed at and the CTRs and ECPMs they are getting with different networks.

Thanks in advance.

simwhi

Further to @NatWobble post, it would also be useful to know which plugins are up to date, or have issues.

I know that the following plugins have issues:

1. Vungle SDK is out of date and raises a security issue on the Goggle Play developer console.
2. There are some screen issues with Appodeal on some Android devices.

Also, the following plugins are still in either alpha or beta testing:

1. Applovin: alpha - I've tested reward ads and they seem to work fine.
2. HeyZap: beta - @SinisterSoft What was your experience?
3. MoPub: beta
4. RevMob: beta
5. Samsung AdHub: beta
6. TapForTap: beta

The stable ad networks tested:

1. AdMob: Works well on Android and iOS
2. ChartBoost: Tested reward ads on Android. Worked OK but seemed to be limited for Asia (we live in Thailand)

It would be really useful to know other developers' experiences with each ad provider. After all, ad monetization is a crucial part an indie developers' business model. If we can collate the information here it'll be easier for other developers too.

totebo

I've tried all available rewarded video networks (five in total; Chartboost, Applovin, Heyzap, AdColony and Vungle). The ones that seem to work best for my game are Chartboost and Applovin (in that order).

simwhi

@totebo Thanks for the information. Did you experience any issues implementing any of the plugins?

totebo

It's usually pretty straightforward, but never painless. Each network is different, so it does require some patience. But the above networks work fine for me.