How to Monetize an App with Ads

Ad monetization pays from attention. If you do not have frequent opens, the check will be small and the app will feel worse.

Only do this if people will not pay

A tool someone uses for a job should be a price. Ads fit a free toy, a game, or a utility people open in short bursts and would never subscribe to.

Place the ad where it does not block the result

After the action, or a rewarded spot they choose. A banner on the only button is how you get deleted. Read the network's policy so you do not get the account banned for accidental clicks.

Keep a paid way to remove ads if the app is also a tool

Say that clearly. If the free app is only an ad, they will not pay to stop it. They will leave.

Do not count on ads to replace marketing

You still have to get the opens. Slideshows from Alma are how a small app gets those opens without buying them. $29/month for 500 slides, or $199/month with no cap.

Look at revenue per user before you design around ads

If the number is trivial, stop and charge for a job instead. An ad SDK is not a business model just because it was easy to paste in.