Twice a year, AppsFlyer - one of the leading mobile attribution companies - releases their industry-standard Performance Index, which ranks different mobile media sources according to volume and quality. The 11th edition of the Performance Index covers the first half of 2020, and covers 27B app installs across 14K different apps.
In Appsflyer’s latest performance index covering H1 2020 ironSource’s ad network was ranked the best independent SDK network for driving quality across all app categories and operating systems - following only Facebook and Google. In fact, AppsFlyer recognized that ironSource has the best retention-based quality among the “triopoly” (ironSource, Applovin, Unity) thanks to extremely high scores in Music, Sports, Adventure, Arcade, and Simulation game rankings.
"ironSource had the best retention-based quality among the triopoly"
ironSource is also ranked the second-largest independent SDK network for driving quality and volume for games globally across operating systems, and the largest independent SDK network in volume for non-gaming apps on Android, following Facebook, Google, and TikTok.
New IAA and IAP Indexes highlight monetization and marketing merging
New to AppsFlyer’s Performance Index are two additional categories - the In-App Advertising (IAA) Index, which ranks media sources on their ability to deliver users who monetize best with ads, and the In-App Purchase (IAP) Index, which ranks media sources on their ability to deliver users that complete an in-app purchase. ironSource was ranked the second best independent SDK network in both the IAP and IAA Indexes for driving volume and quality for all games globally across both iOS and Android.
The first-time addition of these categories to AppsFlyer’s Index marks a significant turning point in the mobile gaming and app industries, demonstrating the increasing importance of building growth strategies with monetization in mind - a trend ironSource has been leading over the last few years. The innovative, first-to-market solutions ironSource builds are designed for exactly this reason, to help developers close the marketing and monetization loop and scale their businesses. Specifically, the ironSource ROAS Optimizer utilizes in-app purchase and ad revenue data to optimize user acquisition campaigns according to ROAS goals. The increased use of this product, as well as ironSource’s attention to closing the Growth Loop for our partners, likely played a large part in ironSource’s high ranking in both the IAA and IAP Indexes.
Doubling down on gametech
In fact, AppsFlyer recognized ironSource’s strategic investment in developing technology for games as a contributing factor across all ironSource rankings - specifically calling out our in-app bidding solution, LevelPlay, which earlier this month became the first platform to provide developers of all sizes instant access to in-app bidding. “ironSource remains a top player in Gaming, catering to the needs of savvy gaming developers that earn money from a variety of revenue streams. In the past year, they released an in-app bidding platform, LevelPlay, and launched a new mediation app to improve user experience and accessibility,” the report reads.
By consistently developing innovative solutions that solve the specific problems faced by game developers, we’ve been able to help our developer partners grow their games and turn them into profitable businesses. Going forward in 2021, our focus will continue to be on building innovative gametech products that enable developers of all sizes to scale their businesses.
