What is AppLovin?

AppLovin is a platform for monetizing and buying in-app traffic: an ad network for mobile games and apps, the MAX mediation stack (AppLovin Exchange), and user acquisition via AppDiscovery. Advertisers buy installs and in-app events; publishers serve rewarded video, interstitial, and banner via SDK.

In the mobile apps vertical, AppLovin is a top UA source alongside Unity Ads and Google UAC. Models: CPI, CPA on target events, sometimes CPM in programmatic layers. KPIs: CPI, D1/D7 retention, ROAS, LTV.

MAX mediation

AppLovin MAX aggregates bids from AppLovin, AdMob, ironSource, Mintegral, and others. As a buyer, focus on AppDiscovery (UA), not MAX as a publisher-side mediation tool.

Tracking

MMP (Adjust, AppsFlyer) or tracker with S2S postback: click → install → event. iOS: SKAdNetwork, ATT limits. Sub IDs on campaign/ad/creative in the tracking URL.

Arbitrage

Gaming, utilities, gambling/betting where legal, subscription apps. Creatives: playable, video, end cards. Reconcile with MMP against install fraud.

See also: in-app ads, Unity Ads, rewarded traffic, CPI.