Appodeal plugin causes huge increase in app size and data usage

Solar2D Monetization (in-app purchases, ads, etc.)
#1

Hello. I’m using Appodeal to serve up ads and noticed that it increases both my app size and my app data usage by a very large amount. When comparing my app with and without the Appodeal plugin included, Appodeal adds just under 13MB to both my app size and data usage (as reported by the Android app info). I checked the data usage by opening up the app after a fresh install and closing it once everything has initialized.

My app itself (without the plugin) isn’t even that large, so including Appodeal more than doubles the app size and data usage. Is this expected? Is there any way to mitigate it? Are most of the ad plugins like this?

#2

It’s an expected increase, and there’s not much that can be done about it.

Appodeal is a mediation platform that embeds advertising SDKs from numerous advertising providers which accounts for the increase in size.

#3

Ok thanks Ingemar, that’s what I figured. I just tried a quick test of Applovin and it adds ~3.8MB to my app size (didn’t check data usage). I’ll consider switching over to this.

#4

Even with the increased app size I would still recommend testing Appodeal. It has the potential to give you a higher overall profit based on the fact that it can leverage ads in real-time from multiple ad networks and choose the ads that give the best revenue.

#5

Yes, I do like that Appodeal can choose the best performing ads so I definitely won’t rule it out.

#6

Dreams…dreams … appodeal… higher ecpm… dreams… :slight_smile:

Actually it is only dreams. Reality is not so nice.

My stats for last 5 months shows, that Appodeal does not perform better than single Admob.

Ecpms is equal (3.55$ and 3.57$) despite the fact in games that use Appodeal is much more video and rewarded video ads…

and in games with only Admob integrated there is much more banners and no rewarded videos.

  • easy to integrate

  • you cant impact mediation, close your eyes and just trust them, dont look at stats

  • they drive part of your traffic through their so called “system campaigns” and they don`t pay for that

  • they are adjusting stats. For example I had 1600 clicks, after couple of months they travelled from System Campaigns to StartApp. One more example from my stats - from Applovin network there is 6k impressions, 0 clicks, but 44$ revenue. How?

If you choose to use them, go ahead, but don`t expect better results than single admob.  Keep your eyes open, take screenshots of your stats to see if they are changing them. And be ready to give them part of your traffic as free gift (it is so called System Campaigns). They will tell you that it is only when there is no ads to serve, but it is bullshit, I have >40 games with only Admob and fill rate is 99.8%.

#7

I gave up Appodeal for a similar reason, but in my case, I was making a lot less money. There was a period of time that I had both Appodeal and Admob running. Just by how the app is deployed. In the same country on the same day, Appodeal underperformed Admob when measured by Ad Revenue per Daily Active User. Not only that but when I compared just the Admob portion of the impressions straight Admob outperformed Admob through Appodeal. I don’t believe this is entirely their fault. I believe at some point or for some clients the forced Admob waterfall they create on your account does create additional revenue. 

They never claim that they don’t take impressions. I believe they say they take 20% of the additional profit they generate. If they double your profit that amounts to 10%. In your case, it sounds like you were breaking even. Which makes it a profit of at least $199 if you had to buy the Admob plugin.

#8

Thank you for your feedback about Appodeal! Let me please give an explanation.

 

Appodeal is a mediation service, in order to test it properly, there should be enough amount of traffic. The majority of networks use CPM, CPC or CPI methods. CPM-based networks usually pay per 1000 of guaranteed impressions so it’s worthwhile to get at least 10 000 impressions daily within your app to have a mediation service working correctly. Advertisers do not pay for clicks in case of video impressions.

 

Testing Appodeal along with Admob in the same build won’t give correct results. Admob is an ad network, Appodeal is mediation that has dozens of networks in a single SDK (Admob as well). We make networks compete with each other for each impression, in case you have integrated both: Admob and Appodeal SDKs, you make an ad network compete with mediation which won’t give any good results.

 

Ideally, you should test Appodeal on 50% of the audience in case you want to compare us to your current ad tool (there is such an option for Android apps on Google Play Market).

 

#9

Katrina no complaints from me. I was just mentioning that it depends on your app and market. I still have an app running through Appodeal (I get more than 10K per day) and for what I can tell for that app Appodeal runs slightly ahead of straight Admob regardless of your fee. On top of that, I get to use FAN and Admob for free (although I paid for AdMob), turn off any networks I don’t like, set floors if I want to, rules to not show videos when a device is on a mobile network and run my cross-campaign when no ads are available above the cap.

#10

One thing is clear - if your app doesnt have \>10k impressions daily, then there is no sense of using Appodeal.  I believe, \>90% of developers dont have such traffic on their apps.

That is the only thing Karina explained.

I am more interested how CPI campaign gets revenue if clicks=0 :P.

#11

It’s an expected increase, and there’s not much that can be done about it.

Appodeal is a mediation platform that embeds advertising SDKs from numerous advertising providers which accounts for the increase in size.

#12

Ok thanks Ingemar, that’s what I figured. I just tried a quick test of Applovin and it adds ~3.8MB to my app size (didn’t check data usage). I’ll consider switching over to this.

#13

Even with the increased app size I would still recommend testing Appodeal. It has the potential to give you a higher overall profit based on the fact that it can leverage ads in real-time from multiple ad networks and choose the ads that give the best revenue.

#14

Yes, I do like that Appodeal can choose the best performing ads so I definitely won’t rule it out.

#15

Dreams…dreams … appodeal… higher ecpm… dreams… :slight_smile:

Actually it is only dreams. Reality is not so nice.

My stats for last 5 months shows, that Appodeal does not perform better than single Admob.

Ecpms is equal (3.55$ and 3.57$) despite the fact in games that use Appodeal is much more video and rewarded video ads…

and in games with only Admob integrated there is much more banners and no rewarded videos.

  • easy to integrate

  • you cant impact mediation, close your eyes and just trust them, dont look at stats

  • they drive part of your traffic through their so called “system campaigns” and they don`t pay for that

  • they are adjusting stats. For example I had 1600 clicks, after couple of months they travelled from System Campaigns to StartApp. One more example from my stats - from Applovin network there is 6k impressions, 0 clicks, but 44$ revenue. How?

If you choose to use them, go ahead, but don`t expect better results than single admob.  Keep your eyes open, take screenshots of your stats to see if they are changing them. And be ready to give them part of your traffic as free gift (it is so called System Campaigns). They will tell you that it is only when there is no ads to serve, but it is bullshit, I have >40 games with only Admob and fill rate is 99.8%.

#16

I gave up Appodeal for a similar reason, but in my case, I was making a lot less money. There was a period of time that I had both Appodeal and Admob running. Just by how the app is deployed. In the same country on the same day, Appodeal underperformed Admob when measured by Ad Revenue per Daily Active User. Not only that but when I compared just the Admob portion of the impressions straight Admob outperformed Admob through Appodeal. I don’t believe this is entirely their fault. I believe at some point or for some clients the forced Admob waterfall they create on your account does create additional revenue. 

They never claim that they don’t take impressions. I believe they say they take 20% of the additional profit they generate. If they double your profit that amounts to 10%. In your case, it sounds like you were breaking even. Which makes it a profit of at least $199 if you had to buy the Admob plugin.

#17

Thank you for your feedback about Appodeal! Let me please give an explanation.

 

Appodeal is a mediation service, in order to test it properly, there should be enough amount of traffic. The majority of networks use CPM, CPC or CPI methods. CPM-based networks usually pay per 1000 of guaranteed impressions so it’s worthwhile to get at least 10 000 impressions daily within your app to have a mediation service working correctly. Advertisers do not pay for clicks in case of video impressions.

 

Testing Appodeal along with Admob in the same build won’t give correct results. Admob is an ad network, Appodeal is mediation that has dozens of networks in a single SDK (Admob as well). We make networks compete with each other for each impression, in case you have integrated both: Admob and Appodeal SDKs, you make an ad network compete with mediation which won’t give any good results.

 

Ideally, you should test Appodeal on 50% of the audience in case you want to compare us to your current ad tool (there is such an option for Android apps on Google Play Market).

 

#18

Katrina no complaints from me. I was just mentioning that it depends on your app and market. I still have an app running through Appodeal (I get more than 10K per day) and for what I can tell for that app Appodeal runs slightly ahead of straight Admob regardless of your fee. On top of that, I get to use FAN and Admob for free (although I paid for AdMob), turn off any networks I don’t like, set floors if I want to, rules to not show videos when a device is on a mobile network and run my cross-campaign when no ads are available above the cap.

#19

One thing is clear - if your app doesnt have \>10k impressions daily, then there is no sense of using Appodeal.  I believe, \>90% of developers dont have such traffic on their apps.

That is the only thing Karina explained.

I am more interested how CPI campaign gets revenue if clicks=0 :P.