AdMob or AdX? The Hybrid Strategy That Unlocks Your App’s True Revenue Potential

A practical guide for app developers and publishers, verified against independent industry benchmarks

Most app developers assume that using AdMob means they are already tapping into Google’s best advertising demand. After 16+ years working in ad tech and helping thousands of publishers scale their revenue, we at MonetizeMore can tell you: that assumption is costing you real money.

The truth is that AdMob and Google Ad Exchange (AdX) serve distinct roles in the programmatic ecosystem. Using only one of them is like running a live auction with half the bidders locked out. This guide explains the difference, what you are leaving on the table, and how to combine both platforms the right way.

Key Takeaways

• AdMob and AdX draw from different advertiser pools. Using only one limits your earning ceiling.
• Adding AdX demand to your AdMob mediation creates genuine competition for every impression, driving up CPMs.
• Publishers using multi-platform mediation strategies consistently achieve significantly higher revenue than single-platform implementations. In our experience across 16+ years of publisher accounts, 20% ARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User)  uplift is a conservative starting point for well-optimized stacks.
• Accessing AdX directly requires either very high traffic volumes or a Google Certified Publishing Partner. MonetizeMore holds that certification.
• This is not a choice between platforms. It is about stacking demand intelligently.

Where Is Google’s Best Ad Demand, Really?

This is the question we get asked most often by publishers coming to us from AdMob-only setups. The short answer: it is split.

AdMob connects you to Google Ads demand and an expanding roster of third-party networks through open bidding. That is a meaningful pool of advertisers. But AdX connects you to a different and generally higher-value tier: demand-side platforms (DSPs), global brand agencies, trading desks, and premium programmatic buyers who simply do not transact through AdMob.

When those two pools compete for the same impression, your revenue goes up. It is not complicated in theory, but getting the implementation right requires experience and technical precision.

Understanding the Difference: AdMob vs. AdX

Google AdMob

AdMob is Google’s mobile-first ad network, designed for app developers of all sizes. It offers a clean SDK, straightforward mediation, and solid demand from Google Ads plus open bidding partners. For developers getting started or operating at a small to medium scale, it is an excellent foundation.

AdMob supports open bidding, which creates real-time competition among third-party networks and gives it more flexibility than a pure waterfall setup. That said, it does not reach the same premium advertiser tier that AdX unlocks.

Google AdX (via Google Ad Manager)

AdX is a premium ad exchange that lives inside Google Ad Manager (GAM).  AdX connects publishers directly to DSPs, global brands, and trading desks through real-time bidding. This is a fundamentally different and higher-value demand pool than AdMob accesses.

AdX also gives publishers granular control that AdMob simply does not offer: price floors, preferred deals, private marketplace arrangements, and detailed inventory reporting. These capabilities matter enormously at scale.

Access note: Google’s direct AdX access is typically reserved for publishers approaching very high traffic thresholds. Most app developers reach AdX through an MCM (Multiple Customer Management) partner. As a Google Certified Publishing Partner with 16+ years in the industry, MonetizeMore provides that access along with the setup and ongoing management that makes it perform.

AdMob vs. AdX at a Glance

Feature	AdMob	Google AdX via GAM
Target Users	Small/medium app developers	Large publishers and high-traffic apps
Setup	Simple, quick SDK integration	Requires MCM partner; more technical
Demand Sources	Google Ads + open bidding partners	Premium DSPs, global brands, open RTB
Revenue Potential	Moderate eCPMs	Higher eCPMs via competitive bidding
Controls	Basic mediation and standard targeting	Price floors, preferred deals, advanced rules
Access	Open to all developers	Invite/partner-only via Google Ad Manager

What You’re Leaving on the Table with AdMob Alone

AdMob alone is not a bad strategy. It is an incomplete one. Here is what happens when you rely on it exclusively:

Demand is capped. Premium brand campaigns running through DSPs and trading desks are not competing for your inventory. They transact through AdX, not AdMob.

Fill gaps go unfilled. When AdMob cannot find a buyer at your floor price, that impression goes unsold. AdX demand absorbs many of those gaps.

Price floors are limited. Without AdX, you have less ability to enforce meaningful minimum prices on your premium placements. You accept whatever the market gives you rather than setting the terms.

Single-algorithm dependency. Any policy changes, seasonal demand shifts, or outages on AdMob’s side directly hit your revenue with no buffer. We have seen publishers lose significant income during brief AdMob disruptions simply because they had no demand diversification.

ARPDAU stays below its ceiling. More high-quality buyers competing for your inventory means higher average revenue per daily active user. Without AdX in the mix, that ceiling is artificially low.

In our 16+ years working with publishers across the globe, we have seen the same pattern repeatedly: developers who add AdX demand to their AdMob stack see measurable, often immediate gains in eCPM and fill rate. The uplift is real, and it compounds as the setup is optimized over time.

According to our own publisher portfolio data, publishers who layer advanced mediation and real-time bidding on top of AdMob often increase ARPDAU by 20 to 60 percent within three to six months. Standalone AdMob deployments should discount benchmark eCPMs by 20 to 30% compared to properly configured multi-demand stacks.

eCPM Reality Check: What Should You Expect?

A common misconception is that there is a single “AdMob eCPM rate.” There is not. Revenue varies dramatically by ad format, geography, app category, and implementation quality. Here are realistic benchmarks reported by Business of Apps mobile advertising rate data:

Approximate benchmarks (global, mixed traffic):

• Banner ads: $0.20 to $1.50 eCPM (lower for global mixed traffic, higher for Tier 1 markets)
• Interstitials: $2.50 to $8.00 eCPM (varies significantly by geography; Japan and US lead at $8 to $10+)
• Rewarded video: $8.00 to $30.00 eCPM (US iOS rewarded video reached approximately $17 to $20 based on our rewarded ads benchmark data)

These figures represent what well-configured setups can achieve. A poorly optimized waterfall, or a single-platform setup, will underperform these benchmarks. A well-implemented hybrid stack with AdX competing alongside AdMob demand is how publishers reach the upper end of these ranges.

Adding AdX / GAM Demand as a Direct Bidder – Setup Steps by Mediation Platform

This guide shows you how to add AdX / GAM demand as a direct bidder on top of the AdMob demand you already run. The exact steps depend on your mediation platform. Pick the section that matches your setup: AdMob only, AppLovin MAX, or Unity LevelPlay.

Whichever path you take, the result is the same: AdX demand competes for every impression in a real-time auction instead of sitting behind fixed waterfall positions, which lifts your ARPDAU and overall ad revenue.

If you only run AdMob (no mediation)

1. Register with MonetizeMore. Our monetization team works with you through everything that needs to happen on our side, so you do not have to figure out Google Ad Manager or MCM on your own.
2. Set up your inventory in Google Ad Manager. Your app is added to your GAM account and ad units are created that mirror your existing AdMob ad units one for one (banner, interstitial, rewarded). That makes the switch a straight swap of IDs.
3. Point your app at GAM. You already use the Google Mobile Ads SDK, and it is the same SDK that serves GAM, so there is no new SDK to integrate. You swap in your GAM application ID (the meta-data tag in AndroidManifest.xml on Android, or GADApplicationIdentifier in Info.plist on iOS) and your GAM ad unit IDs in code.
4. Go live and watch your lift. Once AdX demand is competing for your impressions, your ARPDAU lifts from the first auctions. Interstitial and rewarded inventory typically see the biggest gains, because those formats attract the highest AdX bids. The exact lift depends on your geos and ad format mix, and your MonetizeMore account manager tracks it with you from day one using GAM reporting.

If you run AppLovin MAX

1. Register with MonetizeMore. Our team works with you through everything that needs to happen on our side, including the connection between your MAX setup and the new AdX demand.
2. Create your ad units in Google Ad Manager. Create GAM ad units that mirror your MAX ad units for each format (banner and MREC, interstitial, rewarded).
3. Connect Google Ad Manager in the MAX dashboard. Go to Mediation > Manage Networks > Google Ad Manager, enter your GAM network code, then map each MAX ad unit to its GAM ad unit ID in the per-format ad unit settings.
4. Add the Google app ID to your app. On Android, add it as a meta-data tag in AndroidManifest.xml. On iOS, add GADApplicationIdentifier to Info.plist.
5. Add the Google Ad Manager adapter to your build. Add the google-ad-manager-adapter dependency to your Gradle build (or the CocoaPods equivalent on iOS). You do not need to change any of your existing MAX initialization code.
6. Turn on Google Ad Manager as a bidding ad source on your MAX ad units, launch, and confirm fills in MAX’s Mediation Debugger. Google Ad Manager runs as a real-time bidder inside MAX’s unified auction, so there are no waterfall line items to manage. Your account manager tracks the ARPDAU lift with you in MAX and GAM reporting, with interstitial and rewarded inventory typically seeing the biggest gains.

If you run Unity LevelPlay (formerly ironSource)

1. Register with MonetizeMore. Our team works with you through everything that needs to happen on our side, including the connection between your LevelPlay setup and the new AdX demand.
2. Create your inventory in Google Ad Manager. Add your app in GAM (it is usually pulled in automatically from your linked AdMob account, otherwise create it under Inventory > Apps), add ad units for each format and price point, then add an order with AdSense as the advertiser and line items of type Ad Exchange for each ad unit you monetize (interstitial, rewarded, banner, native banner).
3. Connect Google Ad Manager in your LevelPlay account. Go to Monetize > Setup > SDK Networks > Google Ad Manager and use the Login with Google option so your credentials are retrieved automatically.
4. Map your app and ad units. Select Google Ad Manager from the ad networks list, choose Define, and enter your GAM app ID and ad unit IDs under the interstitial, rewarded and banner settings. LevelPlay confirms the integration as Verified through its reporting API check.
5. Add the Google adapter to your build and set your app ID. Add the AdMob/Google adapter following LevelPlay’s mediation networks guide, and set GADApplicationIdentifier in Info.plist (iOS) or the APPLICATION_ID meta-data in AndroidManifest.xml. Skipping the app ID causes crashes, so do not skip this one.
6. Test and go live. Run LevelPlay’s Integration Helper, enable Google Ad Manager on your ad units, and you are done. Google Ad Manager competes in real time inside LevelPlay’s auction, with no waterfall line items to maintain. Your account manager tracks the ARPDAU lift with you in LevelPlay and GAM reporting, with interstitial and rewarded inventory typically seeing the biggest gains.

What to expect

Adding AdX / GAM demand as a direct bidder puts more demand in the same auction as your existing AdMob (or mediation) demand. Your ARPDAU lifts as soon as that demand starts winning impressions. Publishers typically see the biggest gains on interstitial and rewarded formats and in tier-one geos, where AdX bids are strongest. Your MonetizeMore price floor technology keeps AdX demand bidding at the highest RPM per impression, and your account manager tunes the floors with you as your data builds.

Why the Hybrid Strategy Is the Real Unlock

The formula is straightforward: more high-quality buyers competing for the same impression equals higher prices. When AdX’s brand and programmatic demand compete directly against AdMob’s performance demand, you get a genuine auction.

Here is what each layer brings to the stack:

AdMob delivers strong fill rates, solid performance demand, rewarded video and app-install campaigns, and consistent coverage in Tier 2 and Tier 3 geographies.

AdX delivers premium CPMs from brand advertisers, DSPs, and trading desks. It also enables preferred deals and private marketplace inventory that commands a price premium because it is transacted directly rather than through an open auction.

Open bidding and real-time competition eliminate the inefficiencies of sequential waterfalls and ensure your inventory goes to the highest bidder every time, not just the first one in line.

We have worked with publishers who added AdX demand through our mediation stack and saw 20% ARPDAU gains within weeks. That is not a ceiling; it is a starting point. Publishers who continue to optimize their price floors, demand mix, and ad unit configuration typically see further gains over the following months.

The Bottom Line

Sticking with only AdMob means turning away advertisers who would pay more for your audience. AdX unlocks those premium opportunities, but the real gains come from making both platforms compete for every impression you have.

Get AdX and Google Ad Manager demand added to your app setup with MonetizeMore. As a Google Certified Publishing Partner, we manage the entire technical setup end-to-end: secure your Google MCM access, build and mirror your GAM ad units, integrate the Google adapter into your MAX, LevelPlay, or standalone build, and optimize your price floors to drive eCPM and ARPDAU gains.

Get AdX Added to Your App Setup

Disclaimer: Revenue figures cited in this article draw from MonetizeMore’s publisher portfolio data and independent ad tech research from Business of Apps and Google’s developer documentation. Actual results vary by app category, geography, traffic quality, and implementation. MonetizeMore does not guarantee specific revenue outcomes. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AdX better than AdSense?

AdX provides access to more premium advertisers and generally delivers stronger eCPMs, particularly for Tier 1 geographies (US, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia). AdSense and by extension, AdMob can outperform AdX in lower-tier regions where AdX demand is thinner. The right answer depends on your audience's geography.

Which ad network pays the most per 1,000 views?

There is no universal answer because eCPM depends on format, geography, app category, and traffic quality. Google AdX generally provides higher eCPMs for premium placements due to its access to brand demand, but only when the integration is set up correctly.

Can small developers access AdX?

Not directly in most cases. But through an MCM partner like MonetizeMore, small and mid-sized developers can access AdX demand as part of a managed setup. We handle the technical complexity so you do not have to.

Is running both platforms complicated?

There is a setup curve, primarily at the initial configuration stage. Once correctly built, the systems run in parallel and day-to-day management is manageable. The bigger risk is incorrect setup, which is why getting the integration right from the start matters. Our team has been doing this for 16+ years across thousands of publisher accounts.

How much of a lift can I realistically expect?

It depends on your current setup, traffic geography, and ad formats. Based on what we have seen across our publisher base over 16+ years, 20%+ ARPDAU improvement is a realistic expectation for publishers moving from AdMob-only to a properly configured hybrid stack. Well-optimized setups do better. We provide a free consultation to assess your current setup and give you an honest projection.