Ad Revenue FAQ: Straight Answers to the Questions People Actually Ask
The questions people search for most, each answered directly and linked to the fuller guide.
The questions below are the ones people actually ask about ad revenue, answered directly, without padding. Each one links to a fuller guide if you want the full explanation.
Getting started
How much money can I actually make from ads?
It depends far more on your traffic and audience than on the app or site itself. A mobile app with 10,000 daily users and a Tier-1 (US/UK/AU) audience can earn thousands of dollars a month; the same app with a Tier-3 audience might earn a few hundred. There is no single honest number, so put your own numbers into the calculator for a realistic estimate.
Do I need a certain amount of traffic before ads are worth setting up?
Not really. AdMob and AdSense have no official minimum. But below a few thousand monthly users, the absolute dollar amount will be small enough that it’s more of a validation signal than real income. Most people wire up ads early and let revenue scale with growth rather than waiting for a traffic threshold.
Which pays more, a mobile app or a website?
They’re not directly comparable. Apps report in eCPM (per 1,000 impressions), sites in RPM (per 1,000 pageviews). A finance app and a finance blog can both earn well; a hypercasual game and a hobby blog can both earn little. Niche and audience geography matter more than the app-vs-site distinction. See the eCPM vs RPM guide.
Networks & setup
Should I start with AdMob or go straight to a mediation platform like AppLovin MAX?
Start with AdMob (or AdSense for a website). It’s faster to set up and has excellent fill everywhere. Add mediation once you have enough volume for auction competition to matter. Full reasoning in the AppLovin MAX vs AdMob guide.
What comes after AdSense for a small blog?
Journey by Mediavine is the realistic first step: it needs about 1,000 Tier-1 sessions a month and runs Mediavine’s ad technology. Raptive opens at 25,000 monthly pageviews, and the main Mediavine network now qualifies on roughly $5,000 a year in ad revenue rather than a session count. Ezoic, once the easy upgrade, raised its bar to 250,000 monthly users in 2026. Full comparison in AdSense vs Mediavine.
How and when do ad networks actually pay you?
Monthly, in US dollars, once you pass a threshold. AdMob pays around the 21st of the following month from $100; AppLovin MAX around the 15th from $20; Unity and ironSource within 60 days of month end. New accounts also clear identity, address (a mailed PIN) and tax steps first. Details in the AdMob payments guide; if your bank is not in dollars, see Wise vs Payoneer for payouts.
How many ad networks should I run at once?
On mobile, one mediation platform wrapping several demand sources (not five separate SDKs bolted on individually). On the web, one primary display network at a time. Running AdSense and a competitor simultaneously on the same slots usually violates network policies and rarely beats a properly tuned single setup.
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Ad formats
What's the single best-paying ad format?
Rewarded video, by a wide margin, because users opt in for a reward rather than being interrupted. It should be your first format if you're only running banners today. Details in the rewarded vs interstitial guide.
Will more ads always mean more revenue?
No. Past a point, more ads means fewer returning users, which means fewer future impressions. An extra interstitial that lifts today's revenue 15% but costs you a few points of retention loses money over the life of that user cohort. See increasing ad revenue without more ads.
Are interstitials bad for SEO on a website?
Only if shown on arrival or on a page that isn’t genuinely paused. Google's own intrusive-interstitial guidelines can suppress search ranking for that pattern. Reserved for a real stopping point, they're fine. Full breakdown in the web ad formats guide.
Platform & geography
Does iOS really pay more than Android?
Generally yes, by roughly 30% for comparable apps, though the mechanism behind that premium changed after Apple's App Tracking Transparency update in 2021: less precise individual targeting, more reliance on aggregated modeling. See the full ATT impact guide.
Why does my audience's country matter so much?
Advertisers pay far more to reach users in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia than in most of Asia, Latin America, or Africa, often five to ten times more for the identical ad and format. It's the single biggest lever in most revenue estimates.
Do ad rates change with the season?
Yes. eCPMs climb through Q4 as advertisers spend holiday budgets, peak in December, then drop sharply in January as those budgets reset. A December screenshot of your earnings is not a representative baseline for March.
Reading the numbers
What's the difference between CPM, eCPM, and RPM?
CPM is what an advertiser bids per 1,000 impressions. eCPM is what you actually earned per 1,000 impressions after fill and blending across deal types. RPM is the same idea measured per 1,000 pageviews instead of impressions, used on the web. Full definitions in the glossary.
My eCPM dropped this week. Is something broken?
Probably not. eCPM is naturally noisy day to day and swings with season, geography mix, and even which advertisers happen to be active. Judge it over weeks against the same time of year, not against last week alone.
Question not covered here? Check the glossary for terminology, or reach out directly.
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Put real numbers on it
Estimate your revenue across every major ad network with the same benchmarks this article uses.
Keep reading
AppLovin MAX vs AdMob: Which Pays More in 2026?
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Read the guideWhat Is eCPM? A Plain-English Guide for App Developers
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