AppLovin is a major in-app ad network that was originally focused on mobile gaming. Recently, though, it's been seriously changing its positioning and features, attracting more and more attention from affiliate marketers.

AppLovin's Audience

Most of AppLovin's audience consists of adults playing games like Candy Crush and similar titles. Women account for around 55-60%, mainly aged 35-55. AppLovin itself claims 1.4 billion DAU (if true, that's twice as much as TikTok).

Cost of Acquiring a Paying User

According to AppsFlyer, in 2025 the average cost of acquiring a paying user through AppLovin on iOS was $76.3, 42% higher than on Android ($53.7). Of course, this is offset by Android users having lower purchasing power on average.

Main Creative Format

The main creative format is rewarded video, where a full-screen ad appears between game levels in exchange for a virtual reward. Users can't simply scroll past it, and the ad fills the screen for 15-30 seconds.

Axon AI Engine

It's also worth talking about the Axon AI engine. In real time, it predicts the likelihood of an install and estimates the value of each user to decide whether to enter an auction and how much to bid. To do this, AppLovin gathers as many in-app signals as possible: which apps a user opens, how long they spend there, what they buy, which creatives they respond to, and how they behave after installing.

Optimization and Testing Budget

The AI engine also reportedly needs two months or more for full optimization. Experienced media buyers apparently don't draw major conclusions from the first week of running traffic. So a proper test of a campaign setup requires a substantial budget (usually >$10k).

AppLovin is a major in-app ad network that was originally focused on mobile gaming. Recently, though, it's been seriously changing its positioning and features, attracting more and more attention from affiliate marketers.

AppLovin's Audience

Most of AppLovin's audience consists of adults playing games like Candy Crush and similar titles. Women account for around 55-60%, mainly aged 35-55. AppLovin itself claims 1.4 billion DAU (if true, that's twice as much as TikTok).

Cost of Acquiring a Paying User

According to AppsFlyer, in 2025 the average cost of acquiring a paying user through AppLovin on iOS was $76.3, 42% higher than on Android ($53.7). Of course, this is offset by Android users having lower purchasing power on average.

Main Creative Format

The main creative format is rewarded video, where a full-screen ad appears between game levels in exchange for a virtual reward. Users can't simply scroll past it, and the ad fills the screen for 15-30 seconds.

Axon AI Engine

It's also worth talking about the Axon AI engine. In real time, it predicts the likelihood of an install and estimates the value of each user to decide whether to enter an auction and how much to bid. To do this, AppLovin gathers as many in-app signals as possible: which apps a user opens, how long they spend there, what they buy, which creatives they respond to, and how they behave after installing.

Optimization and Testing Budget

The AI engine also reportedly needs two months or more for full optimization. Experienced media buyers apparently don't draw major conclusions from the first week of running traffic. So a proper test of a campaign setup requires a substantial budget (usually >$10k).

AppLovin is a major in-app ad network that was originally focused on mobile gaming. Recently, though, it's been seriously changing its positioning and features, attracting more and more attention from affiliate marketers.

AppLovin's Audience

Most of AppLovin's audience consists of adults playing games like Candy Crush and similar titles. Women account for around 55-60%, mainly aged 35-55. AppLovin itself claims 1.4 billion DAU (if true, that's twice as much as TikTok).

Cost of Acquiring a Paying User

According to AppsFlyer, in 2025 the average cost of acquiring a paying user through AppLovin on iOS was $76.3, 42% higher than on Android ($53.7). Of course, this is offset by Android users having lower purchasing power on average.

Main Creative Format

The main creative format is rewarded video, where a full-screen ad appears between game levels in exchange for a virtual reward. Users can't simply scroll past it, and the ad fills the screen for 15-30 seconds.

Axon AI Engine

It's also worth talking about the Axon AI engine. In real time, it predicts the likelihood of an install and estimates the value of each user to decide whether to enter an auction and how much to bid. To do this, AppLovin gathers as many in-app signals as possible: which apps a user opens, how long they spend there, what they buy, which creatives they respond to, and how they behave after installing.

Optimization and Testing Budget

The AI engine also reportedly needs two months or more for full optimization. Experienced media buyers apparently don't draw major conclusions from the first week of running traffic. So a proper test of a campaign setup requires a substantial budget (usually >$10k).

AppLovin is a major in-app ad network that was originally focused on mobile gaming. Recently, though, it's been seriously changing its positioning and features, attracting more and more attention from affiliate marketers.

AppLovin's Audience

Most of AppLovin's audience consists of adults playing games like Candy Crush and similar titles. Women account for around 55-60%, mainly aged 35-55. AppLovin itself claims 1.4 billion DAU (if true, that's twice as much as TikTok).

Cost of Acquiring a Paying User

According to AppsFlyer, in 2025 the average cost of acquiring a paying user through AppLovin on iOS was $76.3, 42% higher than on Android ($53.7). Of course, this is offset by Android users having lower purchasing power on average.

Main Creative Format

The main creative format is rewarded video, where a full-screen ad appears between game levels in exchange for a virtual reward. Users can't simply scroll past it, and the ad fills the screen for 15-30 seconds.

Axon AI Engine

It's also worth talking about the Axon AI engine. In real time, it predicts the likelihood of an install and estimates the value of each user to decide whether to enter an auction and how much to bid. To do this, AppLovin gathers as many in-app signals as possible: which apps a user opens, how long they spend there, what they buy, which creatives they respond to, and how they behave after installing.

Optimization and Testing Budget

The AI engine also reportedly needs two months or more for full optimization. Experienced media buyers apparently don't draw major conclusions from the first week of running traffic. So a proper test of a campaign setup requires a substantial budget (usually >$10k).