Google AdMob vs Unity Ads: eCPM, Fill and Payouts Compared

At a glance

eCPM by format and tier

Android baseline eCPMs in US dollars per 1,000 impressions, before category and platform multipliers.

Interstitial shows the widest Tier 1 gap: Unity Ads at $9.00 against Google AdMob at $8.00. Native is only modelled for Google AdMob. App open is only modelled for Google AdMob.

Which wins for each kind of app

Each row runs 10,000 daily users with that category’s typical format mix and a balanced region split.

Google AdMob leads in 8 of 9 categories and Unity Ads in 1. The widest gap is in Social / Lifestyle, where Google AdMob earns about 181% more. The closest race is Mid-core / Strategy, where the two sit 1% apart.

How region changes the result

The same casual game at 10,000 daily users with three different audience splits.

Google AdMob stays ahead across all three audience splits, by 1% to 4%.

Google AdMob / Unity Ads

About Google AdMob

Google AdMob is Google's own app network, and alongside AppLovin MAX it is one of only two options in our tables that offer all five mobile formats, app open and native included. Its central Tier 1 Android estimates of about $12.00 for rewarded and $8.00 for interstitials, with blended fill near 88%, make it a dependable baseline rather than the top bidder.

Strengths

• Demand comes from Google's very large advertiser base, which tends to keep fill steady in most countries.
• App open ads are available, estimated at about $5.50 in Tier 1, a format only AppLovin MAX also offers in our data.
• Built-in mediation lets you add other networks through adapters later, so starting here does not lock you in.
• Reporting connects with Firebase and Google Analytics, which makes it easier to set ad revenue against retention.

Watch-outs

• Google enforces its invalid traffic and placement policies firmly, and ad serving can be limited while it reviews unusual activity.
• The banner estimate of about $0.90 in Tier 1 is modest, so an app built around banners should not expect much from AdMob alone.
• Your first payment waits for a $100 balance and an address check by posted PIN, which can add weeks if the letter is slow.

Best for: A first-time developer who wants every format available from one account, with mediation ready for when the app grows.

About Unity Ads

Unity Ads is a video-first network tied closely to the Unity engine, and in our tables it covers rewarded, interstitial and banner but not native or app open. Its Tier 1 Android estimates of about $13.00 for rewarded and $9.00 for interstitials sit among the stronger figures, helped by game studios buying installs from other games.

Strengths

• Rewarded and interstitial video are its core formats, and its central estimates for both are above AdMob's in our tables.
• If your game is built in Unity, the Ads package plugs into the editor and most of the work is configuration.
• Its advertisers are largely other game studios, so the creative usually suits a player audience.

Watch-outs

• There is no native or app open format, so those placements need a second network.
• Blended fill of about 84% trails AdMob and AppLovin MAX in our model, which leaves some requests empty without a backup source.
• Payment typically arrives 30 or more days after month end, so build that delay into your cash flow.

Best for: A Unity-built game whose earnings rest on rewarded videos offered at reward moments such as extra lives or doubled coins.

Payout terms

Verdict

On our numbers Google AdMob is the stronger single choice for most categories, and particularly for Social / Lifestyle, Finance App. Unity Ads holds its own in Mid-core / Strategy. Many studios run both inside a mediation stack, which our model does not combine.

All figures come from our benchmark tables: Android eCPMs by tier, category or niche multipliers, modelled fill and the iOS multiplier. They are estimates for planning, not quotes.