ironSource / LevelPlay vs InMobi: 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: ironSource / LevelPlay at $8.50 against InMobi at $6.00.

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.

ironSource / LevelPlay leads in 9 of 9 categories and InMobi in 0. The widest gap is in Mid-core / Strategy, where ironSource / LevelPlay earns about 41% more. The closest race is Social / Lifestyle, where the two sit 19% apart.

How region changes the result

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

ironSource / LevelPlay stays ahead across all three audience splits, by 30% to 47%.

ironSource / LevelPlay / InMobi

About ironSource / LevelPlay

ironSource LevelPlay is Unity's mediation platform, pairing the ironSource network with access to other bidders and waterfall sources. Our estimates put it at about $12.50 for Tier 1 rewarded and $8.50 for interstitials on Android, with fill of around 86%.

Strengths

• Hypercasual and casual studios use it widely, so its tooling is shaped around high-volume rewarded and interstitial play.
• Mediation can mix bidding and waterfall instances, which helps when some networks you rely on do not bid.
• Native is supported alongside the video formats, estimated at about $3.00 in Tier 1.
• Since the merger with Unity it is the route Unity offers for mediating Unity Ads with other networks.

Watch-outs

• Our tables show no app open format, so that placement needs another source.
• Net payment terms differ between contracts, so read your own agreement rather than assuming a standard date.
• Product names and dashboards have changed during the Unity integration, so older tutorials may not match what you see.

Best for: A casual or hypercasual studio running several titles that wants mediation and a strong in-house network in one place.

About InMobi

InMobi is a mobile network with long-standing reach in Asia and other emerging markets. Its Tier 1 estimates are lower than most, about $9.00 for rewarded, but its Tier 3 figures hold up comparatively well, with rewarded at about $1.50 and interstitial at about $1.00.

Strengths

• Its Tier 3 interstitial estimate of about $1.00 equals the top figure in our tables, which matters when most users are outside Tier 1.
• Local advertiser relationships in Asia can fill requests that global networks leave empty.
• Native is on offer as well as video and banner, which gives you more placement options in content apps.

Watch-outs

• In Tier 1 its estimates trail the leaders, so an app aimed at US or UK users will usually start elsewhere.
• Blended fill of about 78% is the lowest in our mobile tables, level with Chartboost, so pair it with another source.
• No app open format is available in our data.

Best for: An app whose users are mostly in Asia, Latin America or other Tier 3 regions, run as a bidder beside a global network.

Payout terms

Verdict

On our numbers ironSource / LevelPlay is the stronger single choice for most categories, and particularly for Mid-core / Strategy, Puzzle Game. InMobi holds its own in Casual Game. 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.