The news: 88% of mobile app ad spend is concentrated on Google and Meta, per Moloco’s Performance Through Independence report, despite high user engagement with independent apps.
Advertisers who diversified their ad mix beyond the two Big Tech giants saw return on ad spend (ROAS) improve by up to 214%.
Independent app reach: While spending on Google and Meta is sky high, apps published outside of Big Tech ecosystems represent a high-reach, high-return opportunity.
- Independent apps have over 2 billion global daily active users (DAUs), equal to Instagram and TikTok combined.
- That ecosystem sees 82 billion hours spent in the US, compared with 72 billion on YouTube and 35 billion on Facebook.
This implies a disconnect between ad spend and attention—half of consumer app marketers have never advertised beyond Google and Meta. Gaming app marketers, who already allocate about 35% of their spend to independent apps, are an exception.
App usage is plateauing in mature markets like the US and the UK as time spent grows in emerging regions like India, South Africa, and the Philippines—areas often underserved by current ad strategies.
Our take: Independent mobile apps offer untapped ROI. Reducing reliance on Google and Meta by diversifying mobile app spend could boost reach, hedge against platform risks, and better align with user behavior, especially as privacy challenges threaten to reshape targeting and measurement.