The mobile advertising landscape is fiercely competitive, and a recent report from AppsFlyer indicates that major platforms are solidifying their dominance. The “Performance Index 2025,” which marks a decade of analyzing trends in mobile advertising, reveals an increasing concentration of ad spend among a few key players, making it more challenging for smaller entities to compete. The report suggests that companies outside the realm of Google, Apple, Meta, and TikTok face an uphill battle.
This report, drawing upon a substantial dataset encompassing 16.2 billion app installs across 39,000 apps and 9.6 billion remarketing conversions, highlights a significant transformation in the mobile ad market. Success now hinges not only on having a superior product but also on possessing the financial resources and extensive reach necessary to rival industry giants.
According to the report, Google Ads and Apple Ads maintain their leading positions on Android and iOS, respectively. The AppsFlyer report, “Performance Index 2025,” is available on their website. The report also points out that the competitive gap is narrowing, with platforms like AppLovin, Mintegral, Meta Ads, and TikTok for Business making considerable progress.
Despite the intense competition, the consolidation of ad spending is a key trend. An impressive 60% of the top five global media sources, and 80% of those ranked 6 through 10, experienced growth in year-over-year spending. Conversely, only 30% of those ranked 11 through 20 saw similar gains, illustrating a clear “winner-takes-all” dynamic.
iOS Leads the Charge
The report indicates that iOS is a significant driver of overall ad spend growth, while top performers on Android are experiencing more focused gains at the higher end of the market. This trend could reflect a shift in advertiser priorities, potentially influenced by the perceived higher value of iOS users or evolving privacy regulations.
Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Market Insights at AppsFlyer, provides a concise overview of the market’s evolution: What began as a fragmented and highly competitive set of networks has become a market driven by a handful of large platforms, rising expectations around creative performance, and a greater focus on trust.
AppsFlyer suggests that the past decade has unfolded in four distinct phases: initial expansion, a “clean-up” phase, a period of consolidation driven by privacy changes, and a new wave of innovation powered by AI and programmatic advertising. The outcome is a more stable, data-driven ecosystem, yet one characterized by fewer, more dominant players.
The report highlights several key findings:
- Apple Ads remains the leader for iOS gaming, although AppLovin is gaining ground, particularly in North America and Western Europe.
- Google Ads dominates Android gaming, with AppLovin, Mintegral, and platforms like adjoe making notable advances.
- In the non-gaming sector, Apple Ads leads on iOS, followed by TikTok for Business, Google Ads, and Snapchat.
- Google Ads also holds the top position for Android non-gaming, with Meta Ads in second place and TikTok for Business in third.
The move toward larger, more reliable platforms reflects not only brand recognition but also concerns about data privacy and reliability. As advertisers navigate evolving regulations and consumer expectations, partnering with established players provides a level of security and scale that smaller networks find hard to provide.
Looking forward, the mobile ad market is expected to become even more concentrated, with AI and automation further strengthening the position of dominant platforms. Smaller players will need to identify niche audiences and offer unique value propositions to break through the clutter and attract ad spending. The game continues, but the rules have changed, and only the most adaptable will thrive.
