platform

AdMob

AdMob is Google's (Alphabet) free mobile ad network and mediation SDK; Google takes an ad-revenue cut instead of charging a subscription. Current Android release is Google Mobile Ads SDK v25.4.0 (the 'Legacy' SDK, now in maintenance mode per Google's own docs; docs updated July 2026) — Google made the separate Next-Gen SDK its preferred path for Android as of July 2026; Legacy integration requires minSdkVersion 23+ and compileSdkVersion 35+. AdMob's payout threshold is $100 USD (currency-adjusted, e.g. ¥8,000 JPY), versus InMobi's publisher-configurable $300-$10,000 range. Per AppMagic mediation-share data (March 2025, top-grossing games sample), AppLovin MAX holds 55.0% share, Unity LevelPlay 25.0%, AdMob 13.3% — AppLovin logged $5.48B in 2025 revenue, up 70% YoY. Current version/status: Google Mobile Ads SDK 25.4.0, Android (Legacy SDK, now in maintenance mode; docs updated July 2026); Next-Gen SDK is Google's preferred SDK for Android as of July 2026. License: proprietary SaaS (free integration, revenue-share monetized). Pricing: Free SDK integration; Google monetizes via undisclosed ad-revenue share rather than subscription; $100 USD minimum payout threshold (currency-adjusted, e.g. ¥8,000 JPY), paid around the 21st of the month. Maintained by Google (Alphabet).

Also known as: Google AdMob, Ad Mob, Admob, Google Mobile Ads, GMA

🧊Why learn AdMob?

Pick AdMob when you're already Google-native — Firebase, Play Console, GA4 — and want one dashboard for a single network at modest scale; the $100 payout floor and zero-subscription model are fine there. Don't lean on AdMob alone as your mediation layer for a scaled game: AppLovin MAX holds 55.0% of top-grossing-game mediation share versus AdMob's 13.3% (AppMagic, March 2025), running first-price bidding across 25+ networks — route AdMob's demand through MAX or Unity LevelPlay instead. The honest weak spot, raised repeatedly on Google's own AdMob forums: Google never publishes AdMob's take-rate, so publishers can't verify what it keeps. Known weakness: Google does not publish AdMob's mediation take-rate or a fixed revenue-share percentage, so publishers can't independently verify what Google keeps versus competitors like Unity LevelPlay that disclose network-level splits.