Moloco reveals a disconnect: 88% of consumer mobile app ad spend remains with Google and Meta, despite user attention shifting elsewhere

New study finds advertisers who embrace the independent app ecosystem* see up to 214% higher financial return

Moloco, the AI performance advertising company, released new research on the growing disparity between mobile app advertising spend and consumer attention. The new research study, Performance Through Independence: Unlocking Incremental App Growth Beyond Google and Meta, shows that even as mobile attention shifts to millions of mobile apps, mobile marketing spend remains highly concentrated with Google and Meta which attract 88% of consumer mobile app advertising dollars. The report, developed in collaboration with Sensor Tower and Singular, shows that advertisers can increase financial returns by up to 214% by adjusting their advertising mix to reach users across the broad range of mobile apps where users now spend time.

“Too many advertisers are still over-indexing on Google and Meta. But the biggest returns we are seeing are happening outside big tech,” said Tom Shadbolt, Senior Insights Manager, Moloco. “The independent app ecosystem is quickly becoming the new engine for predictable and long-term performance. This research is a wake-up call for mobile app marketers.”

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Consumer mobile apps, including all mobile app categories outside of gaming, such as entertainment, finance, delivery, and more, have experienced significant revenue growth in 2024, with in-app purchase (IAP) and subscription revenues rising 25% to reach $70.5 billion. The growth trajectory is accelerating, and for the first time, consumer mobile app revenue is projected to surpass gaming revenue within the next two years. Moloco’s research study highlights key takeaways for consumer mobile app advertisers to take advantage of this incremental growth opportunity.

The study revealed that:

• Consumer mobile app advertising spend remains heavily skewed toward Google and Meta, despite shifting user behavior. In 2024, mobile app revenue jumped 25%, yet 88% of marketing budgets stayed concentrated in big tech platforms—an imbalance that fails to reflect where users actually spend their time.
• Diversification of ad spend beyond Google and Meta yields substantial returns. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) improved by as much as 214% (Day 30) for consumer mobile app marketers who diversified their media mix to include channels outside Google and Meta.
• Mobile app growth is slowing in mature markets but accelerating in emerging new ones. As usage plateaus in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, time spent on mobile apps is rising sharply in South Africa, India, and the Philippines, reflecting a broader shift toward sustainable growth that requires reaching users across a diverse range of apps.
• User attention is shifting beyond social media and entertainment apps in the US, UK, and India. Time spent is slowing in those categories while casual gaming, productivity, and generative AI apps grow faster—and over half of users, including nearly two-thirds of 18 to 34 year olds, say they want to cut back on social media.**
• Independent apps potentially*** reach as many users as TikTok and Instagram combined. With over two billion daily active users (DAU), the independent app ecosystem delivers the same level of reach and user engagement as TikTok and Instagram combined.
• Diverse inventory is key to driving performance. High-value users are scattered across thousands of apps, making broad reach essential for maximizing every conversion opportunity.

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“Since expanding our channels beyond social partners, we’ve seen an increase in platform bookings that we have been able to validate through incrementality modeling,” said Valerie Castro, Acquisition Marketing Director at Turo, a popular mobile app marketplace for car rentals. “We’re excited to push performance further by increasing our creative velocity.”