The best places to market your app listed in new report from AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer released its latest Performance Index as well as insights highlighting the rapid growth of key platforms and advertising sources beyond Facebook and Google.

Among the networks to see the biggest changes was Snap, which rose to third place in the overall non-gaming ranking for Western Europe. Looking toward the rest of the app install market beyond Facebook and Google, Snap enjoys a 40.4% share of the total volume of app installs, putting the ephemeral video sharing platform comfortably ahead of its closest competitors.

Covering activity in the second half of 2018, the report draws on 370 media networks to examine 20 billion app installs, 11,500 apps, and 39 billion apps open. Categories surveyed included Shopping, Utilities; Lifestyle & Culture; and Gaming, segmented into Casual, Midcore & Strategy, and Social Casino apps.

The entire report is 48 pages long and covers each segment, and region thoroughly. Based on what we see in the report though, the top five networks that win in terms of their overall metrics score are;

#1 Facebook
#2 Google Ads
#3 AppLovin
#4 Unity Ads
#5 Apple Search Ads

But it's important to note that the top 5 best app marketing platforms move around a bit based on the category of the app you are marketing (gaming, casual, business, etc.).

Across the board, Facebook, and Google are the #2 spots (both trading places between #1, and #2), but the 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions shuffle with the likes of Snap, Twitter, ByteDance, and even Yandex.

The media sources you ought to know - Facebook and Google..

While Facebook and Google continue to dominate both the global and Western Europe rankings overall, other power players are emerging, particularly in the vibrant gaming market.

AppLovin – whose network partners produce games including Talking Tom and Geometry Dash - cemented its No. 3 spot in gaming rankings behind Facebook and Google, have made significant strides over the last two years in its share of the gaming app install pie.

When it comes to driving gaming app installs, ironSource has almost doubled its market share at a global level, surpassing Unity Ads with the 4th largest piece of the pie. Having said that, Unity Ads held its #4 position in the universal power ranking in the gaming category overall, compared to ironSource’s 5th spot.

H1 saw some major fluctuations 

The fastest growth by volume of app installs was realized by Apple Search Ads. The platform grew its share of the non-gaming market in Western Europe by a staggering 380% over the course of the second half of 2018, attesting to projections Apple search ads are likely to generate $2 billion in revenue for the company in 2020.

Elsewhere, Tapjoy, synonymous with gaming apps such as Sonic Dash, achieved growth of 150% in the non-gaming market. Although the platform still falls behind the likes of Twitter in this arena, recent growth puts the media source just 1% behind the social media platform by share of the market.

“AppsFlyer’s latest Performance Index reflects our unwavering commitment to providing leading actionable intelligence and insights for marketers navigating an always-evolving mobile landscape,” said Shani Rosenfelder, Head of Mobile Insights at AppsFlyer. “As marketing campaigns become more dynamic, complex, and transcend various media platforms, marketers are looking for ways to engage audiences across a diverse range of media sources, regions, and channels in order to build messages that resonate -- and to connect the dots across the user journey. The latest Performance Index reflects ongoing shifts across the media landscape, and complements our unique position as the go-to resource for marketers navigating the mobile ecosystem.”