Global attribution firm AppsFlyer has released the 11th edition of its Performance Index, which provides a complete report card on the mobile media landscape across multiple marketing activities to help app marketers optimise their budgets.

According to the report Facebook took top spot, but both Facebook and Google have continued to dominate mobile advertising “with a significant majority of the non-organic install market.”

The search and social giants hold the #1 power ranking position in 79% of breakdowns, and 82% of volume rankings across all indices, claims the report.

Analysing 27 billion app installs across 495 media networks and 14,000 apps, the report shows that Google is the best platform for driving performance for app marketers in Africa, while Facebook is the best platform for remarketing across Africa and the Middle East.

Facebook claims #1 cross-index position, Google still going strong

According to the market research the social network’s ability to drive performance at scale in both the Retention Index and the new IAP (in-app purchase) Index has propelled Facebook’s ranking forward.

It also dominates the new IAA (in-app advertising) Index as well as the Remarketing Index, making its overall cross-index position as the dominant force in mobile clear.

But quality comes at a cost. An analysis of the cost of media shows that Facebook charges more. This is especially true in Gaming, where cost is significantly higher in North America, Latin America, and Europe, while Google has a slightly higher cost in APAC. In Non-Gaming, Google is more costly, but not by a wide margin, with the exception of North America where Facebook is more expensive.

A platform breakdown shows Google is a clear winner in Android thanks to its leap in developing countries where the OS dominates, while Facebook controls much of iOS.

COVID-19 had a huge impact on mobile apps, but not on media source rankings, claimed AppsFlyer.

“While COVID-19 the novel coronavirus has had a significant impact on apps, and our entire ecosystem, the impact of the pandemic on media source rankings was marginal. The only exception was Apple Search Ads. Organic growth in the App Store led marketers to start and/or increase their app store optimisation efforts, bringing Apple Search Ads to the front, driving impressive growth and strong performance,” the company explained.

Shani Rosenfelder, Head of Mobile Insights, AppsFlyer, said: "Although retention is a central KPI for performance app marketers, monetisation metrics in a freemium-driven ecosystem reign supreme. Since 2015, app marketers have turned to our Performance Index to guide them in deciding which media sources to partner with. Thanks to the scale of marketers measuring purchase events with AppsFlyer, we were able, for the first time, to create the in-app purchase Index and the IAA Index with statistically significant results. We’re thrilled to be able to offer such significant insight to marketers, especially considering that many apps today rely on in-app purchases and ad monetization to drive revenue."

Daniel Junowicz, MD Latam & Africa, AppsFlyer added: “The African app market represents a significant opportunity for people on the continent and beyond to drive new growth opportunities, and we are also excited to play our part in underpinning this with data and informed analysis that will make it easier for everyone to get the best results.”