Glossary/Programmatic/Ad mediation
What is ad mediation and how does it work?
How ad mediation works in apps, the difference between waterfall and bidding, and what publishers should watch.
Written by Samhub with the help of AI·Updated 13 Oct 2026·3 min readAd mediation is software, mostly used in mobile apps, that manages several ad networks through one SDK and decides which network fills each ad request.
Waterfall vs bidding mediation
| Waterfall | Bidding | |
|---|---|---|
| How | Networks asked one by one, in a set order | Networks bid at the same time |
| Result | May miss a higher price | The best bid wins |
| Setup | Manual price tiers | Less manual work |
How it works
App requests an ad
Through the mediation SDK.
Networks respond
With bids or in waterfall order.
The winner shows the ad
And results are reported per network.
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Bring audience data to apps
Logged-in app users are some of the best-known readers. Passing their audience signals to bidders lifts app prices just as on the web.
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Frequently asked questions
Mostly. On the web, header bidding plays a similar role.
Google AdMob and AppLovin MAX are widely used examples.
Usually, because all demand competes at once.
Too many SDKs can. Keep the setup lean.
Related terms
Offering an impression to demand sources one at a time.
Lets many buyers bid at once before the ad server decides.
All demand competes in one auction.
Buys inventory from many sites and resells it.
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