A view of the media landscape in 2026 shows a healthy picture. A rise in both attributed conversions and the cost of media drove 9 of the top 10 media sources, and 17 of the top 20, to a year-over-year increase in ad spend.

While Apple Ads and AppLovin take the lead in iOS, Android rankings are dominated by Google Ads, with Meta Ads leading remarketing.

This year’s edition also marks a major change in methodology. The Index now measures quality using quarter-over-quarter change in ad spend instead of retention, a more direct read on where advertisers are actually putting their money.

The AppsFlyer Performance Index, the industry’s standard report card on mobile media performance since 2015, analyzed 27.2 billion installs from nearly 25,000 apps to rank 57 media sources and reveal where marketers are achieving the best results today.

What’s inside 

• User acquisition and remarketing rankings for Android and iOS, covering up to 10 genres and categories across 11 regions
• 2nd edition of the Creative Index: find out which media sources excel in various creative video formats
• Performance and volume rankings for Google, Meta, Apple, TikTok, Unity, AppLovin, Snap, Moloco, and many others