Design the reward moments first
Continue-after-fail, double rewards, skip-a-timer, and free premium currency each pull different user segments. Apps with three or more distinct reward moments routinely see double the engagement rate of apps with one, at the same eCPM.
Raise the cap carefully
Caps exist for economy balance, not ad revenue.
- • If actual views sit well below the cap, raising it changes nothing — add placements instead.
- • If users hit the cap daily, test a higher one on a cohort and watch IAP and retention, not just ad revenue.
- • Uncapped premium currency rewards can wreck a game economy faster than the ad revenue justifies.
- • Cap by reward type rather than globally where your design allows it.
Rewarded is the friendliest revenue you have
It rarely cannibalises purchases the way interstitials do, and in many titles it lifts them by letting non-payers taste premium content. If you're rebalancing an ad load, cut interstitials before rewarded.
Related guides
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Read the guideFAQ
Why is my engagement rate so low?
Usually discovery, not appetite. If the reward button only appears on a fail screen, most users never see it — add entry points in the shop, the daily bonus, and the currency-short dialog.
What eCPM should I expect?
Rewarded consistently commands the highest eCPM of any in-app format, but the range across geos is enormous. Use your own mediation report's blended number by country.
Do incomplete views pay?
Generally not — advertisers pay on completion for rewarded. That's why the completion rate term matters and why load times hurt revenue directly.
Does a higher cap always earn more?
Only where demand is hitting the current cap. Otherwise it's a no-op, and it can distort your in-game economy for nothing.
How this calculator is built
Independently maintained
Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.
Sourced from primary data
Benchmarks come from public AdSense / Stripe / IRS disclosures and reader-submitted data — never third-party "$X per view" claims. Full methodology.
Last editorial review
Reviewed on a rolling quarterly cycle. Dated reviews are published on the methodology record for each calculator.
Editorial standards
See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.