Guild AdsGuild Ads

The indie-friendly, privacy-respecting ad network

Earn from free users. Promote your app. Skip the creepy ad-tech baggage.

Indie developers usually end up on both sides of ads — trying to earn something from free users and trying to get more people to try their apps. Guild Ads keeps it simple: one account, one app, both directions.

I want more downloadsI want to earn money

Read the announcement post →

Indie apps advertising indie appsOne labeled slotWeekly pricingBuilt-in upgrade pathNo cross-app tracking

Actual in-app ad

What the ad actually looks like.
One static ad, one clear CTA, and no junk around it. Visible enough to work, restrained enough to belong in the app.
Guild Ads example showing a real ad placement at the bottom of a live iPhone app screen

Live network snapshot

Already running in real apps.
These are live network numbers: current advertiser count and trailing 7-day publisher reach, summed within each app.

Advertisers

9

Confirmed this week

Publisher apps

19

Active in the last 7 days

Publisher users

47,834

Summed app uniques, last 7 days

Two outcomes, one account

Most indie apps end up doing both. Same login, same dashboard.

I want more downloads for my app
Reach people inside other indie apps without babysitting auctions all week.
  • Buy a clear share of next week instead of fighting bids every day.
  • Show lightweight creative in apps that feel closer to yours.
  • Keep the setup privacy-respecting instead of borrowing the usual surveillance stack.

Same account also earns from your free users — turn it on whenever you want.

Start Advertising
I want to earn money from my app
Earn from free users without turning your app into an ad circus.
  • Add one static, labeled slot that fits naturally in a free tier.
  • Get paid from real advertiser spend instead of fuzzy network math.
  • Keep the ad-free upgrade path clean, with bonus credits when you promote your own apps.

Same account also promotes your app — turn it on whenever you want.

Start Publishing

Why this feels less icky than typical ad tech

Fewer moving parts, less clutter, and fewer things you have to apologize for later.

One ad slot, not a circus
Static, lightweight placements with a clear label and one CTA. No popups, interstitials, surprise takeovers, or local-news-site energy.
Privacy rules stay obvious
App-scoped IDs are hashed server-side. No behavioral profiles. No cross-app tracking. Aggregate reporting only.
Pricing you can actually follow
Advertisers buy a share of the week. Publishers earn from the weekly cash pool. The rules are visible, not buried behind auction magic.

How the weekly marketplace works

The short version of how ads run, publishers get paid, and next week's price gets set.

1. Add your app
Add your App Store listing or website so the network knows what you are promoting, monetizing, or both.
2. Make your ad and buy a share of next week
Pick how much of next week you want, save a card once, and let the setup roll forward until you change it.
3. Publishers serve one labeled slot
Add the SDK, show the labeled slot, and keep the experience easy on users.
4. The week closes and everyone settles up
Payouts, credits, and next week's price come from the closed week using visible rules.

See the weekly math

Guild Ads has one weekly network price. Use the sample apps below to see how advertiser share and publisher reach move money through the system.

App A

Trail Notes

App B

Echo Harbor

App C

Goal Grid

App D

ShopSprint

Set the weekly network price
This is the total cash advertisers put into a sample week.

$10,000

Sample advertisers
If an app buys 40% of the network, it books 40% of that week. Credits can reduce the cash due.

App A

Trail Notes

40% - $4,000

$10,000 * 40% = $4,000

App B

Echo Harbor

40% - $4,000

$10,000 * 40% = $4,000

App C

Goal Grid

20% - $2,000

$10,000 * 20% = $2,000

Sample publishers
70% of weekly cash spend is split by each app's share of users reached.

App B

Echo Harbor

30% - $2,100

$7,000 * 30% = $2,100

App C

Goal Grid

30% - $2,100

$7,000 * 30% = $2,100

App D

ShopSprint

40% - $2,800

$7,000 * 40% = $2,800

What happens when apps both advertise and publish?
Some apps will do both. In that case, publisher payouts can offset ad spend.

Publisher payout pool: $7,000 ($10,000 cash spend * 70%)

App B

Echo Harbor

Ad spend: $4,000

Payout: $2,100

Net: $1,900 owed

App C

Goal Grid

Ad spend: $2,000

Payout: $2,100

Net: $100 received

In this scenario, App B only pays the difference: $1,900. App C gets paid out $100 after covering ad spend.

Distinct users are counted within each app to avoid cross-app tracking. Bonus publisher credits are not shown here.

Use Claude Code or Codex? Have your agent set you up.
The Guild Ads plugin teaches Claude Code and Codex how to use our CLI — sign-up, app registration, iOS SDK integration, Stripe payouts, the whole arc, from your editor. You confirm the parts that need a human (email link, Stripe forms); the agent does the rest.
Install in Claude CodeInstall in CodexPlugin on GitHub →

Prefer the CLI directly? It's guild-ads on npm. Or click around the dashboard — all three paths land in the same place.

Simple math on both sides

Advertisers know what they bought. Publishers can see where cash and credits come from.

Clear share
Book 10% of the week and expect roughly 10% of sold inventory, with upside if the week does not sell out.
Publisher payout pool
70% of advertiser cash spend goes to publishers based on how much user reach each app contributed that week.
Publisher bonus credits
Finalized publisher earnings also create a permanent 10% bonus credit, so reinvesting in your own app is part of the system.

Want a cleaner way to grow or earn from an app?

Promote your app, earn from free users, or do both without dragging in a giant ad stack.

I want more downloadsI want to earn money

Advertiser setup works for App Store apps and websites. Publisher setup is iOS-only for now.