A Cleaner Ad Network For Indie Apps

Earn from free users, promote your app, or do both without creepy ad-tech baggage.

Guild Ads is built for the two sides indie app developers end up on anyway: wanting to earn something from free users and wanting to drive more downloads. Advertisers buy a share of next week across other indie apps. Publishers add one labeled slot, keep the integration lightweight, and earn from real spend instead of the usual ad-tech black box.

Promote My App Earn From My App

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Indie apps advertising indie appsOne labeled ad slotBook next weekClean upgrade pathNo cross-app tracking

Actual In-App Ad

What this looks like inside a real app.

One static ad, one clear CTA, and no extra junk around it. The format stays visible without taking over the app.

Guild Ads example showing a real ad placement at the bottom of a live iPhone app screen

Live Network Snapshot

Already live in real apps.

Not placeholder numbers. This is the current advertiser count plus trailing 7-day publisher reach, summed within each app.

Advertisers

Confirmed this week

Publisher apps

Active in the last 7 days

Publisher users

29,119

Summed app uniques, last 7 days

Advertise, publish, or do both

Start as an advertiser, a publisher, or both. A lot of indie apps will do both so they can earn from free users, advertise inside similar apps, and let credits offset part of the next week.

For Advertisers

Drive downloads from other indie apps without babysitting auction ads all week.

Buy a clear percentage of next week instead of fighting bids every day.
Show lightweight creative inside indie apps that feel closer to yours.
Keep the setup privacy-friendly instead of leaning on the usual surveillance stack.

Start Advertising

For Publishers

Earn more than nothing from free users without turning your app into an ad circus.

Add one static, labeled slot that can live comfortably in a free tier.
Get paid from real advertiser spend instead of fuzzy ad-network math.
Keep the path to ad-free upgrades clean, and use bonus credits to promote your own apps later.

Start Publishing

Why this feels less gross than typical ad tech

Fewer moving parts, less clutter, and far 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, or surprise takeovers.

Privacy rules stay obvious

App-scoped IDs are hashed server-side. No behavioral profiles, no cross-app tracking, and reporting stays aggregate.

Prices you can actually follow

Advertisers buy a share of the week. Publishers earn from the weekly cash pool. The pricing rules are posted, not hidden behind auction magic.

How the weekly marketplace works

The short version of the system that drives both ad delivery and publisher payouts.

1. Add your app

Add your App Store listing or website so everyone knows what you are promoting or monetizing.

2. Make your ad and buy a share of next week

Pick how much of the network you want, save a card once, and let the same setup roll forward unless you change it.

3. Publishers serve one labeled slot

Add the SDK, show the labeled slot, and keep the experience lightweight and easy on users.

4. The week closes and everyone settles up

Payouts, credits, and next week's price all come from the closed week using visible rules.

See the weekly math

Guild Ads has one weekly network price. These sample apps let you model 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 hypothetical week.

Weekly Network Cost

$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 teams will do both. In that case, payout 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 in this simple example.

Simple math on both sides

Advertisers know what they bought. Publishers can see exactly 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 undersells.

Publisher payout pool

70% of advertiser cash spend is paid to publishers based on how much user reach their app contributed that week.

Publisher bonus credits

Finalized publisher earnings also create a permanent 10% bonus credit, so reinvesting in your own app is built in.

Want a cleaner way to advertise or monetize an app?

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

Promote My App Earn From My App

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