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Despite seismic shifts in user behaviour across mobile apps, 88% of global mobile app advertising spend remains concentrated with Google and Meta, according to Moloco’s Performance Through Independence report.

Users are increasingly active in independent app ecosystems—with over 2 billion daily active users (DAUs) outside Big Tech platforms and consumer attention shifting toward emerging categories like gaming, entertainment, and generative AI. In the U.S. alone, independent apps account for more time spent than YouTube and Facebook combined.

Yet, advertisers remain heavily skewed toward familiar giants. The report found that marketers who diversified their ad spend to include independent platforms saw Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) improve by up to 214% within 30 days.

This mismatch reveals an opportunity: passive ad strategies favor convenience over performance. Independent app inventory offers access to high‑value, under‑targeted audience segments, especially in fast-growing markets like India, where in-app categories such as entertainment (+68 billion hours) and AI (+669%) are witnessing explosive growth.

For marketers, this data signals the need to expand beyond the duopoly, balance media portfolios, and tap into high-growth, high-return ecosystems. Doing so can unlock incremental reach, hedge against platform risk, and align ad dollars more closely with evolving user behavior.