Case Study: Duolingo achieves 70% ad revenue growth (plus 20% more with bidding) with Google AdMob

Duolingo partners with the AdMob platform to optimize mediation strategy and increases ads revenue by 70%

Duolingo, the free, gamified language‑learning app, needed a way to generate revenue without undermining its user experience or paywall‑free mission. In 2015 the company partnered with Google AdMob, using the AdMob platform to test native and rewarded ads and to centralize ad networks through mediation and later programmatic bidding.

Google AdMob implemented mediation, rewarded formats, and a bidding solution that Duolingo A/B tested against its existing waterfall setup. The results: mediation drove a 70% lift in ad revenue, bidding added another ~20% uplift and raised eCPMs by 10–20%; rewarded ads increased engagement ~2.5% and boosted ad revenue by up to 50%, while reducing the time spent managing networks.

Duolingo

Edwin Bodge

Product Manager