Appcharge Web Store vs AppLovin MAX

Appcharge Web Store is a hosted web storefront for mobile game publishers and studios that want to sell directly to players. Publishers configure prices, offers, currencies, payment methods and regional rules, while Appcharge hosts and maintains the store. Stores can mirror a game’s appearance and include daily bonuses, progress bars, checkout upsells, rolling offers, post-purchase offers, promo codes, coupons, subscriptions and loyalty programs. LiveOps personalization, localized currencies and seamless login support the player journey, with VIP exclusives and early-access rewards also listed. APIs, SDKs and webhooks connect the store with publisher systems and can synchronize game economy, segments and player data in real time. Checkout supports alternative payment methods and localized flows. Appcharge’s Merchant of Record service covers taxes, payment processing, risk management and compliance. It lists PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 certification, and GDPR, COPPA and CCPA alignment. Pricing is on request.

AppLovin MAX helps mobile games earn revenue from ad impressions by running a real-time auction among ad networks; the highest bid wins. Supported formats include rewarded video, app open, interstitial, MREC, banner, and native ads. Publishers can review user-level and impression-level data in built-in reports or through an API, and use A/B testing to compare networks, price points, and regional setups. Ad Review offers control over which ads users see and flags problematic or competitor ads. The SDK is described as lightweight, with tools for SDK validation and pre-launch ad testing through Mediation Debugger. The product supports Android and iOS apps and lists integrations for Unity, React Native, Flutter, Cordova, Adobe AIR, Unreal, Godot, and Defold. MAX is free for publishers; bidding networks pay AppLovin a fee on generated ad revenue. A mediated network requires its own account, app and ad unit registration, and approval to serve ads. Custom networks cannot use in-app bidding or Auto-CPM. Publishers must obtain consent where applicable and pass consent flags to AppLovin.