Apple Slashes iAd Minimum Buy-In Fee Yet Again

110326 iad iconApple has cut its minimum iAd buy-in fee to $100,000 according to a report from Advertising Age. The new lower price, one-tenth the $1 million originally required when iAd launched in July of 2010, dropped to $500k and then $300k per package.

Even the $300k level has apparently not been enough to keep existing advertisers on board and bring on new ones to meet the ever-growing number of ad slots available. In addition to the reduced minimum spend, Apple is increasing the cut that developers receive from iAds running within their apps from 60% to 70%. The extra money is expected to cover lower ad rates and encourage developers to include iAds within their applications.

AdAge continues:

Apple is also planning to change the way it charges for ads, which irked some advertisers and agencies. Since it launched in 2010, Apple has charged advertisers twice: a fixed rate for every 1,000 ad impressions plus an additional fee every time a user clicked on the ad. Apple will now only charge the cost-per-thousand rate.

Apple recently hired former Adobe executive Todd Teresi to head up the iAds service after Andy Miller departed to join a venture capital firm.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

Friday September 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone Air is equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for cellular connectivity, all of the iPhone 17 models are outfitted with Qualcomm modems still. A teardown video shared on Chinese platform Bilibili today (via Reddit) appears to confirm the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem in particular. The same modem is likely used in the iPhone 17 and iPhone ...
iphone 17 pro max techwoven

Here Are The Best Cases You Can Buy for Your New iPhone 17 and iPhone Air

Friday September 19, 2025 6:46 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhones launch today, and there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to protecting your new device from drops and scratches. In this article, we're taking a look at some of the best options for iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Air cases, as well as a few charging accessories. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iphone 17 pro inside

iPhone 17 Teardowns Confirm SIM and eSIM-Only Battery Capacities

Friday September 19, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
YouTube channel REWA Technology today shared an iPhone 17 Pro teardown video, offering a closer look inside the model with a SIM card tray. We are still waiting for repair website iFixit to share a more comprehensive teardown of the latest iPhone models, but this video provides a good look in the meantime. The device features various internal design changes, including larger rear camera...

Top Rated Comments

Stridder44 Avatar
178 months ago
I hate iAds....stop trying to sell me stuff, just let me own my device without some company bill boarding my apps....boo
Then stop being a cheapskate and buy them or pay for the premium version. Developers (and the work that goes into an app) aren't free, you know. Plus, it's not like anyone is holding a gun to your head forcing you to click on the iAds or even look at them.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nielsenius Avatar
178 months ago
I'd much rather pay a couple dollars for an app than have my view poisoned by ads. I realize that advertising is, often, a necessary evil, but that doesn't keep me from being annoyed by constant ads.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pegamush Avatar
178 months ago
bring it to OSX and i'll switch back to Windows
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FrHa Avatar
178 months ago
I forgot about iAd, lol! :D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella Avatar
178 months ago
An Ad is an Ad, no matter how much candy eye to try to add.. and the majority people just hate adverts.

I guess, Apple is still struggling with iAds, otherwise the price wouldn't be dropping, still.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
178 months ago
This may just be a great thing for me...

I've been strongly considering dropping ads entirely from my ad supported apps and just charging for them... but if Apple wants to finally drop the requirement that people tap on the ads, that sounds great. Only about 1 in 1000 people would actually do that, and as a result, I essentially only made 10 cents per 1000 uses of my app. That amounted to anywhere between $1 and $5 per month. At thousands of downloads for free, I'm pretty certain if I changed to charging $1 per download I'd still get a few dozen downloads a month. Heck, just one dozen downloads a month would still be $8, over double what I get in an average month from ads.

If ad fill rates go up from the reduced buy in, that could double impressions (right now only about 50% of users see ads.) Increase my cut from 60% to 70% and that'll be a slight increase, too. Maybe change $0.10/thousand to $1/thousand... and this could be substantial. $1-$5 per month goes to $21-$110 per month... my ad supported apps would actually make me roughly as much money as my paid for apps.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)