MMP(Mobile Measurement Partner)
A third-party service that attributes app installs and in-app actions to the ads, campaigns and links that drove them, across ad networks.
Definition
An MMP (mobile measurement partner) is an independent attribution platform for mobile apps. It sits between an app and the ad networks it buys from, such as Meta, Google, TikTok and Apple Search Ads, and decides which campaign gets credit for each install and post-install event like a signup or purchase. Well-known MMPs include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Singular and Kochava. Besides attribution, MMPs typically provide deep linking, fraud protection, cost aggregation and support for Apple's privacy-preserving attribution frameworks.
Why It Matters
Every ad network reports its own results and tends to over-credit itself. An MMP gives one neutral source of truth, so you can compare channels on cost per install and, more importantly, on revenue and retention. Without one, app marketers cannot tell which campaigns bring paying users and which bring installs that never open the app again. MMP data also flows into lifecycle tools, so a user's acquisition source can shape their onboarding messages.
How It Works
The app includes the MMP's SDK, which reports installs and in-app events. When a user taps an ad or tracking link, the MMP records the click. On install, it matches the install to the click using available identifiers and signals: the Google Play Install Referrer on Android, advertising IDs where users allow tracking, and Apple's SKAdNetwork or AdAttributionKit for iOS users who do not. The MMP then sends postbacks, server-to-server notifications, to the winning ad network and makes the data available in dashboards, raw exports and integrations.
Example
A meditation app spends on three networks and checks its MMP dashboard after 30 days:
- Network A: 12,000 installs at $1.80 each, 2% start a trial.
- Network B: 6,000 installs at $3.10 each, 7% start a trial.
- Apple Search Ads: 3,000 installs at $2.40 each, 9% start a trial.
Network A looks cheapest per install, but the MMP's trial and revenue data shows Apple Search Ads and Network B bring far more paying users per dollar.
Best Practices
- 1Measure campaigns on downstream events such as trials, purchases and retention, not installs alone
- 2Send the same key in-app events to your MMP and your messaging platform so numbers line up
- 3Configure SKAdNetwork or AdAttributionKit conversion values around early signals of value
- 4Use the MMP's fraud protection on networks with a history of fake installs
- 5Pass acquisition source into your lifecycle tool to tailor onboarding
What an MMP Does
| Function | What it means |
|---|---|
| Attribution | Credits installs and events to campaigns and networks |
| Postbacks | Sends conversion data back to ad networks for optimization |
| Deep linking | Routes users from links and ads to in-app content, including after install |
| Fraud protection | Filters fake clicks and installs |
| Cost aggregation | Combines ad spend from networks to calculate ROI |