Appodeal’s Stack open-sources its BidMachine ad exchange for mobile app publishers

Appodeal‘s Stack is making its programmatic ad exchange, BidMachine, available as an open source resource for mobile app publishers.

Powered by in-app header bidding, BidMachine now enables mobile app publishers to connect directly with ad demand sources with access, efficiency, and transparency.

San Francisco-based Stack is a software-as-a-service ad tech company created by Appodeal, an ad mediation company.

“Since introducing our own ad exchange, BidMachine, as a part of Stack’s set of monetization products in 2017, we’ve helped mobile app developers around the globe scale their businesses programmatically,” said Pavel Golubev, CEO of Stack, in a statement. “Last year, we began testing a cutting-edge in-app header bidding technology that provides insights into the true value of ad inventory and optimizes every ad request, making mobile ad monetization efficient in a way it has never been before.”

BidMachine (formerly AppodealX) currently has a reach of over 25 million daily average users (DAU) through more than 10,000 mobile apps, serving over 1.2 billion impressions monthly.

BidMachine works with both traditional bidding with demand-side platforms (DSPs) and in-app header bidding-compatible ad networks, with built-in support over 70 active DSPs and 14 in-app header bidding-powered ad networks. All major ad formats, including rewarded videos, as well as integration via SDK, API, S2S/JS tags, and OpenRTB, are supported.

The release of in-app header bidding technology in 2018 immediately showed good results for the ad tech industry. However, as in-app header bidding technology is typically embedded within third-party ad mediation solutions, publishers were unable to access this technology directly. With BidMachine going open source, publishers now have this direct access, which grants them even more control over their monetization strategy and saves them from spending valuable time and money building their own in-house ad exchange.

Mobile app businesses can now take this unique in-app header bidding technology in-house with the option to have it on either client-side or server-side. They can also start benefiting from real-time bidding data and getting the best impression prices immediately through BidMachine.

“We believe that putting the power of in-app header bidding ad exchange in the hands of mobile app businesses is a massive step forward for the industry,” said Golubev. “Publishers will be able to establish direct and trustful relationships with ad demand sources and avoid fluctuating middlemen fees. Following our mission of making the industry transparent and fair, we are planning to open-source all Stack components in the near future, including the ad mediation (Appodeal) and DSP (AppGrowth) parts.”

Since an open source model might not be the ideal fit for every mobile app business, BidMachine also provides a managed service option for those interested in expert optimization and customization of their in-house in-app header bidding solution, for a predictable monthly fee. This upgraded service includes helping publishers with ensuring overall compatibility with ad demand sources, integration of new demands, and taking care of maintenance and technology updates.

BidMachine is distributed under GNU General Public License v3.0.