If Unity Ads and ironSource consistently "do not enter" - is this a problem of sources or incorrect expectations and approach? Spoiler alert: No. In fact, these are undervalued In-App sources that give volume and growth where Moloco has already hit the ceiling.

Moloco has become the main source for many teams due to its high volumes, event optimization, and stable economy. But when it reaches the limit, geo storms, or the economy floats when the budget grows, it's time to diversify.
Unity Ads and ironSource connect at this exact moment. They provide a different pool of publishers, additional volume, and the ability to scale without pressure on the main source. Yes, they take time, statistics, and manual work. But for teams that are ready to play for a long time, this is a working growth tool, and not "dead sources".

In this article, we will analyze:

Is it even worth spending time and budget on Unity Ads and ironSource?
why they don't work like Moloco — and why this is their advantage;
how to connect alternative In-App sources without draining your budget.
when Unity Ads and ironSource become a growth point, rather than an experiment.
how to scale further without squeezing out a single source.

Everyone went to Moloco, but what about the other In-App sources?

Over the past few years, Moloco has become the main source for most teams. Thanks to its large volumes, event optimization capabilities, and more predictable economy, it has taken a leading position among mobile app traffic sources.

What's going on with Unity Ads and ironSource? Most often, it's the same scenario: teams try it out, see weak or unstable numbers, don't get a quick result, and go back to Moloco. After a couple of such tests, there is a strong feeling that these sources do not work and do not bring profit, like Moloco.

But the truth is different. It's not that Unity or ironSource aren't efficient. It's about expectations. Moloco has taught the market to get fast feedback and good ROI. Unity Ads and ironSource are designed differently: they need time to collect statistics, understand creatives, and discover their entire pool of opportunities. If you go there with the expectation of a result in a week, disappointment is almost guaranteed.
Unity Ads and ironSource are undervalued sources that should not be considered as a "quick replacement for Moloco", but as a tool for additional scaling and diversification of traffic. And this is exactly what we will discuss further.

Problem that teams face when working with Moloco

When Moloco is already displayed as a plus, the script looks approximately the same for some teams. There are working offers for specific GEOS, there are creatives that consistently convert, there is a bundle on which the economy converges and ROI is kept in the black. The campaign is live, scales, and gives good results.

But sometimes we see that there is a volume ceiling, Moloco stops scaling linearly: when you try to fill in more budget, indicators start to "float", the economy is blurred, and individual geos behave unstable*. There are restrictions and sudden jumps in metrics.

*In popular markets like Germany, this is especially noticeable: the source periodically storms, even if the bundle was initially stable and correctly configured. We help clients smooth out such situations and return campaigns to normal, but it is impossible to completely get rid of such periods — this is part of working with a large source.

And it is at such moments that you should think about diversification: buy back additional advertising traffic and expand the volume at the expense of other In-App sources, and not squeeze the last percentages from Moloco.

This is where Unity Ads and ironSource come to the rescue, as tools for further growth. They allow you to get volume based on the same geo, reduce dependence on a single source, and scale up without putting pressure on the economy.

Why Unity and ironSource are not a" Moloco replacement", but a scaling tool

Unity Ads and ironSource do not compete with Moloco and are not an alternative to it. This is a logical continuation of scaling at a time when Moloco has already squeezed the maximum out of the available volume.

When a bundle works stably in Moloco, there is no point in breaking it. The correct scaling logic looks like this:

you run the same geo,
use the same creatives,
keep the same strategy and economy,
but you connect a different ad source.

It's not the approach that changes, but the source of impressions.
Unity Ads and ironSource give you access to a different pool of publishers, while the audience remains as relevant as possible: mobile users, the gaming segment, and in-app impressions. Due to this, the sources complement Moloco well and allow you to get the volume without putting too much pressure on the economy.

Unity Ads and ironSource have some practical advantages:

often there are no problems with geo, which periodically "storms" in Moloco;
a different set of publishers (apps).
fewer intersections.
the ability to scale "in breadth", and not overload a single source.

It is important to understand the difference between purchasing traffic through Moloco and working with Unity and ironSource directly. Yes, Moloco gives you access to their inventory, but:

Traffic purchases in Moloco are based on CPM (you pay for each impression), and in Unity and ironSource they are based on CPI, which gives you more control over the economy, especially at the start.
Moloco doesn't have priority in the auction for Unity and ironSource advertising inventory.
some of the top publishers of these networks are generally unavailable for a separate buyout through Moloco.

But the question arises “What should I do with traffic intersections?”

Kostya, support manager Profit Rental:
"If you use Moloco and additionally connect Unity Ads and ironSource, intersections can be controlled. In the Moloco settings, you can limit impressions in Unity and ironSource so that you don't have to compete for the same apps and users. This allows you to scale safely and without crossing traffic."

That is why many media buyers use Unity Ads and ironSource not instead of Moloco, but together with it, as a tool for further growth, when the main source rests against the ceiling.

Why Unity and ironSource are hard for most teams

Unity Ads and ironSource are really more complex than Moloco, and that's why many teams don't work out with them the first time.

The main difference is that there is no "smart" optimization that everyone is used to. The Unity and ironSource algorithms only really start working when you get your consumption and statistics. Up to this point, the source is essentially "learning" from your data.

Plus, it's important to get the technical part right right away. For example, in Unity, for correct ROAS optimization, it is not enough just to transmit the fact of a deposit or purchase, but you must transmit the amount and currency of each purchase. Without this, the algorithm simply does not understand the real value of the user.

Unity and ironSource require more manual work: you have to carefully work with advertising inventory, clean publishers, test different bundles, and see where the economy really converges. Creativity and the app still play a key role, but to increase conversions and maintain ROI, you'll need to work with inventory in more detail.

Hence the main conclusion: these sources are not for quick results. Teams without patience and a systematic approach rarely reach the point of scaling here. It is especially hard for those who are used to Moloco and expect the same behavior of algorithms from day one.

How to properly approach Unity and ironSource in 2026

Spoiler warning: It won't be easy, but with the right approach, it will work.

In Unity Ads and ironSource, you should go with the already working approach, and not in the "miracle search" mode. These are not sources for the first tests and chaotic experiments. Here it is important to immediately set a longer horizon, at least 1-2 months, and understand that the first weeks will be spent collecting data and configuring it.

The right approach involves regular tests of creatives, mandatory cleaning of advertising inventory, and careful, step-by-step scaling. Sudden budget injections without understanding what exactly works almost always end in a drain.
And most importantly: Unity Ads and ironSource should not be perceived as a replacement for Moloco, but as a tool for adding volume. These are additional In-App sources that allow you to expand the scale where Moloco has already hit the ceiling, and reduce dependence on a single source.

It is with this approach that you can achieve results and profit.

ironSource: Spend for November–December 2025

(with permission of the client).

Unity Ads: Spend for November–December 2025

(with permission of the client).

Conclusion

Moloco is still a priority In-App source, and this is absolutely logical. It provides volumes, a predictable economy, and convenient optimization that makes it easier to get into the big picture and scale.

But the market is not limited to one source. At the moment when Moloco hits the volume ceiling, when individual geos start to behave erratically, or when growth within a single channel starts to "break" the economy, Unity Ads and ironSource stop being an experiment and become a working tool.

This is not a replacement for Moloco, but additional growth points and new sources of income that it is important to be able to work with. With the right approach, Unity and ironSource provide additional volume, expand coverage, and reduce dependence on a single traffic channel.

If you want to correctly access alternative In-App sources and avoid draining your budget at the start — text to our Telegram bot, we will help you with the launch and configuration.

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