Ad channel integrations: what they are and how many you need

What an ad channel integration is

An ad channel integration is the setup that lets an MMP and one ad platform exchange data about your app. You turn it on in the MMP dashboard, usually by signing in to the ad account or pasting an ID. Once it is on, three things can flow.

• Attribution. The MMP learns which installs and events came from that platform's ads, down to campaign and creative where the platform shares it.
• Conversions back. The MMP sends a postback for each install or purchase, so the platform's bidding can learn from it.
• Cost. The MMP pulls ad spend from the platform so reports can show return next to revenue.

Not every integration carries all three. A plan table may list attribution, postbacks and cost as separate rows, each with its own channel limit. Read all three rows for the channels you use.

Two kinds of integration that plans count differently

Plan pages use the word "integration" for two different things, and mixing them up leads to wrong comparisons.

Airbridge Core shows both limits on one page. Ad network attribution covers Google, Meta, Apple Ads and TikTok only, and third-party integrations are capped at 2.^[1] The Growth Plan lists 330+ ad networks and platforms.^[1]

How many ad channels you need

You need exactly as many as you pay for, plus the ones you will test in the next few months. A long network list has no value for a channel you never buy.

1. Write down every platform that billed you for app ads in the last three months.
2. Add any platform you have a firm plan to test. Leave out the ones you are only curious about.
3. Check each name against the plan's ad channel row. A partial match is a fail for the missing channel.
4. For each match, check the postback and cost rows too.

Say a meditation app runs Meta Ads and Apple Ads and plans a TikTok test. Three channels. A plan that names those three covers the app fully, and a plan with hundreds of networks covers it no better. The picture changes the day the team signs with an ad network outside the list, which is one of the clearer signals to move up a plan.

Channels that work without a paid integration

Some traffic needs no ad channel integration at all. Email, creator links, QR codes, your own website and social posts are measured with tracking links you create yourself. These count as owned or unpaid channels, and plan limits on ad networks usually do not apply to them. If most of your installs come from sources like these, the ad channel row matters less than the linking rows.

How the largest ad platforms report installs is covered under self-attributing networks. It changes how you read the numbers. It does not change how many integrations you need.

What to do next

Put your channel list next to the plan table and mark each channel as covered, partly covered or missing. If everything is covered, move on to volume and read what happens when you pass the included volume. If one channel is missing, ask the vendor what the higher plan costs before you decide whether that channel is worth it.