Tapjoy
Tapjoy operates an in-app rewarded advertising marketplace (the Tapjoy Offerwall) that connects mobile game publishers with advertisers on a cost-per-action basis, serving major gaming enterprises like King, Big Fish Games, and MY.GAMES. It is a wholly-owned Unity Technologies subsidiary.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Tapjoy does
Tapjoy operates an in-app rewarded marketplace — the Tapjoy Offerwall — that connects mobile game publishers with advertisers on a cost-per-action basis. Publishers integrate the offerwall into their games at no cost; advertisers pay only when a user voluntarily completes an offer (e.g., installing another app, completing a level) in exchange for in-game virtual currency. The platform supports complementary user acquisition features (Currency Sales with up to 10x reward multipliers, Per App Bidding using ROAS data, Self-Serve Setup) and monetization features (Geo Multiplier for country-based exchange rates, Message to Earn pop-up messaging, Tiered Exchange Rate to manage IAP cannibalization), along with campaign types including Multi-Reward CPE, Daily Rewards, and Cost Per Action. Documented outcomes include a 96% offerwall revenue increase and 10% IAP ARPDAU lift for Big Fish Games' Evermerge, and a 1.5x D7 ROAS outcome for King's Candy Crush Saga.
The business is operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unity Technologies, with the product marketed and sold as "Tapjoy from Unity" through Unity's global platform and direct sales motion. Revenue is generated via transaction fees on completed offers, with no upfront cost to publishers and quote-based pricing for large-scale campaigns. Tapjoy is incorporated in San Francisco, was founded in 2007, and has raised approximately $105.6M in disclosed funding prior to the Unity acquisition, including earlier-stage investments from InterWest Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, Rho Ventures, D. E. Shaw & Co., and JPMorgan Partners. The company has historically pursued tuck-in M&A (Viximo in 2012, 5Rocks in 2014, Tapdaq in 2018) to broaden its ad-tech and analytics capabilities.
Tapjoy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tapjoy
- Legal name
- Tapjoy
- Website
- https://tapjoy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Tapjoy operates an in-app rewarded advertising marketplace (the Tapjoy Offerwall) that connects mobile game publishers with advertisers on a cost-per-action basis, serving major gaming enterprises like King, Big Fish Games, and MY.GAMES. It is a wholly-owned Unity Technologies subsidiary.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tapjoy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Ad Tech / In-App Rewarded Advertising
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Offerwalls, Rewards & Performance Monetization (UA-linked payouts) (MPAFAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Billing, Subscription & Entitlement Management (IAP orchestration) (MPAFAJAC), Creator/Affiliate Monetization & Commerce (UGC revenue share, referrals) (MPAFAJAJ), Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB)
Keywords
Where Tapjoy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Tapjoy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: Revenue generated from advertisers paying when users complete offers (Cost Per Action/Cost Per Engagement model). Publishers pay nothing and only earn when their users complete advertiser offers. The platform takes a transaction fee on completed offers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Performance-based pricing for advertisers |
| Freemium | Monthly | Free integration for publishers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Tapjoy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tapjoy operates an in-app rewarded marketplace (the Tapjoy Offerwall) that connects mobile game publishers with advertisers. Publishers integrate the offerwall at no cost to monetize beyond IAP, while advertisers run Cost Per Action campaigns and only pay when users complete opt-in offers, enabling user acquisition, engagement, and retention for mobile games.
Product overview
Tapjoy is a mobile game monetization and user acquisition platform offering a unified offerwall solution. The core product is the Tapjoy Offerwall, an in-app rewarded marketplace. The platform includes User Acquisition features (Currency Sales, Per App Bidding, Self-Serve Setup) and Monetization features (Geo Multiplier, Message to Earn, Tiered Exchange Rate). Campaign types include Multi-Reward CPE, Daily Rewards, and Cost Per Action. Tapjoy operates as part of Unity's product portfolio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tapjoy Offerwall
Quantifiable outcome
- 96% offerwall revenue increase for Big Fish Games
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tapjoy
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tapjoy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Tapjoy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Unity TechnologiescoreTapjoy is now part of Unity Technologies. The Tapjoy Offerwall is marketed and sold as a Unity product, integrated into Unity's platform for app monetization and user acquisition. This represents an acquisition/integration where Tapjoy's technology is now owned and distributed through Unity.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tapjoy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AppLovin: AppLovin operates one of the largest mobile user acquisition and monetization platforms (including its AppDiscovery and MAX mediation products). It competes with Tapjoy on rewarded inventory, mobile UA, and publisher monetization for mobile games and apps.
- Chartboost: Chartboost is a mobile game-focused ad network and mediation layer offering direct deals, programmatic auctions, and rewarded inventory; it competes head-on with Tapjoy for monetization inside mobile games.
- Pangle: Pangle (by ByteDance/TikTok) is a global mobile ad network offering rewarded video and bidding for game publishers. It is a viable alternative to Tapjoy for performance-based user acquisition and in-app monetization in mobile gaming.
- Liftoff: Liftoff (formed from the merger of Vungle and Liftoff) is a major mobile ad tech and UA platform focused on performance advertising for apps and games. It directly competes with Tapjoy in rewarded video, offerwall-style placements, and UA optimization for mobile publishers.
- Digital Turbine: Digital Turbine (which acquired AdColony) provides mobile ad tech, including rewarded video and mediation for app monetization. It targets the same mobile game publishers and advertisers as Tapjoy with performance-based in-app ad formats.
- ironSource: ironSource (now part of Unity following the 2022 acquisition) is the closest direct competitor to Tapjoy in mobile offerwall, rewarded UA, and in-app monetization. Both serve mobile game publishers with opt-in ad exchanges and offerwall-driven user acquisition on a performance basis; they are now sister products inside Unity.
- Mintegral: Mintegral (by Mobvista) is a mobile ad platform offering rewarded video, playable ads, and UA for mobile game publishers globally. It overlaps directly with Tapjoy's CPA-based rewarded marketplace model for advertisers and publishers.
Emerging players
- Pollfish: Pollfish offers a survey-based rewarded monetization format integrated into mobile apps. It addresses the same publisher monetization and advertiser high-intent user acquisition use cases as Tapjoy via opt-in, reward-for-task exchanges, though via surveys rather than broad offers.
- AdAction Interactive: AdAction operates a rewarded offerwall and mobile UA platform serving gaming and app publishers. It targets the same opt-in rewarded-ad inventory model as Tapjoy and is often considered a competitor in app store-style offerwall placements.
Broad incumbents
- Unity Ads: Unity Ads is Unity's primary mobile ad monetization stack (mediation, bidding, rewarded video) and now sits alongside Tapjoy within the same parent. While Tapjoy focuses on offerwall/CPA, Unity Ads competes for the same publisher monetization wallet on rewarded video and programmatic formats.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tapjoy social profiles
Digital presenceTapjoy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tapjoy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Tapjoy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tapjoy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tapjoy
What does Tapjoy do?
Tapjoy operates an in-app rewarded marketplace (the Tapjoy Offerwall) that connects mobile game publishers with advertisers. Publishers integrate the offerwall at no cost to monetize beyond IAP, while advertisers run Cost Per Action campaigns and only pay when users complete opt-in offers, enabling user acquisition, engagement, and retention for mobile games.
Is Tapjoy a public or private company?
Tapjoy is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Tapjoy founded?
Tapjoy was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Tapjoy based?
Tapjoy is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tapjoy make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising Revenue.
Who are Tapjoy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AppLovin, Chartboost, Pangle, Liftoff, Digital Turbine, ironSource and Mintegral. Emerging players are Pollfish and AdAction Interactive. Unity Ads is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Tapjoy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tapjoy.
What industry is Tapjoy in?
Tapjoy's product category is Mobile Ad Tech / In-App Rewarded Advertising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAJAI, Offerwalls, Rewards & Performance Monetization (UA-linked payouts), with a secondary code of MPAFAJAC, Billing, Subscription & Entitlement Management (IAP orchestration). Its SIC code is 7310.