Offerwall vs Rewarded Video Ads: Which Earns More?

Offerwall vs rewarded video ads: which earns more?

Rewarded video usually reaches more of your users, while an offerwall usually earns more from the users who take part. A rewarded video asks for 15 to 30 seconds of attention and gives a small reward; an offerwall asks for a real action, such as installing a game and reaching a level, and gives a much bigger one. For most games and apps, the best answer is both, placed where each one fits.

Both formats let users earn something in your app without paying. If you are new to the model, start with What is an offerwall? This guide goes deeper into the comparison.

How rewarded video ads work

1. The user taps a button such as “Watch a video for 50 coins” or “Double your reward”.
2. An ad SDK, often through a mediation layer that asks several networks at once to keep the fill rate high, loads a short video or playable ad.
3. When the ad finishes, the SDK reports the completed view, and you grant the reward. Many networks can also confirm the view to your server, which is safer than trusting the device. Google’s AdMob server-side verification guide, for example, sends a callback to your server and describes it as extra protection against spoofed client-side callbacks.
4. The network pays you for the impression, usually priced per 1,000 views (eCPM).

Google’s overview of rewarded ad units describes the format the same way: the ad is served only after a user explicitly chooses to view it, in exchange for a reward such as an extra life or in-app currency. What are rewarded ads? covers the basics. Because users opt in, stores treat rewarded ads differently from forced interstitials. Google Play’s Ads policy, for example, says its Better Ads Experiences rules on unexpected full-screen interstitial ads do not apply to rewarded ads that users explicitly opt into (checked on November 4, 2026). Rewarded video vs interstitial ads covers that difference.

How an offerwall works

1. The user opens a wall that lists offers available in their country and on their device, each with a reward in your currency.
2. They pick one and complete it: play a game to a level, sign up for a service, finish a survey, or complete a short task.
3. The result is checked, which can take seconds for simple offers or days for offers that need a review or a purchase.
4. The offerwall calls your server with a postback, and you credit the user. If a result is later reversed, a second postback tells you to take the reward back.

You earn per completed action (CPA), not per view. See What is a postback URL? for how the server-to-server part works.

Offerwall vs rewarded video side by side

Revenue per user: why the numbers behave differently

Rewarded video revenue is a volume game. Each view earns a small amount, and each user can only watch so many before you hit frequency caps or they get bored. Revenue grows with daily active users and sessions, and eCPM moves with the season, the user’s country, and demand from advertisers. It is steady but has a ceiling per user.

Offerwall revenue is concentrated. Many users never open the wall, some open it and browse, and a smaller group completes offers, sometimes several a week. A single completed game offer can be worth far more than dozens of video views, so this group often produces most of the wall’s revenue. The totals depend heavily on country mix, the offers available on each device, and how rewarding your currency rate looks.

That is why eCPM alone is a poor way to compare them. A video eCPM is measured per view, while an offerwall “eCPM” per wall opening mixes browsing with completions that may arrive days later. Compare both on the audience instead:

• ARPDAU: revenue from each format in a day divided by daily active users.
• Earnings per 1,000 active users: the same idea over a week or month, which smooths out delayed offer confirmations.
• Revenue per engaged user: revenue divided by users who used the format at least once.

For the formulas behind this, read eCPM and EPC explained and How much can you earn with an offerwall?

User experience

Rewarded video is predictable: tap, watch, get the reward. The cost is attention, and too many prompts make the app feel like an ad player. Keep videos optional, reward them instantly, and never punish users who skip them.

An offerwall takes users out of your app for longer and asks for trust. They need to understand what counts as done, see pending rewards, and get help when something is missing. Missing-reward questions are the most common support request on any wall, so show a clear history and answer quickly. In return, the users who like the wall tend to value it, because it lets them get things they could not otherwise afford.

Impact on your in-game economy

Both formats hand out free currency, and both can compete with in-app purchases if the rates are too generous. A useful rule: video rewards should cover small conveniences, such as an extra life or a daily boost, while offerwall rewards can reach premium items, because the user did real work for them. Set your offerwall rate so that the same item takes a meaningful effort, and review it when you change prices. Monetize a mobile game with an offerwall covers currency design in detail.

Fraud risk

• Rewarded video: emulators and scripts that farm views, and modified clients that grant the reward without an ad. Grant rewards from your server after the network confirms the view, and cap views per user per day.
• Offerwall: multiple accounts, VPNs that fake a country, and fake completions. These lead to reversals that cost you the payout and hurt your standing with advertisers. Use a stable user ID, sign the wall link on your server, handle reversal postbacks, and hold rewards before cashouts if they have real value.

The traffic quality rules list what Moonetix never accepts, and Publisher earnings and reversals explains what happens when a result is taken back.

When to use each, and how to run both

Rewarded video fits when sessions are short and frequent, rewards are small, and most users will never spend money. An offerwall fits when users want something bigger than a video can pay for, such as a premium skin, a battle pass, or a cashout on a rewards site.

You do not have to choose, though. Put both on the same “get more coins” screen: a video for a small instant top-up, and the offerwall for users who want to earn more. When a user reaches the daily video cap, point them to the wall instead of showing nothing. That one change turns a dead end into a second chance to earn, from users who have just shown they want more currency.

Measure each format by revenue per active user and by its effect on retention and purchases, not just by its own earnings line.

How to add Moonetix next to rewarded video

Moonetix runs beside your rewarded video SDK, so your ad setup stays as it is.

1. Apply as a publisher at moonetix.com. Every application is reviewed by hand, and once you are approved, apps you add are live right away.
2. Add your app in the dashboard and set your currency name and icon, conversion rate, and user split, so a completed offer pays clearly more than a video.
3. Pick the integration. Open a link your server signs in a WebView or browser, as opening an offerwall in a WebView shows, or use the Android SDK, iOS SDK, Unity plugin, Flutter plugin, or React Native package for a native screen.
4. Credit currency only from the signed postback on your server, and take it back on a reversal.
5. Test, then place it. Use “Open as a test user” and “Send a test postback” in Integration status on the Integration tab, as Test your app before launch describes, then put the wall on your “get more coins” screen next to the video. Offerwall placement has more ideas.

For other ways to earn beyond ads, see AdSense alternatives.

Frequently asked questions