Hong Kong · Independent iOS studio

Small iOS utilities, funded by advertising that respects you.

Applaud Ads Limited builds focused utility apps and runs its own ad monetization. We keep the team, the SDK and the claims small — then measure what actually happens.

We send App Store links on request instead of embedding store badges. No sign-up, no newsletter, no download buttons that go nowhere.

03 Apps in the line
02 Ad partners
04 People
01 Office, Tsim Sha Tsui

What we do

Three pieces, deliberately small.

Ad monetization, measurement and a shared SDK. All three are built for our own apps first; we do not sell them to other publishers.

Ad monetization

Banner placements across our own apps, plus the mediation and reporting behind them. Google AdMob and Meta Audience Network compete through mediation; we cap frequency per app and read revenue by placement, not as one blended number.

ScopeOur apps only. No third-party publishers.

Analytics

A small event pipeline for launches, sessions, retention checkpoints and ad impressions. We use a per-vendor identifier (IDFV), aggregate early, and avoid building profiles of individual users.

StoredAggregates and placement-level reports.

Lightweight SDK

Shared internal code for ad loading, consent and event logging. One job per module, no permissions it does not need, and privacy manifests that match what the code actually does.

StatusInternal only. Not licensed to other developers.

Products

Tools we use ourselves.

Three iOS utilities for people who ship mobile apps. Each one is free and works without an account; the data you put in stays on your device.

BannerGuard

Shipping

A pre-flight check for banner ads.

Spot collisions between banner placements, safe areas and tap targets before a build goes out. Every check runs on the device.

iOS 16+ · No account Details

AdLens

Shipping

Ad revenue, without the spreadsheet fog.

Log daily impressions and revenue, import a CSV, and see eCPM and ARPDAU by placement. Your numbers stay on your phone.

iOS 16+ · No account Details

RetentionKit

Closed beta

Retention checkpoints, minus the warehouse.

Define D1, D7 and D30 cohorts, import exports, and compare one release against the last. Built for teams without a data stack.

iOS 17+ · Closed beta Details

App Store links are not embedded on this site. Email us with the product name and we will send the current build link.

How we work

Boring choices, made on purpose.

We are early. That makes it easier to keep the product, the advertising and the data in proportion.

The app comes first.

An ad is a guest. If a placement makes the tool harder to use, it does not ship — regardless of what it would earn.

Collect less than we could.

No accounts, no contact uploads, no location. Identifiers stay per vendor, not per person, and reports are aggregated before we read them.

Own the boring parts.

Mediation, consent and event logging are our code. That is the only way we can explain every number and every data flow on this site.

Say what we don't do.

We are not an ad network, an agency or a data broker. We monetize our own apps and nothing else.

Log

Recent work, in date order.

A short record of what changed. No launch-countdown theatre; just the last few things that shipped.

2026-10-06

RetentionKit 0.9 enters closed beta with D1, D7 and D30 cohort imports.

2026-08-19

AdLens 1.1 adds CSV mapping for App Store Connect exports. All calculations remain on-device.

2026-05-27

BannerGuard 1.3 adds safe-area and tap-target checks, plus a printable report.

2024-11-12

Applaud Ads Limited is incorporated in Hong Kong. Work begins on the first internal ad stack.

Boundaries

What we are — and what we are not.

What we are

  • An independent studio that owns and operates its own iOS apps.
  • Ad-supported: free tools, funded by a single banner placement where it fits.
  • Local-first: the content you create in our apps stays on your device.
  • Small: four people, one office, direct answers.

What we are not

  • An ad network. We do not sell other developers' inventory.
  • An agency. We do not run campaigns for clients.
  • A data business. We do not sell or resell personal information.
  • A “global leader”. We are early, and we say so.

Contact

A straight answer about an app, an ad, or your data.

Email reaches the people who build and support the products. We reply within two business days, Hong Kong time.