Gross revenue, estimated revenue and net proceeds...

“Revenue” is often used for several incompatible numbers. A customer can pay one amount, a dashboard can estimate another, a store can calculate developer proceeds and the bank can receive a fourth value. A reliable app-business dashboard preserves those distinctions.

This glossary gives each stage a practical name so AdMate comparisons remain understandable.

AdMate

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Gross customer sales

Gross sales describe the value charged to customers before the deductions represented by a net developer amount. Depending on the provider and territory, the displayed sales metric may include or separate taxes.

Use gross sales to answer questions about customer spending or product demand. Do not present it as money available to the developer without documenting commission, taxes, refunds and other deductions.

Estimated advertising earnings

AdMob reports estimated earnings while advertising data is still being processed. It is an operational measure tied to impressions, clicks, requests, match rate and eCPM.

The amount can be adjusted before payment. Keep the word “estimated” in the title of a card, export or report.

Subscription-platform revenue

RevenueCat provides revenue and subscription analytics according to its definitions and the stores configured in a project. It can provide a powerful cross-platform view, but it is not automatically the same as gross store sales, net store proceeds or a finalized payout.

Always document project scope, stores, currency and whether refunds or adjustments are included.

Estimated developer proceeds

App Store Connect and other stores can report estimated proceeds: the amount expected for the developer after the store’s applicable commission and certain taxes or adjustments.

“Net” is useful shorthand, but it is not enough on its own. Net of what? State whether the number is net of store commission, taxes, refunds, payment fees or currency conversion.

Finalized payment

A finalized provider payment belongs to a payment period and transaction record. The bank receipt can still differ because of conversion or bank fees.

For accounting, preserve the official report, transaction identifier, currency and bank evidence. Do not reconstruct a payment solely from daily dashboard estimates.

A label-first dashboard

Prefer labels like:

AdMob estimated earnings;
App Store Connect customer sales;
App Store Connect estimated proceeds;
RevenueCat project revenue;
AdSense finalized payment;
App Store financial payment.

Avoid a generic card called “total revenue” unless its formula and included sources are visible. If two sources overlap, show them side by side rather than summing them.

A worked example

Imagine an iOS subscription priced at 10 and an Android app earning 3 from ads during the same period. The 10 customer price is not automatically 10 in developer proceeds. RevenueCat may observe the subscription and show it within project revenue; App Store Connect also reports the Apple transaction; AdMob separately estimates the 3 in advertising.

A misleading total adds all visible figures. A sound report identifies the overlapping Apple transaction, uses one clearly defined value for it and adds only the independent advertising source.

Questions to ask before combining numbers

What product or activity does the metric cover?
Is it estimated or finalized?
Is it gross customer value or developer proceeds?
Which stores, apps and accounts are included?
Are refunds and adjustments included?
What currency and conversion date are used?
Could the same transaction appear in another source?
Is the value suitable for operations, forecasting or accounting?

If any answer is unknown, keep the line separate.

How AdMate helps

AdMate places provider views together and retains their source context. Use it to monitor, compare and investigate. For formal reconciliation, return to the provider’s finalized reports and payment records.

The detailed cross-provider checklist lives in why AdMob, RevenueCat and App Store Connect totals differ.

Frequently asked questions

Does gross revenue mean before all taxes?

Not universally. Providers and territories define sales and tax presentation differently. Read the metric definition.

Are proceeds always final?

No. A dashboard can show estimated proceeds. Closed financial reports and payments are later stages.

Can RevenueCat revenue be added to store sales?

Not when both describe the same transactions. Filter or choose one measure.

What should a headline dashboard show?

Choose one explicitly defined measure and keep supporting provider lines visible so the number can be explained.