Every founder starting with monetization for their Games Studios or Apps reaches the same question: subscriptions or ads? IAP or ad monetization? Pick a lane, right?
Wrong, says Lakshya, Founder & CEO of UndrAds. Speaking on the panel of Mobidictum 2026, he explained that the biggest mistake that studios make while initiating monetization is picking one lane before even experimenting with what works for them.
Choosing “This OR That”
On addressing the early monetization mistakes, Lakshya didn’t point to a bad ad network or a mispriced subscription. He talked about a mindset.
“It’s a very big world out there. Nothing is there in the OR function. We don’t say this or that. Everything is in the AND function.”
Studios tend to bet the whole business on one monetization channel before they’ve even tested whether it fits.
This “OR” mindset in monetization can look like:
- Betting everything on in-app purchases, without knowing when or if that will ever click
- Pushing ads too aggressively, which caps how far the user base can scale
- Going all-in on subscriptions and hoping it works out
The common highlight, in his words, is failing to plan the monetization structure before launch by not studying the data, not testing multiple revenue options in parallel, and then seeing what works.
“In today’s world, revenue is important, but actually, the revenue channels are equally important to look after.”
Here’s a quick look at the moment from the panel, check here:
Test What Works, Then Let the Data Lead
Lakshya suggests one should not guess what works best. The “AND” function is about running multiple tests and then letting the split reveal itself.
“Do not think on the values of OR function, rather just think on the AND function side, and just run the AB tests on multiple things.”
“Do not think on the values of OR function, rather just think on the AND function side, and just run the AB tests on multiple things.”
He gave a simple illustration of how the audience may behave differently to the monetization strategies, using a base of 100,000 users as an example:
- A portion of users might be willing to pay and get converted to subscribers.
- Some would respond better to in-app purchases
- The remaining might get monetized through ads.
All this testing and measuring the data will lead you to what works best for you.
