AppLovin Q3 Revenue Jumps 55% to Record $2.19 Billion; Net Income Up 72% to $1.44 Billion
AppLovin kept its growth engine roaring in the third quarter, posting record revenue and profit while expanding a buyback program that already retired a large block of stock in the period.
The Palo Alto marketing-platform company reported revenue of $2.185 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2026, up 55% from $1.405 billion a year earlier, according to its earnings materials filed with an 8-K Wednesday. Net income rose 72% to $1.439 billion from $836 million. Diluted earnings per share were $4.30; basic EPS was $4.31.
Adjusted EBITDA climbed 59% to $1.842 billion from $1.158 billion. AppLovin said net income margin reached 66% and Adjusted EBITDA margin 84%. Net cash from operating activities and free cash flow were each $1.4 billion in the quarter, the company said.
Buybacks and guidance
During the quarter AppLovin repurchased and withheld 4.1 million Class A shares for a total cost of $1.4 billion, including commissions, taxes and net-settlement withholdings. Shares of Class A and Class B stock outstanding ended the quarter at 331 million.
The board approved a $3.2 billion increase to the share-repurchase authorization, bringing the total current authorization to $3.6 billion as of the end of October, the company said.
For the fourth quarter of 2026, AppLovin guided revenue to $2.365 billion to $2.395 billion and Adjusted EBITDA to $1.995 billion to $2.025 billion, implying an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 84% to 85%. The company said it is not providing GAAP equivalents for those non-GAAP guidance metrics because reconciling items such as stock-based compensation are uncertain.
For the first nine months of 2026, revenue was $5.951 billion, up 56%, and net income was $3.911 billion, up 75%.
Why it matters
AppLovin’s print extends a stretch of outsized ad-tech growth that retail investors have priced as a high-margin software story. The combination of mid-50s revenue growth, mid-60s net margin and another multi-billion-dollar buyback authorization keeps capital return and operating scale at the center of the thesis—while the fourth-quarter guide implies another sequential step-up in both sales and Adjusted EBITDA.
By the numbers
- Q3 revenue: $2.185 billion, up 55%
- Q3 net income: $1.439 billion, up 72%
- Diluted EPS: $4.30
- Adjusted EBITDA: $1.842 billion, up 59%
- Free cash flow: $1.4 billion
- Q4 revenue guide: $2.365 billion to $2.395 billion
- Buyback authorization after increase: $3.6 billion
Sources
- AppLovin Form 8-K with third-quarter 2026 financial results, filed Nov. 4, 2026 (accession 0001751008-26-000068)
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