Marketing Cloud Next - Monthly Active Devices (MAD) Billing

What is a Monthly Active Device (MAD)?

A Monthly Active Device (MAD) is the billing unit for Mobile App Messaging in Marketing Cloud Advanced (MCA), and after July 2026, for Marketing Cloud Engagement+ (MCE+) too.

Any device that opens a mobile app where the Mobile SDK is integrated at least once within a calendar month is counted as an active device for billing purposes. The billing signal is whether a user opened the app at least once within the calendar month — regardless of login status or whether any push, in-app, or inbox messages were received.

What counts as a MAD

A unique device that opens the app at least once in a calendar month counts as 1 MAD.
An app open is the SDK signal — a device becomes billable as soon as it opens the app, regardless of whether the user has logged in or received any push, in-app, or inbox messages.
Devices where the user has revoked push consent but still opens the app are counted as MADs. These devices can still receive in-app and inbox messages.

How MAD billing is calculated

Units of MAM credits required = (number of monthly active devices × 25 × number of months in contract term)
Where:

25 = the MAD multiplier (one device consumes 25 credits per month)
The Mobile App Regional SKU is sold per 1,000 credits

Worked examples

Scenario	Math	Result
100 MADs, 3-year contract	100 × 25 × 36	90,000 credits (90 units of MAM Regional SKU)
10,000 MADs, 3-year contract	10,000 × 25 × 36	9,000,000 credits (9,000 units)
2.5M MADs/month, 1-year contract	2,500,000 × 25 × 12	750,000,000 credits per year (~62,500,000 per month)

What's included once a device is active

Channel	Standard content (included, unlimited)
Mobile Push	Standard push notifications
In-App	Standard in-app messages: banner, modal, full-screen, push primer
Inbox (available with MCE+ only). Coming soon on MCA.	Standard inbox messages

Public rate card

Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App (November 2025 V2)

Where to view MAD usage

In Digital Wallet, go to the Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App card, then select the Monthly Active Device usage type to view your entitlement and usage in near real-time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What exactly is the billing signal?
A: An app open captured by the Mobile SDK. The SDK transmits the event to Digital Wallet, where you can view your entitlement and usage in near real-time.

Q: A user opens the app 100 times this month. How many MADs does that count as?
A: One. MAD is a unique-device count — frequency does not matter once a device is active.

Q: A user has the app on an iPhone, an iPad, and an Android device. How many MADs does that count as?
A: Three. Each unique device that opens the app counts independently.

Q: A user revoked push consent but still uses the app daily. Are we billed for that device?
A: Yes. The MAD signal is an app open, not a push opt-in. With MAD billing, you pay for reach (the active device population), not per message attempt. The 25-credit multiplier already accounts for typical consent-revocation rates.

Q: We have 18,700 MADs. How many units of Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App Regional (1,000) do we need?
A: 18,700 × 25 = 467,500 credits per month. For a 12-month period: 18,700 × 25 × 12 ÷ 1,000 = 5,610 units of Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App Regional (1,000).

Q: I'm on MCE+ today. Will my pricing change automatically to MAD after July, 2026?
A: Once you buy the Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App Regional (1,000) SKU (available post July, 2026 for MCE+ customers), you will get access to Mobile App Messaging in MCA and your MCE and MCA mobile app messaging usage will automatically change to MAD. If you don't buy the Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App Regional (1,000) SKU, your per send billing on MCE will continue but you will not be able access Mobile App Messaging in MCA.

Q: A single contact has multiple devices. Can I limit push to one device to reduce my MAD count?
A: No. From a MAD billing standpoint, every active device counts whether or not you sent to it — suppressing sends to an active device does not reduce your MAD count.

Q: We're upgrading our app to Mobile SDK 11 in stages. What happens during the rollout?
A: Once you purchase the Salesforce Message Credits - Mobile App Regional (1,000) SKU, billing for both MCE and MCA usage transitions to the Monthly Active Device (MAD) model, regardless of the SDK versions used by your audience.

Q: Is push really unlimited under MAD?
A: Yes. Once a device is active that month, you can send unlimited Standard Push, Standard In-App, and Standard Inbox messages to it at no additional credit cost, subject to fair use guidelines.

Q: I have two apps configured in my org, and a user is actively using both apps on the same device in a calendar month. Is that one MAD or two?
A: Two MADs. MAD is counted per app, per device — not per physical device alone. Each app generates its own device identity through the SDK, so a single phone running two of your apps registers as two distinct active devices.

Troubleshooting

MAD count is higher than expected

Confirm you are reading the correct Digital Wallet card. The per-message and per-MAD SKUs share the same entitlement display name — check the Usage Type field ("Monthly Active Device" vs "MobilePush Message").
Devices that revoked push consent but still open the app are counted as MADs.