Global advertising revenue in 2022 was $808 billion and is predicted to top $1 trillion by 2026, showing how lucrative the market is. There are endless ad networks to choose from if you want to tap into this huge market. Our article will introduce you to them and help you decide which is best for you.
What is an ad network?
An ad network is a platform that connects app or website publishers to brands that want to advertise their products and services. The network’s primary function is to aggregate advertising slots from publishers and match them with the advertiser’s demand. It makes it easy for publishers to monetize their websites with ads instead of doing one-on-one sales pitches for potential advertisers, which takes considerable time and effort.
Why are ad networks important?
Ad networks make things easier for both the publisher and the advertiser. Publishers don’t need to stress themselves pitching to advertisers when they can just sign up on an ad network and tap into its inventory. The advertiser doesn’t need to bother about looking for websites they can advertise on because the network takes care of that.
These platforms enable many websites to survive on advertising revenue while offering their content for free.
How to choose the best ad network
Factors to consider to choose the best ad network include:
- Size — It’s wise to choose a network with many advertisers to guarantee a near-perfect ad placement rate for your app or website.
- Quality — Seek ad networks with legit and well-known advertisers. Avoid the ones known for advertising sketchy and spammy products because it can affect your reputation and deter users.
- Ad formats — Go for a network that supports a large variety of ad formats to give you more room to experiment and maximize your income. The same applies to advertisers to help them experiment with different formats and see which one gets the best results.
- Payment terms — Find a network that pays as quickly as possible and that you can easily contact if payment disputes arise.
Adsterra has accumulated the best features to help publishers increase their earnings. This is the right and secure choice for those who are looking for various user-friendly ad formats and plenty of profit opportunities.
To Contents ↑19 best ad networks for publishers in 2023
There are hundreds of advertising networks available to the point of causing a choice overload. Some are for general websites, while some target specific niches. Each has different requirements to accept publishers and rules about what can be advertised on their platform. We compiled a list of some of the top ad networks to make it easy for you.
1. Adsterra
Adsterra is one of the most popular ad networks as of 2023, with over 28,000 publishers and 13,000 advertisers. Website approval is usually quick. The platform boasts a 100% fill rate, which guarantees revenues for publishers with traffic. It supports various types of ad formats, including Popunders, Native Ads, Banners, and In-Page Push notifications.
The platform has high rates, which is favorable to publishers. You can check out a case study of a blogger who made $1,200 from about 230,000 web visits in roughly two months.
Models: Cost-per-mille (CPM), cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-impression (CPI), cost-per-lead (CPL), and cost-per-action (CPA)
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: 6 payment options including WebMoney and Paxum. The minimum payout is $5.
To Contents ↑Advantages of Adsterra for publishers
- This ad network guarantees a 100% fill rate. Thus, you’re sure that there’ll be ads wherever you insert the ad code and can earn a steady income.
- There’s no minimum amount of traffic required to sign up on Adsterra. You can monetize a website with little traffic and increase your revenue as you grow. Many rival networks have minimum traffic requirements that are unfavorable to small publishers.
- Adsterra lets you display ads on your site even when a visitor has installed ad-blocking software. This gives you revenue that you would otherwise have lost due to the growing adoption of ad-blocking tools.
- This ad network supports several payout methods. Publishers can receive their income through Paxum, WebMoney, PayPal, bank transfer, and several other top-used payment systems. There’s no need to stress because all you need is a bank account or an account on one of the aforementioned payment platforms.
- Adsterra has excellent customer support. Publishers can get in touch with an account manager that’ll help them maximize revenue.
Publishers who monetize with Adsterra highlight its super-friendly platform. You get your website approved in minutes, so nothing stops you from placing ad codes today.
To Contents ↑2. Google AdSense
Google AdSense is the largest ad network, with hundreds of thousands of publishers and advertisers signed up.
This network is best for generic publishers but doesn’t serve niche ones very well (see alternatives). It offers lower payouts for niche sites than you can get on the alternatives and takes a long time to earn considerable income.
The good thing going for AdSense is that it’s very easy to use. The platform supports a large variety of ad formats. It is widely recognized as one of the best ad networks for bloggers.
Models: CPC, CPM, and CPE (cost-per-engagement)
Minimum traffic: There’s no minimum traffic listed in their requirements, although they may reject websites with little or no traffic.
Payout methods: Wire transfer, check, and electronic funds transfer
To Contents ↑3. PropellerAds
PropellerAds is a well-known display and mobile advertising network that claims over 100,000 customers. Advertisers can target over 195 geographical locations (GEOs) with quality ensured by sophisticated anti-ad fraud software. Publishers can sign up easily and start earning revenue once approved. Supported ad formats include popunders, interstitials, and push notifications.
This ad network boasts of delivering over 12 billion ad impressions daily. Advertisers can run campaigns in different formats or even combine multiple formats for a single ad campaign. The multi-format advertising is a boon for publishers because it increases the number of ads they can display.
Models: CPC, CPM, and CPA
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: PayPal, WebMoney, wire transfer, Skrill, ePayments, and Payoneer
To Contents ↑4. Amazon Publisher Services
Amazon is best known as an online store, but its business encompasses many other areas, including online advertising. Amazon Publisher Services is a marketplace that connects websites with advertisers and charges zero fees.
This ad network gives publishers unlimited access to ad buyers, mostly brands selling on Amazon. It has a simple interface that makes it easy to keep track of your ads and earnings. There’s no minimum traffic required to monetize your website with this network, which is good.
The main drawback is that Amazon has a tough vetting process to accept websites into its network, which discourages most publishers from applying. Yet, you can always give it a shot.
Models: CPC and CPA
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Wire transfer, check, and electronic funds transfer
To Contents ↑5. RevenueHits
RevenueHits is a well-known ad network with over 5,000 advertisers and 20,000 publishers registered on it. The company claims a 100% fill rate and supports many ad formats, including sticky ads, in-page push, popunders, display banners, etc.
Signing up on this network is noticeably easy. Once you join, you can start earning revenue from your website’s ad space regardless of your level of traffic. This ad network has competitive rates for publishers. It also offers regular payouts so that publishers can have good cash flow.
Models: CPA, CPI, CPC, CPL, and CPM
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Wire transfer, PayPal, and Payoneer
To Contents ↑6. Vibrant Media
Vibrant Media specializes in contextual advertising, which refers to placing ads on web pages based on the page’s content. It allows marketers to target an audience based on contextual signals instead of third-party data, enabling more privacy. This network offers high-quality ads, but the possible hindrance is its high minimum traffic requirement.
Models: CPM and CPC
Minimum traffic: 500,000 monthly page views
Payout methods: Bank transfer
To Contents ↑7. TrafficStars
TrafficStars is a self-serve ad platform that supports various ad formats, including sliders, interstitials, video pre-roll, banners, and push. One of the unique things about this platform is that it supports real-time bidding (RTB), wherein advertisers can bid for publishers’ ad slots in real time. RTB enables advertisers to maximize outcomes and publishers to get more value from their ad space with competitive bidding.
Models: CPM, CPA, and CPC
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Bank transfer, cryptocurrency, ePayService, Paxum, and others
To Contents ↑8. Epom
Epom Market is a platform that connects publishers to brands seeking exposure. Advertisers can bid for ad slots in real time, which helps publishers earn maximal revenue. This platform supports many types of ad formats, including banners, responsive ads, popunders, and interstitials.
The possible hindrance is that Epom has fewer advertisers than some networks on this list, e.g., Adsterra and Google AdSense. So, it is best suited for niche sites and not generic ones.
Models: CPM, CPC, and CPA
Minimum traffic: 500,000 monthly impressions
Payout methods: PayPal and wire transfer
To Contents ↑9. EMX
EMX is a programmatic advertising marketplace that works with over 1,400 publishers. It gives advertisers premium traffic and full transparency into what they’re paying for. As for publishers, EMX is known to have high rates but is very competitive to join. Observe how it has a relatively small number of publishers on its network.
Models: CPM, CPC, and CPA
Minimum traffic: 30,000 unique users per month
Payout methods: Bank transfer
To Contents ↑10. Publift
Publift is one of the top ad networks for publishers because it enables them to personalize their ad strategy to earn as much as they can. It works for both websites and apps and supports ad formats like sticky ads, banners, vignettes, and multiplex.
Publift delivers its own ads and ads from ad network partners like AdSense, Xandr, and Amazon Publisher Services.
Models: CPM, CPC, CPA, CPI, and CPL
Minimum traffic: Already earning at least $2,000 per month
Payout methods: Bank transfer
Unlike many ad networks, there’s no minimum traffic for publishers to sign up on Adsterra. You can join when you’re small and grow your revenue alongside your site.
To Contents ↑11. Adcash
Adcash is an Estonian online advertising platform. It serves publishers around the world, supporting many ad formats, including popunders, banners, interstitials, and autotag. The platform offers dedicated account managers to help publishers maximize their revenue.
Models: CPM, CPC, and CPA
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Wire transfer, PayPal, and cryptocurrency
To Contents ↑12. Clickadu
Clickadu is an ad network with over 3,300 publishers registered that generate over 4 billion daily impressions. It’s known for its high pay and a near-perfect fill rate for different ad formats like videos, popunders, and in-page push.
The hindrance of Clickadu for publishers is its high minimum traffic requirement.
Models: CPC, CPM, and CPA
Minimum traffic: At least 5,000 visits daily
Payout methods: Wire transfer, WebMoney, Paxum, and PayPal
To Contents ↑13. PopAds
PopAds is an ad network specializing in popunder ads, the type that appears beneath an active browser window. Popunders tend to pay more than other types of ad formats and are a good way to reach people that use ad blocks. The platform has advertisers in over 40 countries and claims an average revenue of $4 for 1,000 unique U.S. visitors.
Models: Cost-per-mille (CPM)
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Payoneer, PayPal, and wire transfer
To Contents ↑14. BidVertiser
BidVertiser is a self-serve ad network with nearly 80,000 websites and 3,000+ active advertisers registered. Publishers can use it to monetize their apps, websites, and even toolbars and browser extensions. The platform serves desktop and mobile ads, which is great for publishers.
Models: CPC
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: PayPal, wire transfer, check, and cryptocurrency
To Contents ↑15. ExoClick
ExoClick is one of the leading ad networks globally. It enables publishers to monetize their traffic from every GEO and get paid either weekly or monthly. Publishers can see detailed statistics about the ads served on their site in real time and know where to adjust to maximize their revenue.
This network incorporates an RTB system that’s good for both publishers and advertisers. It supports various ad formats (banners, video, native, etc.) so publishers can monetize all their inventory. There’s also a tool that lets publishers circumvent ad-blocking software from their visitors and earn more revenue.
Models: CPM, CPC, and CPV
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Wire transfer, Paxum, and BitPay
To Contents ↑16. Ezoic
Ezoic is a popular ad-tech platform known for relatively high rates and high-quality ads. Note that Ezoic isn’t a typical ad network. Instead, it aggregates ads from different networks and offers them to publishers. The high pay occurs because of the competition from various networks for ad space on the publisher’s site.
Ezoic offers both advertisements and tools to help publishers optimize their sites for better revenue, e.g., SEO, speed booster, etc. It incorporates artificial intelligence to help decide the best position to place ads on a website to earn maximal income.
This network is best suited for publishers with large traffic who want to monetize it as much as they can.
Models: CPM, CPC, and CPA
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Direct bank transfer (Payoneer)
To Contents ↑17. Dianomi
Dianomi is an ad network specializing in native ads for niche site categories: Financial Services, Tech, Business Development, and Life Style. It also has one of the highest ad rates because the niche it targets tends to have highly-paid people. It works with over 300 premium publishers, including Reuters, Forbes, Bloomberg, and Wall Street Journal.
Unlike most other ad networks on this list, Dianomi has a very high bar for accepting publishers. The company has a rigorous vetting process that filters out most publishers. It’s best suited for big publishers with a valuable target audience in the niches mentioned above.
Models: CPC
Minimum traffic: None
Payout methods: Wire transfer, check, PayPal, and Payoneer
To Contents ↑18. Media.net
Media.net is one of the biggest ad networks for advertisers and publishers. It supports contextual ads, display ads, native ads, and many other ad formats. It supports real-time bidding, with many brands competing for limited space on a publisher’s site, leading to higher rates.
Models: CPM, CPC, CPL, and CPA
Minimum traffic: 10,000 page views monthly
Payout methods: Wire transfer and PayPal
To Contents ↑19. Xandr
Xandr (formerly known as AppNexus) is an advertising network owned by Microsoft. It gives publishers access to a network of premium brands that want to advertise their products.
It claims over 193,000 advertisers and 1,500+ direct publishers. The relatively small number of publishers compared to advertisers gives a hint that Xandr is an exclusive ad network to get into. It has a minimum traffic requirement of 10 million monthly page views, which shuts out most publishers.
This network offers some of the highest rates that publishers can get for their ads. But, as we’ve mentioned, getting in is the tough part. To do that, you’ll need to contact the company and provide details about your website. Then, they’ll provide feedback and guide you on integrating your site with the network if you get accepted.
Models: CPC and CPA
Minimum traffic: 10 million page views monthly
Payout methods: Wire transfer
To Contents ↑Best ad networks — FAQs
What does an ad network do?
An ad network is an intermediary between publishers and advertisers. It connects publishers to brands that want to advertise to their audience and takes a cut of the ad revenue for its service. Without ad networks, it’ll be much harder for publishers to monetize their websites, especially small ones.
Which is the best ad network?
There’s no one “best” ad network. That depends on the publisher and their advertising goals. For example, one ad network may be the best for bloggers and another for gamers. Yet, we recommend Adsterra because it empowers publishers to steadily grow revenues, not just register and put ads. With its Partner Care Program, Adsterra helps publishers enhance their money-making skills.
Is Google an ad network?
Google itself is not an ad network but the popular search engine we use. Google AdSense is the ad network and the world’s most popular one, with hundreds of thousands of users. AdSense offers a simple way to earn money by displaying ads next to your website’s content.
Which ad network pays the best?
How much you can earn from your site or app depends greatly on your traffic and audience. For example, sites with visitors mostly from the U.S. will earn more than those with traffic from GEOs with fewer advertisers competing for traffic. However, some ad networks are known to pay more than others, e.g., Adsterra, Dianomi, and Media.net.
Which ad network is the best for publishers?
As we’ve mentioned, there’s no one “best” ad network for publishers. Rather, some ad networks serve some categories of publishers better than others. Yet, we recommend Adsterra because you don’t need a large audience to monetize your content with it. You can start small and earn more revenue as you grow.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of ad networks to choose from, and picking a suitable one can be a headache. We’ve mentioned factors you must consider to select the best network, such as its reputation, supported ad formats, size, and payment terms. We also took the time to compile a list of some of the best ad networks as of 2023. You’re free to make any choice, but we’ll recommend Adsterra because of its high quality of advertisers and support for many ad formats.
