As a publisher, your content is gold. But how do you monetize it without disrupting the user experience? Well, the answer to this lies in the native ad networks.
In the current scenario, publishers are constantly on the lookout for the most effective ways to monetize their content. Let me introduce you to native advertising — a game-changer that seamlessly integrates sponsored content into websites, making ads less intrusive and more engaging.
By keeping these whopping stats in mind, let's get started with this comprehensive guide on the best native ad networks for publishers and discover how you can increase your revenue with advanced, affordable, and straightforward solutions.
What is a Native Ad Network?
Native ad networks are platforms that facilitate the distribution of native advertisements, a type of paid advertising that mixes with the surrounding content, providing a non-disruptive and engaging experience for users. These networks connect advertisers with publishers, allowing them to display native ads on various websites, social media platforms, and news feeds.
Native ads are designed to match the look, feel, and function of the media format where they appear, ensuring that they fit “natively” and do not interrupt the user's online experience. This approach results in higher engagement rates and better overall performance compared to traditional display ads.
Key Benefits of Native Ad Networks for Advertisers and Publishers
- Improved user experience
- Higher engagement rates
- Better targeting
- Cost-effectiveness
18 Best Native Ad Networks
Native advertising has become a popular and effective way for publishers to monetize their content. These ads blend in with the content on websites and apps, offering a non-intrusive and engaging user experience.
| Ad Network | Trustpilot Rating | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Taboola | 3.4 🌟 | User-friendly platform, high user engagement |
| Outbrain | 3.1 🌟 | Customizable content based on geo, keywords, etc. |
| RevContent | 4.2 🌟 | Effective in reaching target audiences |
| Adsterra | 4.4 🌟 | High monetization rates, easy-to-use platform |
| Yahoo Native | N/A | Emphasis on mobile, native, and search engine marketing |
| MGID | 4.8 🌟 | Best for native advertising, easy-to-use UI |
| Google AdSense | 4.6 🌟 | Monetization of websites and blogs, quality content |
| Adcash | 4.0 🌟 | Affordable ad platform |
| Infolinks | 3.4 🌟 | Non-obtrusive, effective contextual ads |
| PropellerAds | 3.3 🌟 | High-quality push and pop traffic |
| 1.5 🌟 | Offers features like lookalike audience | |
| Bidvertiser | 2.3 🌟 | Access to display ads, XML feeds, and slider options. |
| Adblade | 3.2 🌟 | Reach of over 300 million users in the US alone |
| Smaato | N/A | Adblade |
| Raptive | N/A | Reach of over 188 million users per month |
| AppLovin | 2.5 🌟 | Reach to over 2 billion mobiles and 140k apps |
| OpenX | 3.5 🌟 | More than 300 billion impressions per month |
| SmartyAds | 3.5 🌟 | Offers full-stack programmatic infrastructure |
To help publishers choose the right native ad network, we have compiled a list of top networks based on their performance, reach, and features. This will make it easier for publishers to select the best native ad network for their specific needs.
Let’s get started!!
#1 Taboola
Taboola is the world's leading native advertising platform, helping publishers and advertisers reach their marketing objectives by connecting them with over 1.4 billion unique users per month across 10,000+ premium publishers and brands.
With its advanced targeting options, user-friendly interface, and wide range of ad formats, Taboola has become a go-to solution for many businesses looking to enhance their online presence and reach new audiences.
The platform analyzes data from roughly 75 million clicks across 50 billion impressions, providing valuable insights for advertisers to build data-backed campaigns that resonate with their audiences.
Key Features of Taboola
- Taboola offers a variety of targeting options, allowing advertisers to reach their desired audience more effectively.
- The platform provides an intuitive interface that makes it easy for advertisers to manage their campaigns.
- Taboola supports various ad formats, including native ads, in-feed video sponsorships, and content recommendations.
- Publishers can use Taboola to monetize their content across different platforms, ensuring they keep their audiences engaged and coming back for more.
- Taboola helps publishers and advertisers build new audiences by connecting them with relevant content and users.
#2 Outbrain
Outbrain is a prominent native advertising platform, trusted by top publishers such as BBC and The Guardian. The platform enables publishers to access leading demand-side platforms (DSPs) through programmatic native ad demand, catering to over 290 million native stories delivered each month and reaching 1.3 billion people worldwide. Outbrain's extensive network of premium publisher partners ensures that advertisers can reach high-quality audiences and achieve their marketing goals.
Key Features
- Outbrain reaches 1.3 billion people worldwide across 55+ countries, delivering 290 million native stories each month.
- The platform partners with leading news, sports, and entertainment websites, ensuring advertisers can reach premium audiences.
- Outbrain provides various targeting options, including location-based, device type, operating system, browsers, interests, and advanced audience targeting.
- Outbrain supports multiple ad formats, allowing publishers to create engaging and non-intrusive native ads.
- The platform offers real-time data views, enabling publishers to monitor campaign performance and make adjustments as needed.
#3 RevContent
RevContent is a rapidly expanding native advertising network, known for its high-quality traffic and stringent publisher requirements. The platform is used by over 2,000 websites, including well-known publishers such as Next Star Digital and Forbes.
RevContent delivers 250 billion content recommendations per month and requires publishers to have at least 50,000 monthly visits to qualify for hosting its widgets. This selection process ensures that advertisers can access premium audiences from “Tier 1 countries” like the US, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK.
Key Features
- RevContent prides itself on providing high-quality traffic by rejecting 98% of applicant publishers, ensuring advertisers can have access to premium audiences.
- The platform supports various ad formats, including Native, Video, and Display ads, which can appear in different placements on leading media websites.
- RevContent offers diverse targeting options, including geo-targeting, device, demographic data, income, and more.
- Publishers can monitor their website performance in real time and optimize their content using the platform's sophisticated reporting tools.
- RevContent claims to generate 20%-40% higher CPM rates than competing native advertising companies due to its innovative monetization technologies and high service standards.
#4 Adsterra
Adsterra is a leading native advertising network, serving over 30 billion ad impressions per month worldwide, with 70% of its traffic coming from mobile devices. The platform partners with more than 18,000 publishers, providing a diverse range of ad formats and advanced targeting options to help publishers monetize their content and drive traffic. Adsterra's key features include AdBlock-resistant native ads, a wide range of ad formats, high-quality traffic, an automated self-serve platform, and real-time stats and analytics.
Key Features
- Adsterra's native ads are resistant to AdBlock, ensuring that publishers can still display ads and generate revenue even when users have ad-blocking software installed.
- The platform supports various ad formats, including display banners, native ads, in-page push notifications, and more, catering to different campaign goals and publisher requirements.
- Adsterra focuses on delivering high-quality traffic to advertisers, partnering with reputable publishers, and implementing strict security measures to prevent fraud.
- The platform offers an intuitive self-serve platform, making it easy for publishers to manage their campaigns and optimize their ad performance.
- Adsterra provides detailed performance statistics and a comprehensive reporting system, allowing publishers to track their campaign's performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their results.
#5 Yahoo Native
Yahoo Native, formerly known as Yahoo Gemini, is a well-established native advertising platform that enables advertisers to reach highly relevant audiences across Yahoo's extensive network of properties, including AOL, HuffPost, Yahoo Entertainment, and Yahoo News. The platform serves ads to over 500 million users worldwide, offering a wide range of targeting options and ad formats to help publishers monetize their content and drive traffic.
Key Features
- Yahoo Native is the first unified marketplace for mobile search and native advertising, providing an excellent experience for advertisers and publishers.
- The platform supports various native ad formats, including image units, carousel ads, and video ads, allowing publishers to create engaging native ads.
- Yahoo Native offers a variety of targeting options, such as location, device, demographic data, and interests, helping advertisers reach their desired audience more effectively.
- The platform provides real-time performance statistics and a comprehensive reporting system, enabling publishers to monitor their campaigns' performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their results.
- Yahoo Native has exclusive advertising partnerships with well-known websites like CNBC, NBC News, and Insider, ensuring high quality leads.
#6 MGID
MGID is a global award-winning native advertising platform that helps publishers retain audiences and monetize traffic while driving performance and awareness for brands. With a reach of over 850 million users and 185 billion monthly content recommendations, MGID's extensive publisher network includes well-known partners such as the International Business Times, Newsweek, and Publishing Clearing House. The platform offers a variety of native ad formats, including smart, in-content, and sidebar widgets, as well as native video formats for highly engaging content.
Key Features
- MGID reaches over 850 million users worldwide, delivering 185 billion monthly content recommendations through its vast publisher network.
- The platform supports various native ad formats, including smart, in-content, and sidebar widgets, as well as native video formats for engaging content.
- MGID offers diverse targeting options, allowing advertisers to reach their desired audience more effectively.
- Publishers can access real-time performance statistics and a comprehensive reporting system, enabling them to monitor their campaigns' performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their results.
- MGID is known for being more affiliate-friendly compared to other native ad networks, offering more flexibility in terms of compliance policies.
#7 Google Adsense
Google AdSense is a popular native advertising platform that allows publishers to monetize their content with a wide range of ad formats and advanced targeting options. With millions of advertisers and a high number of impressions, Google AdSense is a versatile solution for publishers looking to generate revenue from their content. The platform is known for its easy integration and setup, making it accessible to publishers of all sizes.
Key Features
- Google AdSense serves ads to a vast audience, ensuring that publishers can maximize their ad revenue potential.
- The platform supports various native ad formats, allowing publishers to create engaging and non-intrusive ads that blend easily with their content.
- Google AdSense is known for its straightforward integration process, making it accessible to publishers of all sizes.
- The platform offers a variety of targeting options, such as location, device, demographic data, and interests, helping advertisers reach their desired audience more effectively.
- Google AdSense provides real-time performance statistics and a comprehensive reporting system, enabling publishers to monitor their campaigns' performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their results.
#8 Adcash
Adcash is a fully transparent self-service DSP that has been dominating the market since 2007. The platform is an excellent choice for publishers looking to monetize their content through native advertising, as it offers a wide range of ad formats and advanced targeting options. With connections to top SSPs and exclusive publishers, Adcash serves ads to a vast audience, ensuring that publishers can maximize their ad revenue potential.
Key Features
- Adcash supports various native ad formats, including in-page push ads, native ads, pop-unders, interstitials, and banner ads, catering to different campaign goals and publisher requirements.
- The platform offers granular targeting capabilities, enabling advertisers to tailor their ads and reach a quality audience more effectively.
- Adcash provides real-time performance statistics and a comprehensive reporting system, allowing publishers to monitor their campaigns' performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their results.
- With connections to top SSPs and exclusive publishers, Adcash serves ads to a vast audience, ensuring that publishers can maximize their ad revenue potential.
- Adcash is known for its straightforward integration process, making it accessible for publishers of all sizes.
#9 Infolinks
Infolinks is a global advertising platform that offers innovative ad solutions to publishers while maintaining the look and feel of their websites. Supporting over 350,000 websites in 128 countries, Infolinks' In³ technology powers the third-largest publisher marketplace in the world. The platform focuses on contextually relevant ads and provides a variety of native ad formats, including in-text, in-frame, and in-screen ads, to help publishers monetize their content effectively.
Key Features
- Infolinks serves ads to 240 million monthly unique users, generating 1.5 billion monthly ad views across its extensive publisher network.
- Infolinks supports various native ad formats, such as in-text, in-frame, and in-screen ads, allowing publishers to create non-intrusive ads that mixes with their content.
- The platform's in-house algorithm is designed to match advertisers with the right audience while maintaining optimal profit for publishers.
- Infolinks is known for its effortless integration process with no setup fees, making it accessible for publishers of all sizes.
- Publishers can access real-time performance statistics and a comprehensive reporting system, enabling them to monitor their campaigns' performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their results.
#10 PropellerAds
PropellerAds has established itself as a leading native ad network, ranking at #10 among the top native ad networks for publishers. With over 120,370 ad impressions per second worldwide and a monthly audience of over 1 billion, PropellerAds offers an extensive platform for user acquisition and performance marketing. Catering to publishers, this ad network focuses on delivering high-quality traffic, advanced targeting options, and flexible ad formats.
Key Features
- PropellerAds allows publishers to target users based on various factors, ensuring that ads reach the most relevant audience.
- The platform is known for its easy-to-use interface, making it simple for publishers to manage their ad campaigns.
- PropellerAds is committed to providing high-quality traffic, with 97% of their partners naming traffic quality as their top advantage.
- The network offers a range of ad formats, including Onclick, Push, and Interstitial, allowing publishers to choose the best format for their campaigns.
#11 Facebook
Facebook ranks at #11 among the top native ad networks for publishers, offering a powerful platform for user acquisition and performance marketing. As part of the Facebook Audience Network, native ads on Facebook reach a vast audience and integrate with the platform's content, providing an engaging and non-intrusive advertising experience.
Facebook is a top choice for publishers seeking to monetize their content through native advertising. With its wide audience reach, customizable ad experience, high engagement rates, and detailed targeting options, Facebook can help publishers maximize their ad revenue and effectively reach their target audience.
Key Features
- Facebook's native ads reach a massive audience, making it an attractive option for publishers looking to expand their market reach.
- Facebook's native ads allow publishers to tailor different elements of their ad placements to match the look and feel of their app or website, ensuring a on the go integration with the existing content.
- Native ads on Facebook are known for their high engagement rates, as they blend in with the platform's content and avoid interrupting the user experience.
- Facebook offers advanced targeting options, enabling publishers to reach their specific audience and drive better results from their ad campaigns.
#12 Bidvertiser
Bidvertiser ranks at #12 among the top native ad networks for publishers, offering a powerful platform for user acquisition and performance marketing. Established in 2002, Bidvertiser has served more than 80,000 publishers and advertisers globally, focusing on banners, pop-under, and slider advertising for both desktop and mobile devices. The company's ad server optimizes each ad for maximum revenue in real time, providing a mix of CPC, CPM, and CPA revenue for publishers.
Key Features
- Bidvertiser supports multiple ad formats, including display ads, pop-under ads, XML feeds, and slider ads for both desktop and mobile devices.
- The proprietary ad server optimizes each ad for maximum revenue in real-time, ensuring publishers get the best possible earnings from their ad placements.
- Advertisers can place bids on ad placements, with the highest bidder's ads being chosen for display on publishers' websites.
- Bidvertiser does not impose strict traffic requirements for publishers, making it accessible for small-to-mid websites.
#13 AdBlade
AdBlade ranks at #13 among the top native ad networks for publishers. Established in 2008, AdBlade reaches over 300 million unique users each month in the US, focusing on delivering high-quality content-style native ads. The company's proprietary NewsBullets® Ad Format ensures that ads integrate easily with the content on premium national and local sites, offering an engaging and non-intrusive advertising experience.
Key Features
- AdBlade reaches over 300 million unique users each month in the US, providing publishers with a vast audience for their ads.
- AdBlade is known for its high-quality content-style native ads while making sure that you get access to integrating with the publishers' websites.
- Access to Proprietary NewsBullets® Ad Format, AdBlade's unique ad format allows for a non-intrusive advertising experience, blending in with the content on premium sites.
- Advertisers trust AdBlade to deliver targeted and qualified traffic, making sure that ads reach the most relevant audience.
#14 Smaato
Smaato ranks at #14 among the top native ad networks for publishers, while offering great features for publishers and advertisers globally. With a focus on delivering high engagement rates and better user experience, Smaato's native ad placements tend to deliver higher eCPMs. The company's innovative native ad formats integrate with the content on publishers' websites and apps, creating a non-intrusive and engaging advertising experience.
Key Features
- Smaato's native placements are completely omnichannel, allowing publishers to reach audiences around the world and on any device.
- Native ads on Smaato boast high engagement rates, as users are more willing to interact with the ad content.
- Smaato offers various native ad formats, including native video and native rich media, which blend naturally into the content of the app or website.
- Publishers can benefit from higher eCPMs with Smaato's native advertising placements, as they tend to come with high engagement rates and impressions.
#15 Raptive
Raptive, ranking at #15 among the top native ad networks for publishers, provides a powerful platform for user acquisition and performance marketing. As a strategic partner for over 3,500 publishers, Raptive reaches 188 million unique visitors per month through its creators' websites. The company focuses on delivering high-quality ads and expert advice, smarter strategies, ad management, and tailored solutions for publishers.
Key Features
- Raptive reaches 188 million unique visitors per month, providing publishers with a vast audience for their ads.
- Raptive works hand-in-hand with publishers, offering expert advice, smarter strategies, ad management, and tailored solutions.
- Raptive offers exclusive and custom ads, payment guarantees, content solutions, and turnkey sponsorships, catering to publishers' diverse needs.
#16 AppLovin
AppLovin ranks at #16 among the top native ad networks for publishers which offers the best reachability using apps. AppLovin's proprietary technology and software solutions optimize app monetization, empower data-driven marketing, and ensure profitable growth. The company reaches over 140,000 mobile apps and 2 billion mobile and CTV devices, offering a vast audience for publishers.
Key Features
- AppLovin reaches over 140,000 mobile apps and 2 billion mobile and CTV devices, providing publishers with a vast audience for their ads.
- AppLovin's proprietary technology optimizes app monetization, empowers data-driven marketing, and ensures profitable growth for publishers.
- AppLovin's platform uses machine learning to optimize monetization, empowering data-driven decisions and looking toward profitable growth.
#17 OpenX
OpenX ranks at #17 among the top native ad networks for publishers. OpenX serves more than 300 billion ad impressions monthly and has a community of over 35,000 publishers powering more than 150,000 websites across the Internet.
Key Features
- OpenX reaches over 300 billion ad impressions monthly, providing publishers with a vast audience for their ads.
- OpenX supports various ad formats, including native ads, allowing for a non-intrusive advertising experience.
- OpenX's platform uses machine learning to optimize monetization, empowering data-driven decisions and ensuring profitable growth.
#18 SmartyAds
SmartyAds ranks at #18 among the top native ad networks for publishers, providing a powerful platform for user acquisition and performance marketing. Serving over 1.5 billion unique monthly impressions, SmartyAds offers a full-stack programmatic infrastructure, including a demand-side platform (DSP), a supply-side platform (SSP), and an ad exchange.
Key Features
- SmartyAds reaches over 1.5 billion unique monthly impressions, providing publishers with a vast audience for their ads.
- SmartyAds offers a complete programmatic ecosystem, including a DSP, SSP, and ad exchange, catering to both advertisers and publishers.
- SmartyAds supports various ad formats, including native ads, banner ads, video ads, rewards, and more, allowing for a non-intrusive advertising experience.
Now that we have covered all the major aspects and the networks that align well with our list of top native ad networks, it's time that we explore some of the related topics that can help increase your overall revenue while streamlining your business operations.
For now, let’s have a complete overview of why native advertising is better for publishers and how one can completely utilize it in order to make things better for businesses.
Benefits of Native Advertising for Publishers
Native advertising has become increasingly popular among publishers due to its ability to blend with the surrounding content, providing a non-disruptive and engaging experience for users. Here are some key benefits of native advertising for publishers:
- Higher engagement rates: Native ads generate higher engagement rates compared to traditional display ads, as they are more relevant, useful, and interesting to the audience. They do not interrupt or distract from the user's online experience, making them more appealing to users.
- Increased revenue: As native ads tend to render higher engagement from content viewers, they drive higher CPMs and revenue for publishers. The demand for native inventory increases as advertisers see the value in this format, leading to more opportunities for publishers to monetize their content.
- Flexibility and creativity: Native advertising offers more flexibility and creativity than standard banner ads. Publishers can tailor native ads to fit the style, tone, and format of their platform, ensuring that the ads match the needs and expectations of their audience.
- Trust and credibility: Native ads can leverage the trust and credibility of the platform where they appear. By blending seamlessly with the surrounding content, native ads can benefit from the established reputation of the publisher, making them more appealing to users.
- Alternative to traditional ad platforms: Native advertising works as a proven alternative to Facebook, Google, and other ad platforms. This allows publishers to diversify their revenue streams and reach a wider audience across different traffic sources.
- Long-term cost-effectiveness: Native campaigns running for more than six months have a 36.4% lower average CPC than campaigns running for six months or less. This makes native advertising a more cost-effective option for publishers in the long run.
- Adaptability to various platforms: Native ads are useful for publishers and advertisers on any mobile phone or desktop, and almost any social media platform or app. This adaptability allows publishers to reach a wider audience and maximize their advertising revenue.
Overall, native advertising offers numerous benefits for publishers, including higher engagement rates, increased revenue, flexibility, trust, and adaptability to various platforms. By incorporating native ads into their advertising strategy, publishers can provide a more engaging experience for their users while maximizing their revenue potential.
Now that we just had an overview of how native advertising can rock a publisher's world, it's time that we consider the advertiser's perspective as well.
Best Practices for Designing Native Ads
Designing effective native ads requires a thoughtful approach to ensure they blend greatly with the surrounding content and engage the target audience. Here are some best practices for marketers to consider when designing native ads:
- Be authentic and non-disruptive: Create native ads that match the look, feel, and function of the platform they appear on, without disrupting the user experience. The goal is to provide valuable and relevant content that naturally fits within the context of the surrounding content.
- Focus on the user experience: Design native ads that are visually appealing and easy to read, with clear messaging and a strong call-to-action. Ensure that the ad elements are large enough to be visible and legible, and avoid overlapping elements or excessive white space.
- Test different creative formats: Experiment with various ad formats, such as carousel, out-stream, storyboard ads, and in-feed native ads, to determine which format resonates best with your target audience.
- Use high-quality images: Incorporate lifestyle images that are relevant to your target audience and avoid image clutter. High-quality images can help capture the attention of users and increase engagement with your native ads.
- Write compelling headlines and copy: Craft engaging headlines and ad copy that speak directly to your target audience. Keep the messaging concise, clear, and focused on the benefits of your product or service.
- Leverage A/B testing: Test different native ad styles, fonts, colors, layouts, and other elements to determine which combinations perform best. Use the insights gained from A/B testing to optimize your native ad campaigns and improve their overall performance.
- Follow guidelines and regulations: Ensure that your native ads comply with industry guidelines and regulations, such as the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines for native advertising. This includes clearly disclosing that the content is sponsored or paid for by an advertiser, and avoiding deceptive or misleading practices.
Epilogue on Native Ad Networks
After covering some of the best native ad networks in the game, it’s time to wrap up this article. Well, the native ad networks that we have listed so far are aligned and sorted across different parameters so that you can get along with the best output for your marketing and business operations.
Native advertising has proven to be an effective and engaging way for publishers and advertisers to reach their target audience. With numerous native ad networks available, it's essential to consider the key factors that will help you choose the right one for your needs.
But before you get along with the process of choosing the right ad network, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself, such as How can marketers optimize their native ad campaigns? Or maybe what are the emerging trends in native advertising?
The choice of the Native Ad Networks can completely depend upon the different parameters your marketing operations might align well with.
Remember, the success of your native advertising campaigns depends on your ability to create engaging content, choose the right platform, and continuously optimize your efforts.
So, are you ready to take your advertising strategy to the next level with native ads?
