10 Best Native Ad Networks for Publishers In 2023 (Compared)
Madushan Bandara
- Read Time17 mins
Looking for native ad networks to monetize your website?
Here are the best native ad networks for publishers to consider the right platform.
Native ads are designed to complement the digital medium/content and match natively and effortlessly on the website pages, just like your related content. Native ads, apart from banner/display ads, do not significantly harm the page’s UX.
But I hate some native ad designs because they can be seen as a misleading step to trick viewers into sponsored content. However, good design native ads spread high-quality content of exciting styles. Still, native ads are simply paid content.
For example, premium native ad networks such as Adblade, Dianomi, etc., provide better UX/Performance than others with high-quality content, whereas MGID, Taboola, and Adskeeper’s ad design and quality are too flawed and fraudulent. They deliver stressful scroll ads and make you feel you need to close the web browser immediately.
Personally, native ad networks are not to my taste. If you have a decent website with good traffic, there are multiple ad networks/management services to select from.
You can select Google AdX partners with various bidding options (HB/OP, WF), and they provide high-quality ads at competitive CPM rates. (Mediavine, AdThrive, Ezoic, Monumetric, etc.). To learn other options, read this article: Adsense Alternatives.
Native ads are more than just content recommendations; they include a variety of ad formats like promoted listings, contextual text ads, search ads, In-Feed ads, etc.
There isn’t an ad network that fits all, but I researched the best native ad networks.
Here’s what I found out and what I experienced.
Top Native Ad Networks For Publishers
1. Revcontent
Compared to other native ad networks, RevContent provides some decent native ads, but approval of this network can be tricky. Revcontent delivers some of the most prominent digital marketers, websites, news, etc. You can learn more about Revcontent from this article MonetizePros – Revcontent review for publishers.
I like their ad widgets because if you notice ads from Taboola, MGID, OutBrain, etc. Their ads have a spammy appearance and a never-ending scroll, whereas RevContent ads are less intrusive and take less scrollable space, with all-around targeting options.
Native vs Display Ads: Display ads take the shape of visuals in various forms and sizes. Native ads, on the other hand, are made to fit inside the media and look like articles, text, content grids, etc., and users may not realize they are ads.
Publisher Entry requirements
They accept very few percentage application requests; you must have high-quality traffic channels such as the UK, USA, and so on. And your website requires at least 50k+ hits per month with relevant content. Small publishers can’t enter this ad platform, which has many limits and mostly accepts websites with English content.
Publisher Payments
- Payment Duration: 45 Days
- Payment Methods: ACH Transfer is available for US publishers. Global publishers can use PayPal and wire transfers.
- Minimum Threshold: $100 revenues for PayPal/ACH. And $1,000 for a Wire.
Revcontent supports the CPC and CPM pricing models, and if you have a large number of top-tier traffic, you can get some decent CPM rates; otherwise, it is a little.
Revcontent Ads
According to Revcontent, their ads perform quicker than those of other native ad networks. However, they use the same JS script method to deliver ads, but they use CDN and Lazy load to reduce the impact on page speed. Still have some concerns.
Revcontent primarily provides Native/content recommendations, newsletters, AMP ads, and video ads. Ads aid all devices, mobile/desktop/MAC, geo, and traffic.
Ads examples:
Summary
Native ads are only suitable for specific niches; if your website contains tech and decent content, not just Revcontent, all native ads are inappropriate. However, while Revcontent is a fantastic way to monetize your website, approval is more complex.
Compared to similar ad platforms, Revcontent delivers quality content relevant to news, sports, health, plants, etc. They are one of the best native ad networks for publishers.
2. Outbrain
Outbrain is a well-known native ads platform. They have partnered with prominent advertisers like NBC, MSN, Forbes, etc. They are one of those who offer contextual ads and can effectively monetize your website with their publisher platform. Publishers have complete control over Outbrain and can customize ads for the website.
In terms of UX, Outbrain is a decent platform with AI-based ads with some extra features like native video ads, Smartfeed, mobile ad networks, etc.
Outbrain’s native ads allow publishers to monetize their web pages by serving in-feed, text, content recommendations, widgets, sidebars, and other flexible formats. However, their video ads that are not UX-friendly can even harm page speed.
Publisher requirements
Outbrain claims to work with high-quality publishers of all sizes. In addition to English, they accept a few other languages like French, Japanese, Spanish, etc.
No mention of specific traffic requirements, but their approval process can be difficult because they require high-quality organic traffic in their advertiser-specific niche, and many small publishers cannot work with Outbrain. Also, they primarily take the news, entertainment, sports, fashion, lifestyle, health, and finance niches.
Outbrain Payments
Payment terms are usually Net 60 but can be Net 90. The minimum payment limit is $50, and payments can be made via wire transfer or PayPal. Outbrain primarily operates as a CPC network but provides minor CPM rates and fewer revenues.
Outbrain Ads
Outbrain is the leading native ad network, providing only native ads in various formats. The finest feature is Smartfeed. They now operate Contextual Ads. Native ads especially impact page speed because they use various multimedia effects; outbrain is no different. They use lazy load, CDN, and other ways to avoid the result, but it can still be a crash.
Outbrain ad examples:
Outline
Outbrain is one of the world’s largest native advertising platforms, working with major advertisers and reputable publishers. However, their ads are not user-friendly.
Outbrain also serves as an ad exchange for programmatic advertising; you can access Outbrain through third-party platforms such as Ezoic, Publift, Optad360, etc.
3. Adblade
Adblade is not suitable for small publishers. It is a cutting-edge content-style ad platform that only works with high-end publishers. Adblade, like Outbrain/Revcontent, seems to focus on native ads. Adblade ads attract me. Because the ads are highly relevant to the site’s niche, there are no scroll ads. Simply user-friendly content.
Traffic requirements
Adblade only works if your site receives at least 500K page views per month. And need more traffics from US, UK, Europe, etc. It is tough to get approval for Asian/African traffic. Adblade is strict about publishers, only getting a tiny percentage. If your site fulfills Adblade’s criteria, they will connect you to the following stages.
Payments
Adblade pays after 30 days. You can get paid by check or direct deposit. The bare minimum is $100. No multiple payment options, only bank transfers.
Adblade provides CPM /CPC strategies. They only accept premium publishers, so the minimum threshold is irrelevant, and offer reasonable CPM/C rates to publishers.
Adblade Ads
When compared to other native ad networks, Adblade offers some quality ads. Adblade uses interest, geo, and re-targeting to reach users. They may occasionally show unrelated ads on your website, but most are UX-friendly, and you have control over them.
Here is an example:
Adblade is a good network that usually performs well with top-tier traffic in any niche. Suppose you have a high-quality website and want to keep your UX in good condition and meet the Adblade requirements. Give Adblade first priority.
4. Taboola
Taboola is the world’s largest native advertising network, working with high-end advertisers and publishers. They use a CPC model, but their ads appear highly spammy.
Taboola never accepts small publishers; you must have high traffic to work with them. They display ads based on cookies/activity. Read this Taboola review for more details.
Taboola Publisher Requirements
Taboola didn’t specify any traffic requirements, but if you have all traffic from the U.s, U.k., Canada, Australia, and Nz, etc. Any niche can get approval with 100K+ monthly hits. However, they typically accept 500K+ monthly page hits sites with other regions and have little concern for content. But you must have an attractive website with suitable niches.
Payments
Taboola payment terms are 45 days, so if you started in February, payment could be issued Net 45 after (April 15th). They only accept Payoneer as a payment method, which is fine with me but may concern others who use PayPal or similar services. They did not specify a minimum threshold, but when I asked some publishers, they told me $100.
Taboola Ads
Taboola does not have multiple ad formats. They primarily offer recommendations and sponsored videos. I hate their ads with endless scrolling and spammy appearances.
Also, Taboola video native ads can significantly impact page speed and core web vital. Nevertheless, you can customize ad units, including columns, width, size, etc.
Consider the following examples.
Sum Up
Yes, Taboola is used by many popular websites like news, sports, entertainment, and so on. And they accept many languages other than English, but you must have a high-traffic website to join the Taboola network. They even provide ad exchanges to third parties.
But I’m not a fan of Taboola’s never-ending native ads.
5. MGID
MGID is a famous native ad network that works with advertisers and medium/large publishers. However, revenue can be low compared to other networks, and the average CPC/CPM is very little. Also, MGID ads are of poor quality and too cluttered.
They even display nudity ads, and I hate MGID’s never-ending scroll ads.
Requirements
MGID works with most niches and languages, but the traffic requirement is 90,000+ hits per month. However, they reject websites with illegal content, pornographic, torrents, etc. If you have a website niche like gossip, news, movies, sports, and other common types with that requirement, you can apply to MGID, and they will respond ASAP.
Payments
- Payment Schedule: NET 30
- Payment Methods: PayPal, Tipalti, Payoneer, Paymaster24, and Wire
- Minimum Threshold: $50 – Paymaster24, $100 – P/P/T, $1000 – Wire
Like most others, they provide a 30-day payment schedule and offer several payment options. However, the lowest payment depends on your payment method.
MGID Ads
MGID only offers native ads but has various formats like in-article, widgets, sidebar, header, footer, etc. However, if you have a decent website niche, like tech, tutorial, etc., I never recommend MGID, highly spammy, or even native ads. And they show a lot of adult and video content, so your website UX and page speed will be harmed.
MGID ads:
Outline
Of course, MGID works well with some niches, audiences, and geographies, but it typically has low earning potential and requires more clicks to generate revenue.
And MGID ads are not user-friendly and look terrible with poor content. MGID was structured for the beginner and is simple to use. If you have a crap website, give it a shot.
6. H12 Media
Most native ad networks target medium and high-traffic websites, but H12 Media lets small publishers join their network, which is why it is included on this list. H12 is a self-service platform that allows you to handle ads, reports, payments, etc.
H12 is a reseller of others like MGID and is not a good option for a decent website, but if your content is news, gossip, sports, memes, tools, etc. H12 is a good choice for you.
You can promote an aff URL to some with the h12 referral program. When you refer someone, you make 10% of their lifetime revenue. That’s really cool.
Publisher Requirements
H12 Media did not specify any traffic requirements, but you will need some good traffic to get approval. Also, they do not accept websites that do not cater to their advertisers and include fraudulent content such as gambling, betting, nudity, etc. H12 has limits, like only allowing 4/5 ads per page. Avoid using unnatural traffic.
H12 Media Payments
- Payment Term: 30 Days
- Payment Methods: Paypal, Payoneer, Wise, or Bank
- Minimum Threshold: $50
H12 Media primarily uses CPC and has some CPM ads, but you need more natural human clicks to earn because CPM is placed very low.
H12 Media Ads
H12 provides optimized ad units for all devices and styles and adaptable placeholders with lazy load tech. H12 offers Native, Banner, sticky ads, and Video ads. You have complete control over the content, size, and type of ads on your websites. The good news is that they deliver reseller ads in addition to native. Look at this example.
Recap
H12 Media is a decent ad network that offers mostly Banner and Native ads to any niche. They aren’t too concerned with high-quality content. You can apply with some good traffic, even with mixed content. Also, they are a self-serve platform with total control.
7. Adnow
Adnow is a native ad network that works with advertisers/publishers of all sizes. However, I urge something other than Adnow to reputable sites because ads are one of the worst.
I’m only impressed because they accept small publishers; otherwise, look for another platform. Also, they accept websites in any niche/traffic level, but you need good traffic to make a respectable income and not yield as competitors like Revcontent, Outbrain, etc.
Adnow Requirements
Adnow never claims specific traffic requirements and accepts websites in any niche, but you must have some traffic to earn some, and their CPM/CPC rates are ineffective. However, Adnow is designed for beginners, and the process directions are straightforward. However, they do not accept scrap, nude, or scam content.
Payments Details
You can receive payment through Paypal, Wire, ePayments, or Webmoney. The minimum amount is $20, but the wire payment is $200. The good news is that they pay weekly, so you don’t have to wait for 30/45/60, etc.
Adnow Ads
Adnow’s main part is to serve as a native ad network. And they have a few ad types such as widgets, sidebar, infeed, and content recommendations.
The main drawback is that they display ads that need to be more relevant. Moreover, video ads can harm your website’s UX and CWV. Here are some Adnow widget ad examples.
The biggest problem with Adnow is that there are no smart targeting options, content ads, or GEO. They display any ads on your website, regardless of your niche. The good news is that they accept all levels of publishers and offer flexible payment options.
8. Dianomi
Dianomi is a premium native ad platform for specific niches like business, finance, technology, travel, fashion, etc. I’ve never used Dianomi, but I’ve heard good things about it, and I like the quality of their native ads.
Dianomi only works with high-traffic publishers with millions of page views (publisher examples: entrepreneur.com, businessinsider.com, marketwatch.com, etc.). But they do occasionally work with reputable websites with low and medium traffic.
Dianomi accepts websites with visitors from the U.k., the U.s., Canada, and other top-tier nations. I know little about Dianomi’s approval process, payment terms, details, etc.
Dianomi has native ad formats like video, in-article, trail, text, etc.
See these examples:
Dianomi lets you optimize ad placement and uses a learning algorithm to assess, analyze, and improve the quality of ads. You can serve relevant native ads to your audiences. They occasionally work with crypto websites. Read the best crypto ad networks.
9. Google Ads
The largest advertising company in the world, Google, offers a variety of advertising solutions, exchanges, AdSense, etc. Google introduced native ads in the feed and matched content as native ad formats. Google provides native ads like inside articles, in-feed, and multiplex ads. Matched content (Multiplex) serves multiple ads in a single ad unit.
However, matched content has now been renamed as Multiplex ads.
And multiplex ads have the same looks as Google standard ad units but have a slight look of native ads and can be used with any website with high or low traffic.
You can access Multiplex ads on Ad Manager and AdSense. Also, you can use in-feed native ads from AdSense/Admanager account. Multiplex ads can be set at the end of articles, the sidebar, or the feed. But they don’t like native ads like Outbrain, Dianomi, etc.
Can’t compare Multiplex ads to native ads, or Google is not a native ad company like Adblade, Outbrain, or Taboola. You can use ad units as native ad formats and can quickly create a multiplex ads unit on your Adsense account. Here are some examples:
10. Adskeeper
Adskeeper is a CPC native ad network u.k.-based, similar to Mgid. Adskeeper is only a suitable platform for some websites because it displays significant irrelevant content, which is unsuitable for high-quality websites.
Adskeeper starts gambling and betting niches. However, they combine well with others, such as gossip, news, image hosting, memes, and other non-standard niches.
Payments
Adskeeper payments are processed using the NET 30 payment terms. Minimum payouts are determined by the payment method you choose:
- Payoneer: $50
- Paxum: $50
- Paymaster24: $20
- PayPal: $100
- Wire transfer: $1000
They provide multiple payment options, which is excellent, but their CPC rates are low. Don’t ask for CPM rates. I never recommend these types of ad networks with poor UX and low earnings. Try to stick with reputable ad networks free of junk.
Requirements to publishers
Adskeeper does not accept small websites; you must have 3000+ daily page views to be approved. That means you’ll need nearly monthly 100k page views to join Adskeeper. If you have a website with 100k+ PV, there are plenty of ad networks to connect. They do not accept pornographic content but show it in ads.
Adskeeper Ads
Adskeeper ads are among the worst I’ve seen, and many low-quality ads display at low rates. But, they are OK with traffic in the UK, US, and specific niches.
Some ad examples:
If you notice, you can’t find Adskeeper on quality content websites. They use most non-standard websites with low-value content. But they calm benefits like multiple payments and accept sites in any niche; you need just a good traffic website.
Ads always have a significant impact on page performance and user experience. As third-party scripts, advertisements are outside of our control. Along with animation and never-ending scroll ads, native ads maybe be more difficult.
And if you use only Google ads, you can optimize easily, but on multiple ad servers like header biddings, that can be a hardship and an arduous task. But we can only optimize ads partially because they always make things complicated with website speed and metrics.
But if you’re using WordPress, you have many plugins to optimize your ads. (cache plugins and asset optimization plugins). However, I recommend the FlyingPress cache plugin to improve your website with a few tweaks with a better user interface.
Or try the free Litespeed cache plugin.
To Sum It Up
Native ad networks are a fine way to make money (monetize) with your website and promote your content. You can also use content-sharing platforms like ZergNet to get free traffic and monetize your site. Also, due to unknown details and different requirements, I missed many other Native ad networks on this list, such as:
- AdYouLike
- Sharethrough
- EngageYa
- Nativo
- Dable
- Native Ads
- TripleLift
- etc., etc.
Some native ads are good, some are poor, and always prioritize UX over profit and customize to improve the UX of your ads and layouts.
And select a better ad network for your website.
I hope this article provides some helpful info for you.
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