Best Ad Networks for Publishers in 2026: 8 Compared

What are the best ad networks for publishers in 2026?

The best ad network for publishers depends on your traffic. For new and small sites, Google AdSense is the usual starting point, with Monetag (the publisher side of PropellerAds) and Adsterra as options that state no strict traffic minimum. Growing sites with mostly US, UK, Canadian, or Australian readers can apply to Journey by Mediavine (1,000 Tier 1 sessions in 30 days) or Monumetric’s Propel program. Established sites can aim for Raptive (25,000 monthly page views) and Mediavine ($5,000 in annual ad revenue), and Ezoic now asks for 250,000 monthly users.

Every requirement and payment term below comes from each network’s own pages, checked on November 4, 2026. Networks change these often, so check again on the day you apply.

How to compare ad networks

Revenue per thousand visits (RPM) is what you care about, but no network can promise it for your site, and published RPM claims rarely transfer. Compare the things you can check instead:

• Entry requirements. Traffic minimums, where your visitors come from, content rules, and platform.
• Formats. Display, native, and video sit well on content sites. Popunders, push, and interstitial formats can earn on any traffic but are more intrusive.
• Payment threshold and timing. A low threshold paid late can be worse for cash flow than a higher threshold paid on time.
• Control and service. Managed networks place ads for you; self-serve networks give you code and leave the layout to you.

If the basics are new, What is an ad network? explains how networks buy and sell your inventory, and What is header bidding? covers the auction tech the managed networks use.

Ad network comparison table (checked on November 4, 2026)

Payment threshold here means the smallest balance the network pays out. Where a page did not state a figure, we say so instead of repeating third-party numbers.

The ad networks, one by one

Google AdSense

AdSense is the default first network because it has no published traffic minimum. Google’s eligibility page asks that applicants be at least 18, that content be “high-quality, original, and attract an audience”, and that the site follow the program policies. Google pays once your balance reaches the payment threshold ($100 in USD), and its payment timeline says payments are issued between the 21st and the 26th of the month. Fits: almost any new content site. Limits: earnings on small or lower-paying traffic can be low; How much does AdSense pay? explains why, and AdSense not approved? covers rejections.

Journey by Mediavine and Mediavine

Mediavine runs two programs. Its requirements page says Journey needs 1,000 sessions from Tier 1 countries (including the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia) within a 30-day period, while the full Mediavine program needs a minimum of $5,000 in annual ad revenue, clean human traffic, and good standing with Google AdSense and AdExchange. Mediavine’s payment FAQ says it pays on Net 65 terms, so money for one month arrives more than two months later. Fits: food, travel, home, and other lifestyle blogs with search traffic from Tier 1 countries.

Raptive

Raptive (formerly AdThrive) lowered its bar in October 2025 from 100,000 to 25,000 monthly page views. Its creators page lists four requirements: at least 25,000 page views each month, most traffic from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, Google Analytics set up correctly, and 100% original content. Fits: established blogs with a Tier 1 audience that want a managed partner.

Monumetric

Monumetric’s entry tier, Propel, is aimed at smaller sites. Its Propel page describes the program for sites smaller than 80,000 monthly page views (the homepage lists the tier as 10k to 80k), a one-time cost of $99 billed after advertiser approval, ads live within 14 to 45 days, and payment by direct deposit on the 5th and 25th of each month, with the first payment 30 to 60 days after ads go live. Its FAQ says Propel requires a minimum of 6 ads. Fits: small blogs that are below Raptive’s bar and accept a setup fee.

Ezoic

Ezoic used to be known as the network for any size of site, which is no longer true for new sign-ups. Its requirements article says sites are “generally required to have 250,000+ monthly active users”, that new sites added after February 19, 2026 must meet that bar, and that smaller sites may apply to the Incubator program. Ezoic’s Incubator page says it selects 20 sites or apps each month. Fits: large sites, or growing sites accepted to the Incubator. Ezoic alternatives lists options for sites below the new bar.

Media.net

Media.net’s publisher page describes display, native, and video demand, a fully managed Prebid header bidding platform, and a vertical video product, but publishes no traffic requirement or payment terms; it asks publishers to get in touch. Fits: content-rich sites with enough scale to talk to a sales team. Ask for the requirements and payment terms in writing before you sign.

Monetag (formerly the PropellerAds publisher side)

The PropellerAds publishers page now redirects to Monetag, which the site says is operated by Propeller Ads Ltd. Monetag lists popunder, push, vignette banner, in-page push, and SmartLink formats, says it has “no strict minimum traffic requirements, no minimum pageviews, and no niche restrictions”, and sets the minimum payout by method, from $5 for PayPal, Skrill, and WebMoney. Its FAQ says payments are processed automatically biweekly, while the homepage mentions weekly payouts, so confirm the schedule in your account. Fits: sites with worldwide traffic that premium networks will not take, as long as you accept more intrusive formats. PropellerAds alternatives compares similar networks.

Adsterra

Adsterra’s publisher payout post (June 26, 2026) says there are no minimum traffic requirements, that bot or incentivized traffic is prohibited, and lists popunders, banners, native banners, Social Bar, and Smartlink. Its help center lists minimum payouts of $5 for Paxum and WebMoney, $25 for PayPal, and $1,000 for wire transfer, with payouts twice a month (the 1st to 2nd and 16th to 17th) after a two-week hold. Fits: small sites and worldwide traffic. Adsterra alternatives covers the competition.

Which ad network fits your site

Order matters more than picking one winner. A sensible path for a content site:

1. Under about 1,000 monthly sessions: apply to AdSense, focus on content, and consider affiliate links on pages with buying intent. How to monetize a low-traffic website covers the options.
2. Steady Tier 1 search traffic: apply to Journey by Mediavine once you reach 1,000 Tier 1 sessions in 30 days, or to Monumetric Propel if you prefer its model.
3. 25,000 monthly page views, mostly Tier 1: apply to Raptive, and compare with Mediavine once you reach $5,000 in annual ad revenue.
4. Mostly Tier 2 and 3 traffic: premium managed networks will usually not fit. AdSense, Monetag, and Adsterra accept worldwide traffic; test one format at a time and watch bounce rate.
5. 250,000+ monthly users: you can add Ezoic and talk to Media.net, and compare offers against your current managed partner.

A different model: pay-per-result offerwalls

Everything above sells impressions or clicks on pages read by visitors. Some sites have a different asset: logged-in users who collect points, coins, or levels, such as rewards sites, browser games, tool sites with accounts, and communities. For them, an offerwall can earn alongside or instead of display ads. Users choose to complete an offer, such as trying an app or finishing a survey, they receive your currency, and you earn per confirmed result, not per impression.

Moonetix is one option of this kind: a pay-per-result affiliate network whose publishers add an offerwall so users earn the publisher’s own currency. It is not a display ad network and does not replace one on a blog, news site, or recipe site read by anonymous one-time visitors, because those readers have no account to credit. It fits when users sign in and have a reason to earn. AdSense alternatives compares this and seven other models, and How to monetize a website without AdSense shows how to test one model at a time against your ad baseline.

How to add Moonetix to your site

If your site has user accounts and a points balance, this is how you would add Moonetix next to your ads.

1. Apply as a publisher at moonetix.com. Every application is reviewed by hand, and once approved, sites you add are live right away.
2. Add your site in the dashboard and set the currency name, icon, conversion rate, user split, and wall design.
3. Build the signed offerwall link or iframe on your server for a signed-in earn page, as in the offerwall link docs, or add the floating Earn button. On WordPress, follow How to add an offerwall to WordPress.
4. Credit points only on your server from the signed postback, and remove them on a reversal.
5. Test before launch, keep display ads off the earn page, and compare earnings per 1,000 visits with the eCPM calculator.

Frequently asked questions