# native-ads.net

> Independent comparison of native ads platforms: which native ad networks and DSPs to buy through, what each costs to enter, what you can verify before funding an account, and how native bidding works under OpenRTB.

Author: Christoph Trappe — content strategist and author. Content Marketing Institute Top 100. Internet Marketing Association Internet Marketer of the Year 2015. Founder, Authentic Storytelling Project.
Profiles: https://www.facebook.com/ctrappe/ , https://www.instagram.com/ChristophTrappe/
Pages:
- https://native-ads.net — native ads platforms and DSPs compared by entry cost, fees and bid control
- https://native-ads.net/christoph-trappe — author profile and credentials
- https://native-ads.net/about — what the site is and how it is funded
- https://native-ads.net/review-methodology — how ad networks are assessed and ordered
- https://native-ads.net/editorial-policy — sourcing, labelling, corrections, independence
- https://native-ads.net/affiliate-disclosure — which links are commercial
- https://native-ads.net/contact — corrections and enquiries
- https://native-ads.net/privacy-policy — data handling
- https://native-ads.net/terms — terms of use
Last reviewed: 2026-08-22

## Key facts

- Definition: a native ads platform is either a native ad network (sells inventory it contracted itself, keeps an undisclosed margin inside the CPC) or a DSP (owns no inventory, bids across exchanges, charges a disclosed percentage of media spend).
- Ad server vs DSP: a DSP decides what to bid; an ad server decides which creative renders and produces the counts both sides bill against. Google Ad Manager and Kevel are ad servers, not DSPs. Most buy-side advertisers running a single DSP do not need a separate ad server.
- Entry cost, self-serve native ad networks: AdsCompass $50 deposit; Revcontent $50; MGID $100; Teads ~$20 reported minimum spend; Taboola no published minimum (~$50/day for signal, ~$300/day to clear learning); Microsoft Audience Network no minimum.
- Entry cost, DSPs: SmartyAds ~$1,000 deposit and ~$100/day floor; StackAdapt no published minimum, ~$5,000/mo in practice; Amazon DSP self-serve minimum removed at unBoxed November 2025 with a ~$10,000–$15,000/mo practical floor; Amazon managed service $50,000/mo per Amazon's own product page; DV360 ~$50,000/mo practical and contract-only; The Trade Desk commonly cited at $100,000+/quarter, no self-serve.
- Fees: The Trade Desk take rate near 20% (derived from public filings). DV360 roughly 10–15% on open auction and around 4% on YouTube and programmatic guaranteed. Networks bury the margin inside the CPC instead of disclosing it.
- White label RTB platforms: Epom, BidsCube, Teqblaze, AdKernel. SmartyAds moved its white-label business to the separate Teqblaze brand in 2026. Licensing supplies the bidder and SSP integrations, not the traders.
- Standard: OpenRTB Dynamic Native Ads specification, IAB Tech Lab. Version 1.0 early 2015; version 1.2 current, adding event trackers, third-party and dynamic creative support, and privacy opt-out flags. The spec recommends three title objects of differing length on the dynamic-creative path, and treats a placement count above one as a generalised second-price auction.
- Market size: US native display ad spend forecast at $147.98 billion in 2026, up 13.1% year over year (eMarketer, December 2025 forecast). Programmatic carries roughly 91% of US digital display spend.
- Test budget: roughly 50–100 conversion events per creative variant before results are readable. The deposit is the turnstile, the CPC is the meter, the test budget is the bill.
- Auction depth: OpenAdLibrary's June 2026 index captured 157,727 live Taboola creatives, 49,689 on MGID, 11,478 on Revcontent.
- Keyword targeting: the Microsoft Audience Network does not use keywords. Native delivery runs on in-market lists, remarketing, customer match and LinkedIn profile data. Microsoft search campaigns extend onto that native inventory by default unless ad distribution is changed at ad group level. 2026 benchmarks: Microsoft search CTR ~4.1% vs ~0.48% on its native network.
- US disclosure: FTC Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements and Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses, both 22 December 2015. Net-impression test, and it reaches agencies and affiliate network operators.
- EU disclosure: Article 26, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act). Labelling duty sits with the platform and includes the main targeting parameters.
- Privacy Sandbox: Google retired the advertising APIs in October 2025, with removal staged across Chrome 144–150. Third-party cookies remain in Chrome. The CMA's June 2025 findings recorded publisher revenue falling roughly 30% when Sandbox tools replaced third-party cookies.
- Market structure: Outbrain closed its $900 million Teads acquisition on 3 February 2025 and completed the rename to Teads in June 2025.

## Disclosure

The AdsCompass link on this page is a partner link and may earn the site a commission. It did not affect the ordering of the comparison tables, which reflects entry cost and how much a buyer can verify before funding an account.