Why Use an AdSense Alternative?

There are a handful of disadvantages to Google’s platform that make it unsuitable for certain blog sites. Here are some common and valid reasons to pick a competing ad network over AdSense:

Eligibility Requirements

Many networks, including AdSense, require that applicants hit certain metrics on their website before they can be a partner. If Google won’t authorize your blog for an AdSense account, you’ll need a network with more relaxed approval requirements to get started.

Because of the platform’s rigorous click fraud control, you might also have had your AdSense account disabled. For example, you accidentally placed an ad on a page you shouldn’t have, or you unintentionally clicked one of your own ads. It’s easy to violate the terms of service if you’re not paying attention, and you might need a more forgiving alternative.

Revenue Share

Most ad networks use an automated system to place advertisements in designated areas on your website. When users engage with these ads — for example, by viewing them, clicking them, and/or making a purchase through the ad — you receive a share of the commission, and the rest goes to the network.

With Google AdSense, publishers receive 68% of the revenue generated by ads on their website. This is a competitive rate, but some alternative networks offer an even greater share. You’ll need a top-notch website with steady and high traffic to qualify, but it’s worth it if you make the cut.

Ad Customization

Some ad networks let you tailor the look of your ads to your website’s theme to help them fit in more naturally with your original content. The level of customization varies by service, but many let you adjust the color and sizing of a unit, which is more flexible than AdSense allows.

Minimum Payout

A network’s minimum payout is the minimum amount of earnings you need before you can receive a payment. AdSense’s minimum payout is $100, which is higher compared to some alternatives. If your website is smaller or less established, it could take longer than you’d prefer to reach $100 in earnings. You might be better off partnering with a service that offers a lower minimum payout.

Tailoring for Your Blog

Large ad networks like Google AdSense are built to serve any type of content-heavy site, from blogs to news sites to video publishers and everything in between. If you’re looking for an ad provider that works directly with you and can build a custom-fit solution for your specific blog, it makes sense to seek out an alternative to AdSense.

Additional Revenue Sources

Instead of replacing AdSense, you might want a companion network that runs on your site alongside AdSense, in order to provide an additional source of revenue. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you stay within the AdSense terms of service.

If any of these cases apply to you, there are many worthy alternatives that you can try. Let’s break down the best ones.

1. Media.net: Best for Established Bloggers

Media.net is a leader in contextual advertising. The service is run by Bing and Yahoo and it is widely considered the go-to AdSense alternative for publishers and advertisers. Media.net offers multiple types of display ads and native ads for desktop and mobile, and you can expect to earn around the same from these ads as you would with AdSense.

As with all AdSense alternatives, pay attention to Media.net’s approval requirements. To be accepted, your blog must offer high-quality content and adhere to a clean, professional design. Your traffic source also matters: Media.net requires that the majority of your visitors are located in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

If you’re looking for a service comparable to AdSense in features, quality, and payout rate, Media.net is a great starting point. The minimum payout is $100 via PayPal, and payouts occur monthly.

Best for: Publishers looking for the most comparable service to Google AdSense in payouts and overall experience.

2. PropellerAds: Best for Popunders

PropellerAds is a fast-growing platform that provides monetization opportunities for both new and old blog sites. PropellerAds is known for popunder ads, which load behind the current browser window and appear when this window is closed.

If popunders seem too aggressive for your blog, PropellerAds provides other targeted and non-targeted ad options for desktops, including native ads, banners, and video ads. PropellerAds also serves mobile sites and applications and even offers a push notification ad type for these channels.

PropellerAds is accessible to established sites, but is great for newer blogs too: There’s no minimum requirement for site traffic, your account is activated instantly after creation, and the payout threshold is just $5 through PayPal. These payouts occur monthly.

Best for: Both new and established websites that want to add popunder ads and other non-targeted ads.

3. Monumetric: Best for Mid-Sized Blogs

Monumetric (formerly The Blogger Network) is a blogger-centric advertising network that pays special attention to its content creators and ensures the ads shown on your site are high-quality and appropriate for your readers. They do this in part by talking directly to their customers, and are available for support when you need it.

Monumetric runs a cost-per-impression model instead of a cost-per-click model, meaning you’re paid when visitors see ads on your pages, not when they click them. While earnings from impressions are lower than clicks, Monumetric makes up for this with highly-targeted ads.

Monumetric is also notable for its four monetization programs, which are tiered by monthly pageviews — these increase your level of support as your blog scales. While there is a minimum of 10,000 monthly page views to be approved, this threshold is lower than some other networks on this list, and can be achieved by mid-sized blogs. Also, note that blogs under 80,000 monthly pageviews pay a $99 fee upfront for setup.

Monumetric’s minimum payout is $10 via PayPal or direct deposit.

Best for: Large and medium-sized bloggers who want high-quality, targeted, impression-based ads.

4. Revcontent: Best for High-Traffic Media Sites

Revcontent is a leader in native ads, which are designed to match the look and feel of your blog content. These ads are highly targeted to help them blend in on your site’s pages. Revcontent also offers ads in other formats like display, mobile, and video.

Revcontent has a reputation for exceptional clients on both the publisher and advertiser side. It partners with publishers that are likely to generate a lot of hits on ads, which attracts advertisers who are willing to pay higher commissions.

The catch is that Revcontent is selective, even more so than Google AdSense. To apply successfully, your site needs to report at least 50,000 monthly visitors and generate valuable content regularly. There’s a chance of rejection, but it’s worth a shot for Revcontent’s promise of higher engagement rates. Publishers are paid monthly, and the minimum payout is $50.

Best for: Exceptional content-publishing websites with high traffic, looking for targeted native ads.

5. Adversal: Best for Self-Service Advertisers

Adversal is a self-serve advertising service, which means that publishers purchase and publish ads with the platform without human assistance. With Adversal and other self-service platforms, your ad content and placement is completely up to you, great for those seeking more control over advertising on their websites.

With its easy-to-use interface, Adversal aims to streamline the setup process and get your ads running quickly. You can control your campaigns with just a few clicks, and the platform supports display ads, video ads, and native ads so you can choose the most fitting options.

To be eligible for Adversal, your site must garner at least 50,000 pageviews per month, have its own domain name, and not be restricted by a login. The minimum payout is $20, issued monthly. You can receive payments via wire transfer, PayPal, ACH, or check.

Best for: High-traffic publishers who want to choose their own ads and ad placement.