Programmatic advertising is the use of software and automation to buy and sell digital ad space in real-time. It allows advertisers to reach their target audience across various channels and devices, with greater efficiency, precision, and personalization.
According to Statista, programmatic advertising spending is expected to reach $271 billion by 2025, up from $171 billion in 2021. This shows the growing popularity and importance of programmatic advertising for online marketers.
But how do you choose the best programmatic advertising platform for your needs? There are many factors to consider, such as the types of ad formats, inventory, targeting, optimization, reporting, and pricing.
To help you make an informed decision, we have reviewed and compared the top 5 programmatic advertising platforms to use in 2023.
We will look at their features, benefits, pricing, and pros and cons, and provide a comparison table to summarize the key differences. By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of which platform suits your goals and budget best.
MediaMath
MediaMath is a leading demand-side platform (DSP) that offers a comprehensive solution for programmatic advertising.
It enables advertisers to access premium inventory across display, video, mobile, social, native, audio, and connected TV, and reach over 2 billion unique users worldwide.
MediaMath’s platform uses a proprietary AI technology called Brain, which predicts ad performance and optimal bid prices, and optimizes campaigns in real-time.
It also integrates with various data providers, verification tools, and measurement partners, to ensure quality, transparency, and accountability.
MediaMath’s benefits include:
- Access to high-quality and brand-safe inventory across multiple channels and devices
- Advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities, based on first-party, third-party, and contextual data
- Real-time optimization and bidding, powered by AI and machine learning
- Robust analytics and reporting, with insights into campaign performance, attribution, and ROI
- Flexible and transparent pricing, based on a percentage of media spend or a fixed fee
MediaMath’s pricing is not publicly available, but it is estimated to range from 10% to 15% of media spend, depending on the volume and complexity of the campaigns.
MediaMath also offers a self-service option for smaller advertisers, with a minimum monthly spend of $5,000.
MediaMath’s pros and cons are:
- Pros:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad exchanges
- Ability to create and manage campaigns across multiple channels and formats from a single platform
- Powerful AI and machine learning technology that optimizes campaigns in real-time
- Comprehensive and customizable reporting and analytics tools
- Flexible and transparent pricing models
- Cons:
- Requires a relatively high minimum monthly spend for the self-service option
- May have a steep learning curve for beginners or non-technical users
- May have limited customer support for smaller advertisers
PubMatic
PubMatic is a leading supply-side platform (SSP) that connects publishers and advertisers through a global programmatic marketplace.
It allows publishers to monetize their inventory across display, video, mobile, and native, and optimize their yield and revenue. It also allows advertisers to access premium inventory and reach their target audience with relevant and engaging ads.
PubMatic’s platform leverages a cloud-based infrastructure, big data analytics, and machine learning, to deliver high-performance and scalable solutions.
It also integrates with various third-party platforms and partners, to ensure quality, transparency, and compliance.
PubMatic’s benefits include:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad formats
- Advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities, based on first-party, third-party, and contextual data
- Real-time optimization and bidding, powered by AI and machine learning
- Robust analytics and reporting, with insights into inventory performance, demand, and revenue
- Flexible and transparent pricing, based on a percentage of media spend or a fixed fee
PubMatic’s pricing is not publicly available, but it is estimated to range from 10% to 20% of media spend, depending on the volume and complexity of the campaigns.
PubMatic also offers a self-service option for smaller advertisers, with a minimum monthly spend of $1,000.
PubMatic’s pros and cons are:
- Pros:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad formats
- Ability to create and manage campaigns across multiple channels and formats from a single platform
- Powerful AI and machine learning technology that optimizes campaigns in real-time
- Comprehensive and customizable reporting and analytics tools
- Flexible and transparent pricing models
- Cons:
- Requires a relatively high minimum monthly spend for the self-service option
- May have a steep learning curve for beginners or non-technical users
- May have limited customer support for smaller advertisers
Google Display & Video 360
Google Display & Video 360 is a comprehensive and integrated platform for programmatic advertising, part of the Google Marketing Platform.
It allows advertisers to plan, buy, and measure their campaigns across display, video, mobile, native, audio, and connected TV, and reach over 3 billion unique users worldwide.
Google Display & Video 360’s platform uses Google’s advanced technology and data, to deliver relevant and personalized ads to the right audience, at the right time, and on the right device.
It also integrates with various Google products and services, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, YouTube, and Google Cloud, to provide a seamless and holistic solution.
Google Display & Video 360’s benefits include:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad exchanges, including Google’s own properties and networks
- Advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities, based on first-party, third-party, and contextual data, as well as Google’s unique insights and signals
- Real-time optimization and bidding, powered by Google’s AI and machine learning technology
- Robust analytics and reporting, with insights into campaign performance, attribution, and ROI, as well as cross-channel and cross-device measurement
- Flexible and transparent pricing, based on a percentage of media spend or a fixed fee
Google Display & Video 360’s pricing is not publicly available, but it is estimated to range from 15% to 25% of media spend, depending on the volume and complexity of the campaigns.
Google Display & Video 360 also offers a self-service option for smaller advertisers, with a minimum monthly spend of $2,500.
Google Display & Video 360’s pros and cons are:
- Pros:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad exchanges, including Google’s own properties and networks
- Ability to create and manage campaigns across multiple channels and formats from a single platform
- Powerful AI and machine learning technology that optimizes campaigns in real-time
- Comprehensive and customizable reporting and analytics tools, as well as cross-channel and cross-device measurement
- Flexible and transparent pricing models
- Cons:
- Requires a relatively high minimum monthly spend for the self-service option
- May have a steep learning curve for beginners or non-technical users
- May have limited customer support for smaller advertisers
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is a leading demand-side platform (DSP) that offers a comprehensive solution for programmatic advertising.
It enables advertisers to access premium inventory across display, video, mobile, social, native, audio, and connected TV, and reach over 2.5 billion unique users worldwide.
The Trade Desk’s platform uses a proprietary AI technology called Koa, which predicts ad performance and optimal bid prices, and optimizes campaigns in real-time.
It also integrates with various data providers, verification tools, and measurement partners, to ensure quality, transparency, and accountability.
The Trade Desk’s benefits include:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad exchanges
- Advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities, based on first-party, third-party, and contextual data
- Real-time optimization and bidding, powered by AI and machine learning
- Robust analytics and reporting, with insights into campaign performance, attribution, and ROI
- Flexible and transparent pricing, based on a percentage of media spend or a fixed fee
The Trade Desk’s pricing is not publicly available, but it is estimated to range from 10% to 15% of media spend, depending on the volume and complexity of the campaigns.
The Trade Desk also offers a self-service option for smaller advertisers, with a minimum monthly spend of $5,000.
The Trade Desk’s pros and cons are:
- Pros:
- Access to a large and diverse inventory of premium publishers and ad exchanges
- Ability to create and manage campaigns across multiple channels and formats from a single platform