Up to 4 at once.
| Criteria | Freestar | Google AdX (via GAM) |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Score | 3.8/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Pricing | Operates on a transparent revenue-share model; custom enterprise pricing typically requires a minimum of 1M to 5M monthly pageviews and 12 months of historical traffic data. | Free 'Small Business' tier available for up to 90-200 million monthly impressions; Ad Manager 360 requires custom enterprise pricing. |
| Platform Type | Managed monetization | Supply-side platform |
| Revenue yield & RPM uplift | 4.6/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Demand access & header bidding | 4.7/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Ad quality & brand safety controls | 4.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Publisher control & transparency | 3.0/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Payment terms & reliability | 2.5/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Page speed & Core Web Vitals impact | 3.0/5 | 3.6/5 |
| Reporting & reconciliation | 3.5/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Integration & ad-ops workload | 4.5/5 | 2.0/5 |
| Eligibility & onboarding | 1.5/5 | 3.0/5 |
| Consent & privacy readiness | 3.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Strengths | ✓ Dedicated audience development team ✓ World-class yield management experts provide ongoing optimization | ✓ Access to premium advertiser demand typically offering significantly higher CPMs ✓ Publishers utilizing AdX's dynamic flooring, Google Open Bidding, and preferred deals can expect 20-50% revenue increases |
| Limitations | ✗ High traffic requirement (1M+ monthly pageviews and 12 months of history) excludes smaller publishers ✗ No published script weights or Core Web Vitals data | ✗ Requires an existing Google Ad Manager account and technical expertise to manage complex header bidding configurations effectively ✗ Significantly more challenging and complex to manage and optimize |
Freestar
3.8
Rating
★ 3.8/5
Pricing
Operates on a transparent revenue-share model; custom enterprise pricing typically requires a minimum of 1M to 5M monthly pageviews and 12 months of historical traffic data.
Platform
Managed monetization
Scores
Revenue yield & RPM uplift
4.6
Demand access & header bidding
4.7
Ad quality & brand safety controls
4.5
Publisher control & transparency
3.0
Payment terms & reliability
2.5
Page speed & Core Web Vitals impact
3.0
Reporting & reconciliation
3.5
Integration & ad-ops workload
4.5
Eligibility & onboarding
1.5
Consent & privacy readiness
3.5
Strengths
✓ Dedicated audience development team
✓ World-class yield management experts provide ongoing optimization
Limitations
✗ High traffic requirement (1M+ monthly pageviews and 12 months of history) excludes smaller publishers
✗ No published script weights or Core Web Vitals data
Google AdX (via GAM)
4.0
Rating
★ 4.0/5
Pricing
Free 'Small Business' tier available for up to 90-200 million monthly impressions; Ad Manager 360 requires custom enterprise pricing.
Platform
Supply-side platform
Scores
Revenue yield & RPM uplift
4.8
Demand access & header bidding
4.7
Ad quality & brand safety controls
4.6
Publisher control & transparency
4.5
Payment terms & reliability
4.8
Page speed & Core Web Vitals impact
3.6
Reporting & reconciliation
4.5
Integration & ad-ops workload
2.0
Eligibility & onboarding
3.0
Consent & privacy readiness
4.6
Strengths
✓ Access to premium advertiser demand typically offering significantly higher CPMs
✓ Publishers utilizing AdX's dynamic flooring, Google Open Bidding, and preferred deals can expect 20-50% revenue increases
Limitations
✗ Requires an existing Google Ad Manager account and technical expertise to manage complex header bidding configurations effectively
✗ Significantly more challenging and complex to manage and optimize
