What Is This Guide About?
This guide is for anyone who has a website and wants to earn money from it. Maybe you have heard of Google AdSense — it is a program that puts ads on your website and pays you when visitors see or click those ads. But AdSense is not the only option, and for many website owners, it is not even the best option.
This guide will walk you through every major alternative to AdSense. We will explain what each one is, who it is best for, how much you can earn, and exactly how to sign up — step by step, in plain language, with no confusing jargon.
You do not need to know anything about advertising or technology to use this guide. We will explain everything from the very beginning.
First: What Is Website Monetization?
Monetization simply means making money. Website monetization means making money from your website. There are many ways to do this, and advertising networks are just one of them.
When you join an advertising network, they place ads on your website automatically. When visitors come to your website and see those ads, you earn a small amount of money. The more visitors you have, the more money you earn.
This is called passive income — money you earn without having to do extra work after the initial setup.
Why Look for AdSense Alternatives?
Google AdSense is the most well-known advertising network, but it has several problems that make many website owners look for alternatives:
- Strict approval requirements. Google often rejects new websites or websites with limited content.
- Account bans. Google can ban your account at any time, sometimes without a clear reason, and you lose all your earnings.
- Low pay rates. AdSense often pays less than competing networks, especially for certain types of content.
- Slow payments. AdSense has a minimum payment threshold of $100, which can take a long time to reach for smaller websites.
- Limited control. You have very little control over what types of ads appear on your website.
The good news is that there are many excellent alternatives that pay better, are easier to get approved for, and give you more control over your earnings.
Understanding the Types of Ad Networks
Before we look at specific networks, it helps to understand the different types. This will help you choose the right one for your website.
Display Ad Networks
These networks show visual banner ads on your website. They are the most common type and work well for almost any kind of website. Examples include Ezoic, Mediavine, and AdThrive.
Native Ad Networks
Native ads look like regular content on your website — they blend in with your articles and posts. They tend to get more clicks because they do not look like traditional ads. Examples include Taboola and Outbrain.
Pop-Up and Push Notification Networks
These networks show ads in pop-up windows or as push notifications on visitors' devices. They can earn more money per visitor but can also annoy some users. Examples include PropellerAds and Adsterra.
Affiliate Networks
These are not traditional ad networks, but they are an excellent way to earn money from your website. You promote products or services and earn a commission when someone buys through your link. We cover these in detail in our Affiliate Marketing guide.
Sponsored Content Networks
These networks connect you with brands who want to pay you to write articles or posts about their products. Examples include Cooperatize and TapInfluence.
The Top AdSense Alternatives — Detailed Reviews
1. Ezoic — Best for Small and Medium Websites
Ezoic is one of the best AdSense alternatives available today, especially for websites that are just starting out or have moderate traffic. Unlike many other premium networks, Ezoic accepts websites of all sizes.
What makes Ezoic special: Ezoic uses artificial intelligence to automatically test different ad placements and sizes on your website. It figures out which combination earns the most money and applies it automatically. This means you earn more without having to do anything extra.
How much can you earn: Most website owners report earning 50% to 300% more with Ezoic compared to AdSense. Your actual earnings depend on your traffic and content type.
Requirements:
- Any amount of traffic (no minimum requirement)
- A website with original content
- A domain name you own
- No requirement to remove AdSense first
Payment details:
- Minimum payout: $20
- Payment methods: PayPal, check, direct bank transfer
- Payment schedule: Monthly, 30 days after the end of each month
How to Sign Up for Ezoic — Step by Step
2. Mediavine — Best for Lifestyle and Food Websites
Mediavine is considered one of the best premium advertising networks available. Website owners who qualify for Mediavine typically earn significantly more than with AdSense. However, Mediavine has higher requirements than Ezoic.
What makes Mediavine special: Mediavine focuses on high-quality ads from premium advertisers. They have a reputation for excellent customer support and a strong community of publishers. Their ads load quickly and do not slow down your website.
How much can you earn: Mediavine publishers typically earn $15 to $30 per 1,000 visitors, which is significantly higher than AdSense's typical $2 to $5 per 1,000 visitors.
Requirements:
- Minimum 50,000 sessions per month (a session is one visit from one person)
- Original, high-quality content
- Content must comply with their quality guidelines
- Must not be running ads from competing networks
Payment details:
- Minimum payout: $25
- Payment methods: PayPal, direct bank transfer, check
- Payment schedule: Monthly, 65 days after the end of each month
How to Apply to Mediavine — Step by Step
3. AdThrive (Raptive) — Best for High-Traffic Websites
AdThrive, now rebranded as Raptive, is one of the highest-paying advertising networks available. It is designed for established websites with significant traffic. If you qualify, you will likely earn more with Raptive than with any other network on this list.
Requirements:
- Minimum 100,000 pageviews per month
- Majority of traffic must come from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia
- Original, high-quality content
- No adult content
How to apply: Go to raptive.com and click "Apply Now." Fill out the application form with your website details and traffic information. They will review your application within 2 to 3 weeks.
4. PropellerAds — Best for High Volume, Any Traffic Level
PropellerAds is an excellent choice if you want to start earning immediately without waiting for approval. They accept almost all websites and have no minimum traffic requirement.
What makes PropellerAds different: They offer several types of ads including push notifications, pop-unders, and interstitial ads. These types of ads often earn more per visitor than traditional display ads.
Requirements:
- No minimum traffic requirement
- Website must have original content
- No illegal content
Payment details:
- Minimum payout: $5
- Payment methods: PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, bank transfer
- Payment schedule: Weekly or monthly
How to Sign Up for PropellerAds — Step by Step
5. Sovrn (formerly VigLink) — Best for Content Sites
Sovrn is a comprehensive monetization platform that offers both display advertising and affiliate link monetization. Their affiliate tool automatically converts regular links in your content into earning affiliate links.
Requirements: No minimum traffic. Must have original content and a real website.
How to sign up: Go to sovrn.com, click "Get Started," and fill out the publisher application form. Approval usually takes 2 to 5 business days.
6. Infolinks — Best for In-Text Advertising
Infolinks specializes in in-text advertising — they scan your website's content and automatically turn certain words into clickable ad links. When visitors hover over or click these links, you earn money.
This is a very unobtrusive form of advertising because the ads are embedded within your existing content rather than taking up extra space on your page.
Requirements: No minimum traffic. Open to all websites with original content.
Payment details:
- Minimum payout: $50
- Payment methods: PayPal, bank transfer, Western Union, eCheck
- Payment schedule: Monthly, 45 days after the end of each month
How to Sign Up for Infolinks — Step by Step
7. Taboola — Best for Native Advertising
Taboola is one of the largest native advertising networks in the world. Their ads appear as "recommended content" at the bottom of articles — they look like suggested articles rather than traditional ads, which means more people click on them.
Requirements: Minimum 1 million pageviews per month. This makes Taboola suitable only for established, high-traffic websites.
How to apply: Go to taboola.com/publisher and fill out the publisher application form.
8. Outbrain — Best Native Ads for News and Media Sites
Outbrain is similar to Taboola and is one of the two dominant native advertising networks. They work primarily with news websites, blogs, and media companies.
Requirements: Minimum 10 million pageviews per month. This is a premium network for large websites only.
How to apply: Go to outbrain.com and click "Advertise" then "Publishers."
9. BidVertiser — Best for Small Websites Just Starting Out
BidVertiser is a good option for very new websites that cannot yet qualify for larger networks. They accept almost any website and have a very low minimum payout.
Requirements: No minimum traffic. Very easy to get approved.
Payment details:
- Minimum payout: $10
- Payment methods: PayPal, check, wire transfer, Bitcoin
- Payment schedule: Monthly
How to sign up: Go to bidvertiser.com, click "Publisher," and complete the registration form. Approval is usually instant or within 24 hours.
10. Adsterra — Best for International Traffic
Adsterra is an excellent choice if your website gets visitors from many different countries. They have strong advertiser demand from international markets and accept websites with traffic from regions that other networks often ignore.
Requirements: No minimum traffic. Accepts most website types.
Payment details:
- Minimum payout: $5 (PayPal), $100 (wire transfer)
- Payment methods: PayPal, Bitcoin, WebMoney, wire transfer
- Payment schedule: Twice monthly
How to sign up: Go to adsterra.com, click "Become a Publisher," and complete the registration. Approval takes 1 to 3 business days.
Comparison Table: Which Network Is Right for You?
Use this table to quickly compare all the networks based on your current situation:
Beyond Ad Networks: Other Ways to Monetize Your Website
Advertising networks are just one way to earn money from your website. Here are other methods that can work alongside or instead of ad networks:
Affiliate Marketing
You promote products or services and earn a commission when someone buys through your special link. This can earn significantly more than advertising for the right type of content. See our complete Affiliate Marketing guide for full details.
Sponsored Posts
Companies pay you to write articles about their products. Rates vary widely — from $50 to $5,000+ per post depending on your traffic and audience.
Digital Products
Create and sell ebooks, guides, courses, or templates. Once created, these earn money repeatedly with no additional work.
Donations
If your content provides real value to your audience, some visitors will donate to support your work. Services like PayPal Donate, Buy Me a Coffee, and Ko-fi make this easy to set up.
Email Newsletter Sponsorships
Build an email list and charge companies to advertise in your newsletter. Email newsletters often earn more per subscriber than website ads.
Tips for Maximizing Your Earnings
No matter which network you choose, these tips will help you earn more money:
- Create more content. More pages mean more opportunities for ads to be shown. Aim to publish new content regularly.
- Focus on SEO. Getting more visitors from Google search is the most reliable way to increase your earnings. Learn basic SEO practices.
- Use multiple networks. You can often run ads from multiple networks at the same time. Test different combinations to see what earns the most.
- Improve page speed. Faster websites get better ad rates and rank higher in search results. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site speed.
- Write longer content. Longer articles have more space for ads and tend to rank better in search results.
- Target high-value topics. Some topics earn much more per click than others. Topics like finance, insurance, and technology tend to have higher ad rates.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not click your own ads. This will get your account banned immediately. Never click on ads on your own website, even to test them.
- Do not use click farms or bots. Sending fake traffic to your website to increase ad impressions is against every network's terms and will result in a permanent ban.
- Do not place too many ads. Too many ads make your website look spammy and will drive visitors away. Follow each network's guidelines for ad placement.
- Read the terms of service. Each network has rules about what types of content are allowed. Make sure your website complies before applying.
- Do not give up too quickly. It takes time to build traffic and earnings. Most successful website owners see significant income only after 12 to 24 months of consistent work.
Summary: Your Action Plan
Here is a simple action plan based on where you are right now:
