Adsterra vs Monetag vs ExoClick: Best Ad Networks to Make Money From Your Website

You built a blog or a website, and visitors are starting to arrive. The next question is the obvious one: how do you earn from those visits? One of the most common answers is an ad network. You add a small piece of code to your site, advertisers show their ads there, and you get paid for it.

Google AdSense is the best-known option, but it can be strict about approval, especially for new or small sites. That’s why many publishers use AdSense alternatives. In this post we explain how they work, and then go through six of the most popular ones, one by one.

How do ad networks pay you?

You’ll see three terms again and again:

• CPM: you earn a set amount for every 1,000 views of an ad.
• CPC: you earn each time a visitor clicks an ad.
• CPA: you earn when a visitor does something, like installing an app or signing up.

The amount depends a lot on where your visitors live. Traffic from countries like the US, UK or Canada usually pays far more than traffic from other regions. That’s why the same site can earn very different amounts on different networks, and why it’s smart to test more than one.

Adsterra

Adsterra is popular with beginners because it has no minimum traffic requirement, and approval is usually quick. Its formats include popunders, banners, native ads, a “social bar” (a notification-style ad) and a direct link you can use on any page you share.

Payments depend on the method you choose. The minimum can be as low as $5 with some options and $100 with others, so check which one fits you before you start. Join Adsterra as a publisher

Monetag

Monetag (formerly PropellerAds) works for websites, but also for mobile apps, social traffic and Telegram mini apps. It has no traffic minimum, and the minimum payout is low, around $5 with most methods, paid through options like PayPal, Skrill or wire transfer.

Its formats are the main reason people use it:

• OnClick (popunder): opens an ad in a new tab when a visitor clicks anywhere on the page. It’s one of its highest-earning formats.
• Push notifications: visitors subscribe and receive ads in their browser, even after they leave your site.
• In-Page Push and Vignette banners: native-style ads shown while people browse.
• Interstitial: a full-screen ad shown between pages.
• SmartLink: a direct link that sends visitors to the best-matching offer.
• MultiTag: one single code that combines several of these formats for you, so you don’t have to test them all.

Be careful with popunders, because too many can annoy visitors, and ad quality can be mixed. Start with one or two formats and watch how your visitors react. Join Monetag

ExoClick

ExoClick is one of the largest ad networks in the world, handling billions of ad views every day. It offers banners, native ads, popunders and more, with strong tools for controlling where and how ads show. It’s especially strong in niches that mainstream networks avoid, and it accepts adult sites, so read its content rules before you apply. It also works for general sites.

It tends to pay on a regular, frequent schedule, and support is mostly by email. Join ExoClick

Three more worth knowing

These are plain sign-up links (not referral links), and they’re good additions once you understand how ad networks work.

Adcash has been around since 2007, which makes it one of the older networks. It offers popunders, interstitials, native ads, in-page push and display banners, plus an Autotag that picks the best formats for you. Payment options include PayPal, bank wire, Bitcoin, Payoneer and Skrill. Reviews mention a minimum payout around $25 with a monthly payment cycle, so you’ll wait longer than on some others. Check the current terms in your account. Visit Adcash

HilltopAds is known for a simple registration, a low minimum payout and anti-bot protection. A good extra network to compare with Adsterra and Monetag. Visit HilltopAds

AdMaven is popular with newcomers because there is no minimum traffic requirement and approval is quick. It offers a range of formats, so it’s easy to test on a small site. Visit AdMaven

How to get started

1. Have a place to show ads, like a blog, a website or a page with real visitors.
2. Sign up on one or two networks above and wait for your site to be approved.
3. Create an ad zone in your dashboard and copy the code.
4. Paste the code into your site. Start with one or two formats, not all of them.
5. Compare your earnings after a couple of weeks and keep the networks that pay best for your audience.

Tips so you don’t get banned

• Never click your own ads or ask friends to do it. Fake clicks are detected, and your account can be closed.
• Don’t overload your pages. Too many popups make people leave and hurt your site.
• Read each network’s rules about allowed content and traffic sources before you apply.
• Check the rules before using these ads next to Google AdSense on the same pages.
• You need to be 18 or older to join, and your payment details must be accurate.

Which one should you pick?

If you want a fast start, begin with Adsterra and Monetag, since both approve small sites. If you have a lot of traffic or a niche they don’t cover, look at ExoClick. Use Adcash, HilltopAds and AdMaven to compare. Pick one or two, test them for a couple of weeks, and keep what works.