# What are the Main Doubleclick Alternatives? A 2024 Guide

## Kevel Team

Written by the people building the future of retail media

#### Table of Contents

1. [Why do brands normally use Google's ad server?](https://www.kevel.com/blog/doubleclick-alternatives#why-do-brands-normally-use-googles-ad-server)
2. [DoubleClick's shortcomings](https://www.kevel.com/blog/doubleclick-alternatives#t2)
3. [DoubleClick alternatives](https://www.kevel.com/blog/doubleclick-alternatives#list)
4. [In-house ad servers](https://www.kevel.com/blog/doubleclick-alternatives#t4)

## Why do brands normally use Google's ad server?

Google's DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) ad server has wide adoption for a few reasons:

1. It's free for anyone with under 90 million monthly impressions. No other vendor offers such a deal.
2. It provides instant access to their Adx ad exchange, potentially increasing the CPMs publishers make from programmatic ads.
3. It's reliable - both from an infrastructure perspective and a business one (Google is not going under any time soon).

## Where does DoubleClick fall short?

There are three main reasons:

1. It's not flexible.
2. It's not server-side.
3. It's Google.

### Flexibility

There's a reason that Facebook, Pinterest, eBay, and many other brands with innovative ad platforms chose to build their own versus rely on Google's tools.

Namely - DFP, as an out-of-the-box solution, provides little customization ability and doesn't make it easy to:

- **Show** [**native advertising**](https://www.kevel.com/blog/what-is-native-advertising) **units** 
- **Build a self-serve advertising portal**

### It's not server-side

Client-side JavaScript ad tags, like those used by Google, have many drawbacks:

- **Slow sites and apps** 
- **No revenue from ad block users** 
- **Hidden cookies** 
- **Not GDPR/CCPA compliant**

### It's Google

DFP is owned by Google. Given they are a tech behemoth with many product lines, working with DoubleClick may mean enabling a competitor through data sharing/revenue.

### What are some DoubleClick alternatives?

| What is your focus? | Need a customizable ad product? | Where are you showing ads? | How do you define yourself? | Your best bet is: |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Direct-sold / internal ads (+ some programmatic) | Yes | Websites, apps, emails, [DOOH](https://legacy-kevel.webflow.io/blog/what-are-DOOH-ads/), in-game | You want a fully-customized ad platform without the hassle of building it from scratch | Kevel |
| Mostly programmatic | No | Websites | You like DFP's tool but don't want to enable Google | Adform |
| Mostly programmatic | Yes | Websites, apps | An ad network, ad exchange, etc | EPOM |
| Mostly programmatic | No | Websites | You want a basic ad product, but don't want to build it or work with a vendor | Self-host with Revive |
| Mostly programmatic | No | Emails | Brand looking to monetize large email list | LiveIntent |
| Mostly programmatic | No | Websites | Low-traffic WordPress site | Ad Inserter WP Plug-in |

### The Best Doubleclick Alternatives

#### [1. Kevel](https://www.kevel.com/)

_Type: Ad serving Infrastructure APIs_

Kevel is the market leader in server-side ad serving, enabled through APIs. Brands can launch custom ad servers quickly. Clients include Yelp, Bed Bath and Beyond, Ticketmaster, and more.

#### [2. Adform](https://www.adform.com/)

_Type: Hosted third-party ad server for programmatic ads_

Adform focuses on programmatic publishers with detailed revenue forecasting and analytics tools.

#### [3. Revive Ad Server](https://www.revive-adserver.com/)

_Type: Free, open source ad server_

Revive is a self-hosted platform. Additional work is needed to host the code.

#### [4. EPOM](https://www.epom.com/)

_Type: Hosted 3rd-party solution for ad networks_

EPOM caters to ad networks with white-labeling and turnkey RTB integrations.

#### [5. Broadstreet](https://www.broadstreetads.com/)

_Type: Hosted third-party vendor for digital magazines_

Focuses on direct-sold ads with an intuitive platform.

#### [6. LiveIntent](https://www.liveintent.com/)

_Type: Hosted third-party ad server for emails_

LiveIntent specializes in showing ads in emails.

#### [7. Ad Inserter](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ad-inserter/)

_Type: WordPress plug-in ad product_

Ad Inserter is popular for low-traffic WordPress sites.

### The long-tail third-party options

1. **Standard Tools**: AdGlare, Adhese, AdPlugg, AdSpeed, AdSpirit, AdvertServe, Avid, iBillboard, InClick, Lite, UpRival, Zedo
2. **Self-Hosted**: OIO, dJax, InOut
3. **Email**: Passendo, PowerInbox
4. **WP Plug-In**: Advanced Ads, AdRotate

### Should I just build an ad server instead of using DFP?

Many brands have built their own ad system rather than relying on a third-party vendor. The in-house ad platforms of Facebook and Amazon took years and many engineers to build.

### Fortunately, you can now build a custom ad server in just weeks

A new industry trend - [ad serving APIs](https://www.kevel.com/) - is emerging. Brands like Yelp and WeTransfer have used our tools to build custom ad servers in just weeks.