The best ad network for a blogger is the best one that will accept you today. In October 2026 that ladder looks like this: Google AdSense at any traffic level, Journey by Mediavine from 1,000 monthly sessions out of the US, UK, Canada and Australia, Monumetric from 10,000 page views, Raptive from 25,000 page views, and Mediavine once your site makes about $5,000 a year from ads. Ezoic, the old favorite for growing blogs, now requires 250,000 monthly users (our Ezoic review explains its Incubator route).
Below: every network's current entry rule and revenue share (checked on each network's own site on October 19, 2026), a quiz that picks one for you, and the honest answer on how much switching networks is worth.
Key takeaways
- Journey by Mediavine is the lowest premium entry point: 1,000 sessions from tier 1 countries in 30 days, a 70% revenue share, and a built-in path to full Mediavine.
- Raptive cut its minimum from 100,000 to 25,000 monthly page views in October 2025, but most of your traffic must come from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia or New Zealand.
- Mediavine no longer uses a session minimum. It asks for $5,000 in annual ad revenue and pays 75% to publishers earning under $100,000 a year, rising to 90%.
- Ezoic raised its bar to 250,000 monthly active users in February 2026. Smaller sites can only get in through its Incubator, which takes 20 publishers a month.
- AdSense pays publishers 80% after the advertiser platform's fee, about 68% of what Google Ads advertisers spend.
4-question decision helper
Which ad network fits your blog right now?
Question 1 of 4
How much traffic does your blog get?
Every network's entry requirement, side by side
| Network | Entry requirement (October 2026) | You keep | Payment terms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google AdSense | Original content, policy compliance, age 18+ | 80% after the buyer's platform fee (about 68% of Google Ads spend) | Monthly, $100 threshold | Any new blog |
| Journey by Mediavine | 1,000 sessions from tier 1 countries in 30 days; Grow running 30+ days | 70% | Net 65 | Growing blogs with US, UK, Canada or Australia readers |
| Monumetric Propel | 10,000 to 80,000 page views a month; $99 setup fee; 6+ ad slots | Not published | Not published | Hands-off setup for small blogs |
| Raptive | 25,000+ page views; majority tier 1 traffic; 100% original content | Not published | Not published | Lifestyle, food, home and DIY at 25K+ |
| Mediavine | $5,000+ annual ad revenue; brand-safe traffic | 75% under $100K a year, up to 90% | Net 65, $100 minimum | Established content sites |
| Ezoic | 250,000+ monthly active users, or Incubator (20 sites a month) | Not on its requirements page | Net 30, $20 minimum | Large sites and web apps |
| SHE Media | No minimum published; curated partner network | Not published | Not published | Women's lifestyle, parenting, beauty |
| Carbon (BuySellAds) | Manual review of tech and design publications | Not published | Not published | Developer and design blogs |
"Not published" means the network does not state it on its public site; you see the number in your offer. Treat the rows as a snapshot: Raptive, Ezoic and Mediavine all changed their entry rules within the last two years.
Goal 1: start earning now (under 1,000 tier 1 sessions)
Google AdSense is still the default first step. There is no traffic minimum: Google asks for original content that follows its policies and an account holder who is at least 18. Since June 2026 you may also need to verify your identity with a government ID before ads start. Account review "usually takes a few days," according to Google, but can take two to four weeks.
Expect modest money. Google's own calculator data implies a page RPM of roughly $1 to $4.50 for most niches with an Americas audience, so 20,000 page views a month typically earn $20 to $90. Run your own numbers in our AdSense revenue calculator.
What about Adsterra and similar open networks? They approve almost anyone (Adsterra's publisher page advertises "100% approval"), but their revenue leans on popunders, push notifications and redirect-style formats. Those formats can hurt reader trust and put you at odds with Google's policies if you mix them with AdSense. If you use one, stick to its standard banner and native units.
Goal 2: reach a premium network within a year
Journey by Mediavine: the on-ramp that replaced Ezoic
Journey is Mediavine's program for growing sites. The official requirements are 1,000 sessions from tier 1 countries (including the US, Canada, the UK and Australia) within a 30-day period, original audience-first content, and Mediavine's quality standards. You also need to run Mediavine's free Grow plugin for at least 30 days before ads go live, and Mediavine says its ad partners need about four months of domain history before bidding on a new site.
Journey pays a 70% revenue share on a Net 65 schedule, and Mediavine contacts you when your site gets close to the full program. Our Mediavine requirements guide covers each rule and includes a traffic calculator. One trade-off reported from Mediavine's CEO in a 2025 Reddit AMA: Journey runs on separate exchange seats without Google AdX demand, so its RPMs sit below full Mediavine (PPC Land summary).
Monumetric: managed ads from 10,000 page views
Monumetric's Propel program covers sites with 10,000 to 80,000 monthly page views, with a $99 setup fee. Its FAQ says Propel requires at least six ads, and about 95% of publishers let Monumetric install the tags. Above 80,000 page views you move to its Ascend program with no setup fee listed.
Raptive: now open at 25,000 page views
Raptive (formerly AdThrive) dropped its minimum from 100,000 to 25,000 monthly page views on October 16, 2025. Its eligibility list asks for 100% original content and a majority of traffic from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand. Raptive says it is #1 in food, lifestyle and home/DIY (citing Comscore), so those niches are its sweet spot.
If your blog is between 25,000 and 50,000 page views with mostly US readers, apply to Raptive before you assume you have to wait for Mediavine. If you are mainly trying to leave AdSense, our AdSense alternatives guide compares every option in one sortable table.
Goal 3: maximize revenue on an established blog
Mediavine: revenue-based entry, rising revenue share
Mediavine's main program no longer lists a session floor. Its requirements page asks for at least $5,000 in annual ad revenue, original content, clean human traffic, good standing with AdSense and Ad Exchange, and a reader experience that supports premium ads.
For sites launched after January 1, 2026, the revenue share is set by program:
That is 75% under $100,000 a year (Official), 80% up to $249,999 (Select), 85% up to $499,999 (Signature) and 90% above that (Premiere and Premiere Plus), per Mediavine's revenue share page. The catch is exclusivity: Mediavine takes full control of your programmatic ads, so anything that needs extra ads.txt lines (Taboola, Revcontent, another display network) has to go. Affiliate links and directly sold sponsorships are still allowed.
Raptive vs Mediavine once you qualify for both
Once your site clears both bars, the choice is about fit. Raptive's levels are organized by annual ad revenue (Insider covers creators earning up to $249,000 a year) and it currently offers a guaranteed RPM to sites with 100,000+ monthly page views and $12,000+ in ad revenue over the last 12 months. Mediavine publishes its revenue share openly and bundles Grow, its free engagement plugin. Ask both for an offer and compare the guaranteed numbers, not the marketing.
SHE Media: for women's lifestyle publishers
SHE Media runs a curated partner network for women's lifestyle, parenting and beauty creators, with display and video ads plus sponsored content and event opportunities on its own brands (SheKnows, BlogHer, StyleCaster). It does not publish a traffic minimum on that page, so contact them if that is your niche. Our guide to banner ad networks compares more display options, including contextual ones.
Niche picks: tech blogs and newsletters
Developer and design blogs: Carbon, run by BuySellAds, places native, cookieless ads from advertisers who want to reach developers and designers. Its team reviews every publication manually. Brave is among the publishers quoted on Carbon's site.
Newsletters: display networks don't work in email. If you publish on beehiiv, its built-in ad network is available on all paid plans; our beehiiv Ad Network review covers payouts and limits.
What moves your ad income more than the network
Switching networks changes your RPM. Growing traffic changes everything else. Four levers, in order of impact:
- Traffic volume. Display networks pay per impression, so twice the page views is roughly twice the revenue. It also moves you up the ladder above: 1,000 tier 1 sessions qualifies you for Journey, 25,000 page views for Raptive.
- Reader location. Mediavine notes that sites with less than 65% US traffic take longer to reach full RPM because fewer advertisers compete for the rest.
- Season. Ad rates bottom out in January and peak in Q4. Judge any network switch over a full quarter, and Mediavine's own contract has a 90-day initial term for exactly that reason.
- Page experience. Fast pages with viewable ad slots earn higher bids. Thin pages earn less on every network.
Traffic is the lever most bloggers under-invest in, because it means publishing far more than one post a week. That is the job Outrank automates: it finds low-difficulty keywords, writes and publishes an SEO article to your blog every day, and builds backlinks through its exchange. Across sites with Search Console connected, the median site reached 2.04x its previous Google clicks after 7 months. For the manual route, our guide on how to make money with a blog covers the full stack beyond ads.
FAQ
What is the best ad network for a new blog?
Google AdSense, because it has no traffic minimum and the largest pool of advertisers. Once you reach 1,000 monthly sessions from the US, UK, Canada and Australia, apply to Journey by Mediavine, which offers Mediavine's ad technology at a 70% revenue share. Ezoic is no longer an option for new small sites unless you are accepted into its Incubator.
Which ad network pays bloggers the most?
For established blogs with mostly US readers, Mediavine and Raptive are generally considered the highest-paying networks open to independent bloggers. Mediavine pays 75% to 90% of revenue depending on annual earnings. The best payer for your site depends on niche and audience location, so ask for offers from both when you qualify.
Does Raptive still require 100,000 page views?
No. Raptive lowered its minimum to 25,000 monthly page views on October 16, 2025. It still requires 100% original content and a majority of traffic from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand.
Can I use more than one ad network on my blog?
Sometimes. Mediavine requires programmatic exclusivity, so you cannot run AdSense or another display network next to it, though affiliate links and direct sponsorships are fine. Non-exclusive networks such as AdSense can sit next to other ad units, but check each network's policies first and keep ad density low enough that pages stay readable.
How much traffic do you need for ads on a blog?
None for AdSense. Journey by Mediavine needs 1,000 sessions from tier 1 countries in 30 days, Monumetric 10,000 page views, Raptive 25,000 page views, Mediavine $5,000 in annual ad revenue, and Ezoic 250,000 monthly active users.
What is the best ad network for lifestyle bloggers?
Mediavine, Raptive and SHE Media all specialize in lifestyle content such as food, home, parenting and travel. Start with Journey by Mediavine while you grow, then compare Raptive (from 25,000 page views) and full Mediavine once your ads earn about $5,000 a year.
