{"page":"/blog/ad-exchange-vs-ad-network-vs-ssp","modified":"2026-11-10","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","columns":["Role","Works for","What it does","Who sets the price","How it earns","Examples (source)"],"rows":[["Ad network","Sits between advertisers and publishers","Gathers ad space and resells it as packages","The network","Margin between advertiser price and publisher payout; AdSense pays publishers 80% after the buyer platform's fee (Google)","Google AdSense and AdMob (Alphabet 10-K); TikTok Pangle (IAS, 28 Oct 2025); Taboola (10-K)"],["Ad exchange","Both sides, as a marketplace","Runs a real-time auction for each impression","The auction, above the seller's floor","Fee on each transaction; AdX charged a 20% take rate per the court record (PPC Land)","Google AdX; OpenX Exchange (OpenX)"],["SSP","Publishers","Sends each impression to exchanges and DSPs; manages floors, deals and header bidding","The auction, within the publisher's rules","Take rate: a fee as a share of ad spend (Magnite 10-K)","Magnite, PubMatic (10-K), OpenX, Equativ (Equativ)"],["DSP","Advertisers and agencies","Bids on impressions across many exchanges and SSPs","The buyer's bid","Platform fee on media spend (see DSP pricing)","The Trade Desk, Amazon DSP, Google DV360"],["Ad server (publisher side)","Publishers","Chooses between direct deals and programmatic bids, then serves and counts the ad","The publisher's priorities and rules","Licence or per-impression fees; terms vary (n/d)","Google Ad Manager; Kevel Ad Server (Kevel); Magnite SpringServe for CTV (10-K)"]],"sourceUrls":[["https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/180195?hl=en","https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1652044/000165204426000018/goog-20251231.htm","https://integralads.com/news/tiktok-selects-ias-for-brand-safety-measurement-for-tiktok-pangle-advertisers/","https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1840502/000184050226000004/tbla-20251231.htm"],["https://ppc.land/doj-seeks-6-months-google-12-to-open-its-ad-exchange-to-rivals/","https://www.openx.com/"],["https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1595974/000159597426000007/mgni-20251231.htm","https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1422930/000142293026000010/pubm-20251231.htm","https://equativ.com/"],[],["https://www.kevel.com/","https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1595974/000159597426000007/mgni-20251231.htm"]]}