Top 5 Outbrain Alternatives to Boost Your Affiliate Earnings
Outbrain – tried and tested. What’s next? Looking for “Outbrain Alternatives”, clearly.
So, you already know about Outbrain. Bet you also understand what is Outbrain, how Outbrain ads and Outbrain native advertising work, and why you might want something different.
Or, perhaps you’re just checking the waters before you pick the best advertising network to partner with.
And let’s call it for what it is: you’re probably looking for a bit more flexibility, control, and performance.
Then, continue reading if you want to know how Outbrain works, what its pricing and features look like, and why PropellerAds could be your better alternative.
What is Outbrain (and What Do You Get)
Outbrain is a native advertising platform. In other words, you use it to run ads that seamlessly fit into content (“you might also like” widgets, in-feed, in-article) rather than display banners.
Image Source: Outbrain
Still confused about what is Outbrain? In simple words, it’s a content-recommendation ad platform that helps you reach audiences through publisher networks.
With Outbrain advertising / Outbrain native ads, you pay cost-per-click (CPC) rather than for impressions only.
As for Outbrain pricing: the starting CPCs can be as low as ~$0.03 per click, though reality often pushes higher (e.g., $0.10-$1.50 depending on industry).
So yes, Outbrain offers you access to native placements. But, as you evaluate, you’ll ask: how does Outbrain compare to other networks? That’s where “Outbrain vs Taboola” and other alternatives come in.
But more on that, a bit further down.
Why You Might Look for Outbrain Alternatives
In short, you might want to move away from Outbrain because:
- You want more budget control or different pricing models
- You want more network options, more reach outside of their publisher tier
- You want higher transparency or different targeting/flexibility
- You’re comparing Outbrain vs Taboola or other networks and looking for performance gains
For example, Outbrain’s published average CPC and campaign durations show that longer campaigns yield better cost efficiency.
While on the pricing horizon, native ads generally cost $0.10-$0.50 per click or $3-$7 per 1,000 impressions across networks.
In other words, you’d be smart to benchmark.
Top Alternatives to Outbrain
And if you’re wondering how Outbrain compares with others and why you should consider PropellerAds first, don’t worry. We’ve done the math for you on this one, too.
The following are services that provide different native-ad networks with varying publisher pools, formats, and pricing.
- Taboola: Often compared directly with Outbrain. Their network is large and feature-rich. More on it below.
- Sharethrough offers native in-feed and native display formats across premium publishers. Pricing-wise, they feature a CPC model where campaigns report costs <$0.50 CPC for performance packages. They provide curated packages for Gaming, Gen Z audiences, sports and entertainment.
- Nativo supports CPM, CPC, and even CPE (cost per engagement) models. Offering in-feed native and rich media formats on premium inventory. Their pricing tends to be higher than traditional native networks. However, they provide for the following verticals: Travel, Consumer, B2B, Automotive, Nutra, Finance, Insurance, Healthcare
- MGID uses primarily a CPC prepaid pricing model (you set a CPC rate and pay per click). CPM is available too, but less defined publicly. Example: CPC bids starting at around $0.05 in some campaigns. They offer a broad coverage, including Healthcare, business opportunities, Social, Gaming, and affiliate offers in global GEOs.
- PropellerAds offers a broader ad format mix beyond native in-feed – including Interstitials, In-Page Push, SmartCPM, Telegram Ads traffic, Survey Exit, Social Traffic, and more. With transparent bidding, fast campaign setup, and global reach with localized targeting, it’s ideal for performance marketers who value flexibility, control, and quick scaling across multiple GEOs and verticals.
While these are valid options, many advertisers choose PropellerAds as a more diverse and easier-to-collaborate partner.
Thus, when you ask “which Outbrain alternative should I pick?” consider PropellerAds because we’re built for advertisers who demand performance, not just placements.
Outbrain vs. Taboola
Whenever looking for Outrain Alternatives, the name Taboola almost always shows up. So we decided to do the work for you and include a comparison between the two:
| Platform | Pricing Model & Typical Rates | Strong Verticals | Ad Formats Supported |
| Outbrain | Minimum CPC: ~$0.03 per click” Real CPC ~$0.50 – $1.50 based on industry. Minimum budget $10/day or $300/month. | News/Editorial Travel Health Cars Dental products | Classic native (in-feed, content recommendations) Video (pre-roll, outstream) High-impact display |
| Taboola | Average CPC: $0.10 – $0.30 Average CPM rates $1 – $3 Minimum budget range $500 – $1,000. | Lifestyle, Technology Health & Fitness Travel Business/Personal Finance | Native content recommendation widgets Vertical/display ad types via “Realize” (beyond bottom-article placements) |
When comparing Outbrain and Taboola, both lead the native advertising space with in-feed and content-recommendation widgets.
While Outbrain emphasizes premium publishers and storytelling, making it ideal for brand awareness campaigns, it offers less flexibility for performance-driven goals.
Taboola, on the other hand, provides broader reach and more advanced targeting options, though its placement quality can be inconsistent.
Both platforms can drive meaningful traffic, but if you’re seeking scalable performance, greater control, and diverse ad formats, PropellerAds stands out.
It enables faster testing, stronger targeting, and delivers real performance beyond what Outbrain can offer.
Action Steps to replace Outbrain with PropellerAds
If you’ve already made up your mind, here’s your how-to short guide:
- Define your goal: lead generation? App installs? Brand awareness?
- Choose the ad format: native (Interstitials, In-Page Push), Push Notifications, Popunder, Survey Exit Ads, or Telegram Mini Apps Ads.
- Set your budget, targeting (Geo, device, OS, interest) – you’re in control.
- Upload creatives – you test headlines, formats, audience segments.
- Track results via our dashboard – monitor CPC, CTR, conversions; optimise.
- Scale winners: increase bid, expand Geo, new creatives.
By contrast, with Outbrain native advertising, you’d typically pick CPC, target through publisher network, and wait for results – less flexibility. Outbrain supports various targeting, but your placements are more constrained.
Final thoughts: Performance over Costs
If you’re searching for Outbrain alternatives, you’re on the right path. While Outbrain (and other networks) serve certain use-cases well, what you really want is a platform that empowers you, not limits.
At PropellerAds, you can move fast, control tightly, and optimise aggressively. Just get in, test, scale with formats beyond just native recommendation widgets.
So: ditch the “Outbrain only” mindset. Expand your tool belt, and let PropellerAds be your performance engine.
Ready to see what you can achieve?
Join our Telegram for more insights and share your ideas with fellow-affiliates!
