Sources and methodology

Every figure and network term in the guide comes from the sources below. All were checked on 12 November 2026 unless a different date is shown.

Method

• Official documentation, standards bodies and regulators come first. Vendor marketing pages are used only for facts about the vendor itself, such as its own published pricing.
• A network appears in the comparison table only if its official pages state at least two of three items: entry requirements, native-capable formats and payout terms.
• Claims about income, RPM or eCPM are not made for any network.
• Where providers disagree, the guide shows both figures and names each provider.

Market research

• Mordor Intelligence: Native Advertising MarketUSD 165.68 billion in 2026 and a 12.73% CAGR to 2031. Report page last updated 20 January 2026.
• Grand View Research: Native Advertising Market ReportUSD 141.1 billion in 2026 and a 13.9% CAGR for 2025–2033.

Evidence on publishers and advertisers

• Google Ad Manager blog: Boosting publisher revenue with native ads (May 2017)Slate Magazine ad operations quote on bounce rate and time on page; Google’s statement on click-through rates for third-party DSP native ads.
• Stanford GSB: Disguised “native” ads don’t fool us anymore (January 2018)Sahni and Nair field experiment: exposure raised calls without clicks.

Standards

• IAB Tech Lab: OpenRTB Native Ads Specification 1.2Asset-based native requests and responses inside OpenRTB.
• IAB Tech Lab: ads.txt and app-ads.txtAuthorized-seller declarations for websites and apps.
• IAB Native Advertising Playbook 2.0 (May 2019)Three core native ad types and disclosure guidance.

Regulation

• FTC: Native Advertising: A Guide for BusinessesDisclosure must be clear and prominent when needed to prevent deception.
• FTC press release: Lord & Taylor settlement (March 2016)Enforcement action over undisclosed paid native content.

Companies mentioned

• StackAdapt: Native AdvertisingNative advertising platform page.
• StackAdapt: company overview (llms.txt)Describes StackAdapt as an AI-first advertising and marketing platform that includes native among its channels.
• Verve: AI Native Ads press releaseVerve describes itself as a mobile-first advertising intelligence platform.
• Epom: ad server pricingPlans from $250 per month; white-label add-on at $250 per month. Vendor pricing.

In-app networks and mediation (comparison table)

• Google AdMob help: account setup and first appFormats include banner, native and interstitial; payment details come before app review.
• Google AdMob help: payment thresholdsUSD payment threshold of $100.
• Google AdMob help: payment cycleMonthly payment cycle.
• Google AdMob help: create a native ad unitNative ads follow the app’s look and feel.
• Yandex Ads: monetization page and FAQSupported stores, platforms, formats and the 100 EUR or 150 USD payout threshold.
• Yandex Ads help: native adsNative units show text and image ads; Android slider with direct SDK integration.
• Yandex Ads help: Yandex MediationFree mediation platform; Yandex Ads is enabled by default.
• Unity LevelPlay docs: ad formats (Android)Rewarded, interstitial, banner and native formats.
• Unity LevelPlay docs: native ads integrationNative integration for Android requires SDK 7.9.0 or later.
• Unity LevelPlay docs: fundamentalsMediated networks and in-app bidding.
• ironSource: how payments workMonthly cycle, net 60, publisher-set minimum; revenue from mediated networks is paid by those networks.
• Appodeal SDK documentationNative, banner, MREC and rewarded video; Android API level 24 or higher.
• Appodeal FAQ: minimum payout amount$100 for PayPal and ACH, $1,000 for wire.
• Appodeal FAQ: payout feesRegular payouts carry no fee; early payouts carry a 4% fee.

What was left out

Left out on purpose: custom build costs (quoted per project, with no neutral public benchmark), publisher revenue-share percentages (not standardized) and web-publisher networks (official terms did not pass the inclusion test in this edition).