

Ask HN: ad server recommendation? - mwsherman

Hi, my startup will (probably) be serving ads and we are looking for a platform.<p>To be clear, we are not looking for an ad <i>network</i> like DoubleClick, but simply the software to do the serving and management. We'll do the selling, in other words.<p>Of course we could build our own, but that would be so much reinventing of wheels. We prefer not to install software on our own servers, it should be SAAS, but it's not a dealbreaker.<p>We will look at configurability (things like CPM vs CPC, weighting, keywording, URL targeting) and reporting as the main drivers. Of course, reliability and performance matter too.<p>Do you have any recommendations based on experience? Thanks!
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kev097
In addition to OpenX, check out Google Ad Manager/DFP. I tested both a couple
years ago: found OpenX to be more robust and customizable, but Google had a
much better UI. Both products have evolved since then. Either could fit your
needs.

<http://openx.org/ad-server/hosted-packages>
<http://www.google.com/admanager/>

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sstrudeau
For the money (free, hosted) GAM is hard to beat. Google just kicked off a
major update of GAM and are rebranding it as DFP and will be charging higher
volume customers.

I haven't looked at OpenX in two years -- would love to hear recent
experiences with OpenX.

~~~
jim-greer
Google Ad Manager is free up to 90M monthly impressions, I believe.

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kloncks
Back when I was in the need for an ad server, I remember using phpAdsNew, now
called OpenX I believe.

It's not for everyone, so I recommend you give it a spin before deciding
anything, but it does offer a lot of configurability and analytical tools.

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jcdreads
AOL (I mean, Aol; actually the former AdTech) has a pretty good self-service
solution. It has a pretty dashboard, good management interface, and getting
campaigns up and down is fast. Not sure on price.

<http://www.adtechus.com/Home>

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mattew
I have two clients using OpenX, and they are both quite pleased. One started
out with the free, hosted version, and recently migrated to our own install of
OpenX due to poor performance on the hosted version. Our local install
performs quite well, though.

OpenX is pretty easy to install and keep running, it does the job, and its
straightforward to configure. Don't let the poor performance of the hosted
version scare you away.

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cheald
Google Ad Manager is pretty dead simple to use. OpenX if you want a native
solution.

