Google Ad Manager vs. Magnite

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Ad Manager
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Google Ad Manager is a platform for publishers that combines the former DoubleClick for Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange products.N/A
Magnite
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Magnite (formerly Rubicon Project) is an independent sell-side advertising platform.N/A
Pricing
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Considered Both Products
Google Ad Manager
Chose Google Ad Manager
Among all the ad management platforms I use on a regular basis, Google Ad Manager is the most straightforward to use. However, I probably have a paid search bias, as I spend more time there than with the paid social or programmatic platforms. Even still, Google Ad Manager is …
Chose Google Ad Manager
I personally liked it because of the complex features available. Knowing that this comes from Google, I did not have second thoughts - Comes from an Top tier brand.

There were other products in the market, however, I chose to stick to this due to the following reasons,
Chose Google Ad Manager
Google ads manager is the forefront in search marketing. Other platforms mirror features and trends set by Google while Google continues to innovate and evolve in a class of its own.
Chose Google Ad Manager
With Google ad there are more options to be able to put an ad together and to be able to use the information that best suits our situation. With the other vendors, there is limited use to be able to target and also to be able to correct once deployed or pushed forward where …
Chose Google Ad Manager
The main advantage of Google Ad Manager over the Trade Desk is based on the fact that Google Ad Manager has better data to identify a user on any device as it has more data and the user is signed in over Google Ad Manager´s set of properties. That is why results on Google Ad …
Chose Google Ad Manager
Google Ads is [completely different from] Bing. I mostly advertise on Google and prefer it over Bing tenfold.
Chose Google Ad Manager
We use Google Ads Manager to manage ad campaigns on Google I found that Google Ads Manager was confusing, had a steep learning curve, and had poor documentation. I found myself having to look at tutorials from other websites. I find this to be true of most Google products. They …
Chose Google Ad Manager
The other DSPs I've used were all managed services and this is the first time we've been able to manage the system on our own!
Chose Google Ad Manager
Google streamlines the process and is supremely easier to use than Facebook for Business (utilized for Facebook ad management.). Facebook's control over their management system makes the program much more cumbersome and less effective. Meanwhile, as mentioned, the Google Ad …
Chose Google Ad Manager
As I alluded to earlier, you kind of have to be on Google if you want to search marketing. I've tried Bing Ads and I just don't see the same volume or quality. With dwindling targeting abilities on social media sites like Facebook, Google is still tall and mighty and helps us …
Chose Google Ad Manager
Google Ad Manager surpasses all competitor ad management services in every aspect. It is free to use and offers the best quality for your budget.
Chose Google Ad Manager
We selected Google Ad Manager in place of our internal software because Ad Manager allows us to better target our audience while tracking performance at a higher level.
Chose Google Ad Manager
Google Ad Manager is the best simply because of how great it is to advertise on the largest search engine on the internet. The other platforms I think have better dashboards and segmentation options but Google is the best because their audience is the largest and most focused …
Chose Google Ad Manager
Google Ad Manager is one of the only free to use ad management services out there. While there are several alternatives such as OpenX and Adzerk, Google Ad Manager provides the best bang for your buck (considering you don't spend any money on the actual product itself). …
Chose Google Ad Manager
Bings ad tool is clunky, geographies don't import well/accurately and it's old looking. It's basically a Google Ad Manager, but only for the Bing Microsoft network.
Chose Google Ad Manager
It's a similar product to Facebook, as Google Ad Manager is for Google. Google Ad Manager is better in terms of user segmentation and targeting.
Chose Google Ad Manager
We looked at Adsense and Google Ad Manager when we were selecting a platform. Google Manager seemed easier to use and more robust when it came to social management. Google Ad Manager was also easier to use and offered a better community to help you if you get stuck on an issue.
Chose Google Ad Manager
It allows me to find exactly the information I am looking for in one place. It allows me to share that data with others both internally and externally. There is a mobile version and though it isn't as good, it helps for when I am out of the office or traveling.
Chose Google Ad Manager
We've used a few other way less robust ad servers, and Google Ad Manager is definitely the top tier ad server you can have as a publisher. There isn't much competition in this space for a large publisher that would make us feel comfortable switching to another ad server. We've …
Chose Google Ad Manager
I selected Google Ad Manager because it's a more widely used search engine and I wanted to maximize our efforts and spending, as a small nonprofit with a limited budget. I think Yahoo! Advertising is good because it's independent, as in not linked to all of your Google Cloud …
Chose Google Ad Manager
In my current position at this company, we've only ever used Ad Manager due to management's comfort with Google's application suite. I've used other software such as Adzerk, AOL's One, and OpenX in previous roles. I like Ad Manager because it's incredibly intuitive if you've …
Chose Google Ad Manager
We think Google Ads Manager is better because it is more simple. It's holistic because it really optimizes what's best for our brands and campaigns. It doesn't just serve out our ads to a number of people. Google Ads Manager makes sure that we serve them out to the right people.
Magnite
Chose Magnite
  • Rubicon Project's deal creation is very simple and fast so multiple deals can be simply created instantly.
  • Rubicon Project's customer service is helpful and very responsive so issues usually get fixed instantly.
  • Rubicon Project's reporting portal is easy to use and has …
Chose Magnite
Rubicon had superior client services and monetization techniques.
Features
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Ad Network Integration
Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of Product A and Product B
Google Ad Manager
7.6
Ratings
3% above category average
Magnite
7.5
Ratings
2% above category average
Data Transfer7.50 Ratings7.00 Ratings
DSP integration7.70 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Ad Campaigns
Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Product A and Product B
Google Ad Manager
7.4
Ratings
5% below category average
Magnite
8.0
Ratings
3% above category average
Ad campaign creation9.20 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Ad deployment8.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Display advertising7.20 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Ad display and retargeting segmentation7.20 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Sequence targeting5.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Ad Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Google Ad Manager
6.9
Ratings
11% below category average
Magnite
7.3
Ratings
6% below category average
Ad dashboards5.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Ad performance reports7.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Ad conversion tracking7.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Ad attribution reporting7.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Cross-channel ad management8.10 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Ad forecasting and optimization7.00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Small Businesses
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
Score 9.0 out of 10
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk
Score 9.0 out of 10
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
Score 9.0 out of 10
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google Ad ManagerMagnite
Likelihood to Recommend
It is only suited for marketing. Make sure you have analytics on your site to track the people coming, final sales, and conversions because it is at it's best when you can use it to really read and understand the data at hand. Google Ads does everything it needs to in ads, and you don't need to be an expert to begin with it. However, I would not just tell someone to "go create an account" if they know very little about digital ads. Consult with someone first. It can be a little daunting if you were to do that!
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Rubicon Project is super appropriate for Publisher monetization. They excel as a supply side partner. Rubicon Project is less appropriate for Advertising buying tools. Their demand side tools have a way to go for development.
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Pros
  • Hyper targeting - I love how we can target, analyze, and then hyper target [advertisements] to our audiences to be able to hyper target the audiences that convert best. [Audiences besides] Google understands them, but also demographics, locations, search terms, and more.
  • Advanced reporting - Without Google's seemingly endless ways to read and break down reports, we would not be able to best make decisions to maximize ROI.
  • Strong conversion algorithm updates - The algorithm has become impressively strong for 'maximized conversions' and 'smart' campaigns. [That's] coming from someone who hated these portions of the algorithm until about 2019 where the updates (and continued updates) have worked incredibly well for these algorithms' purpose.
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  • Cleanest supply ecosystem. They are skilled at processing inventory and bids in order to streamline monetization and drive yield.
  • Client support is excellent. Client services is deeply invested in your business and successful at driving key business goals within your organization when working on your behalf.
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Cons
  • Sometimes it can bog down and crash. This is rare, but it is processing a lot of steps/changes all at once and it's not expected to be perfect.
  • Being able to quickly filter by campaign types would be nice (PPC/Display/Video Pre-roll). Our fix is to run these campaigns in totally separate accounts, so there is no overlapping in reporting/etc. This helps with seeing stats clearly without having to filter constantly.
  • It could be visually prettier.
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  • If possible to update the reporting to have less delay time on the data.
  • The reporting portal cuts off the bid request data after a period of time.
  • The UI seems to be a bit slower lately.
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Likelihood to Renew
I think it's useful for our team and we rely on it to improve our business. It is within our budget also. Although we still will need an approval from the upper-level management team, I don't see any problem with that
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No answers on this topic
Usability
Love the product and how the GUI is as it is user friendly. When working with the product it is better to have some knowledge of what ad's you want to deploy where so that it is easier to use and move forward.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
I could say a lot about this topic. As an agency, we get a new [representative] to talk to almost every quarter to go over select accounts and the campaigns within. Most of the time, these [educated representatives], don't provide any new feedback, or I just simply [disagree] with their approach. This is not all the time however. I have learned a lot from a rare few, [individuals] that have given me new strategies and access to betas early on. The other side of support, is the [overseas support platform]. [It] is usually not very helpful, but you can [emphasize] issues and they can research [them]. The Google Tag Implementation team is pristine though. When you need them, you need to set an appointment, which is usually 2 weeks out; they are so over-my-head intelligent, I've never had a bad experience with them and whenever I needed them for a fix, they solved it [within] the first call.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
As I alluded to earlier, you kind of have to be on Google if you want to search marketing. I've tried Bing Ads and I just don't see the same volume or quality. With dwindling targeting abilities on social media sites like Facebook, Google is still tall and mighty and helps us with intent-based targeting rather than just interest-based targeting.
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  • Rubicon Project's deal creation is very simple and fast so multiple deals can be simply created instantly.
  • Rubicon Project's customer service is helpful and very responsive so issues usually get fixed instantly.
  • Rubicon Project's reporting portal is easy to use and has multiple metrics which allow you to have a detailed report.
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Return on Investment
  • It has made the data from this accessible for all of my team to see.
  • The ability to make changes can be bad - if the team does not agree.
  • Getting current results lets us decide what needs to be changed and take their advice to see how things could improve.
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  • Rubicon Project has made it easier to optimize so that we could get the fullest ROI on our inventory through their alerts on which deal needs troubleshooting.
  • They also send a daily report which notifies you which advertisers have low render rate which is very helpful when figuring which creatives need to troubleshooting.
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ScreenShots