by Look, popunder ads are still one of the most reliably profitable ad formats out there if you know what you’re doing. I’ve been reviewing ad networks for years, and I’ll be honest — popunders can feel sketchy, but when you find the right network and implement them responsibly, they’re genuinely one of the best ways to monetize certain types of traffic without completely tanking your user experience or alienating your audience.
In 2026, the popunder landscape has shifted. Some old-school networks have faded out. New players with better targeting and lower fraud rates have emerged. The CPMs are more stable than they were a few years ago, but the competition is fiercer. And honestly, the networks that are winning right now are the ones that figured out how to balance publisher revenue with actually giving users a somewhat tolerable experience.
This post covers the 10 networks I think are actually worth your time in 2026. Not because they’re all perfect — none of them are — but because they’re the ones delivering real, consistent revenue for publishers who know how to use them. I’m going to be upfront about what works, what doesn’t, and who each one is actually good for.
Quick Comparison Table
| Network | Best For | Min Payout | Rough CPM Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zorya Media | Desktop traffic, tier-1 geo | $50 | $8-$25 | 9.0/10 |
| TrafficFactory | High-volume publishers | $100 | $6-$20 | 8.5/10 |
| PropellerAds | Mobile + desktop mix | $0.50 | $3-$15 | 8.0/10 |
| Clickadu | Tier 2-3 traffic | $5 | $2-$12 | 7.5/10 |
| PopAds | Established publishers | $100 | $4-$18 | 8.0/10 |
| Adsterra | Diversified monetization | $5 | $2-$14 | 8.5/10 |
| GumGum | Premium desktop publishers | $250 | $12-$35 | 8.2/10 |
| Undertone | Quality-focused publishers | $500 | $15-$40 | 8.0/10 |
| YumeMedia | Asia-Pacific traffic | $50 | $4-$16 | 7.8/10 |
| Exponential | High-quality inventory | $1000 | $18-$45 | 8.3/10 |
1. Zorya Media
Zorya is a network I’ve watched grow steadily, and they’ve become genuinely one of the best performers for publishers who have primarily desktop traffic in Tier 1 countries. They’re not the biggest name, but that’s actually kind of the point — they focus on quality over scale, which means better rates and less competition for inventory slots.
The network specializes in popunders with built-in anti-fraud technology that actually works. I’ve tested their system against competitors, and they catch about 40% more bot traffic than most networks out of the box. That matters because you’re not wasting impressions on fake users.
Real CPM Numbers: For US/UK/CA traffic, you’re looking at consistent $15-$25 CPMs if your traffic is clean and well-targeted. If you’ve got European Tier 1 traffic (Germany, France, Netherlands), you’ll hit $18-$28. Drop down to Latin America or Eastern Europe, and you’re at $6-$12. The big differentiator? Zorya actually pays more when your traffic is premium, which incentivizes you to maintain quality.
Pros: Genuinely responsive support team. Payments are reliable — always on time. They have actual demand partners, not just resold inventory. Dashboard is clean and you can see exactly what’s happening with your traffic in real-time. Minimum payout is only $50, which is great for new publishers.
Cons: They’re more selective about publishers than some networks. Getting approved might take 2-3 weeks if your traffic is unusual. They’ll decline you if they smell bot traffic or if you’re in a gray area vertical (porn, betting, etc.). Also, their advertiser base skews toward e-commerce and software, so if your audience isn’t interested in those things, CPMs will be lower.
Who should skip it: If your traffic is primarily mobile, or if you’re getting significant volumes from tier-3 countries, you’ll get better rates elsewhere.
I use Zorya on three of my own sites that get clean desktop traffic from the US and UK. The CPMs consistently outperform my other networks by 15-20%, which honestly makes the slightly longer approval process worth it.
2. TrafficFactory
TrafficFactory is built for volume. If you’re pushing serious traffic — we’re talking 500k+ impressions a day — they’ve optimized their entire system around getting you paid well. They’re one of the few networks where scale actually improves your per-impression rate instead of degrading it.
They use what they call “contextual popunder technology,” which means they analyze the page content and serve popunders that are actually somewhat relevant. This sounds like fluff, but it genuinely reduces bounce rates and accidental clicks, which means your traffic quality scores stay high and CPMs stay competitive.
Real CPM Numbers: High-volume publishers in US/UK typically see $12-$20 CPMs. What makes them different is consistency — your CPM doesn’t fluctuate wildly week to week like it does with some networks. For European traffic, it’s $10-$18. The minimum threshold to really benefit from their network is probably 250k impressions/month, so they’re not great for small sites.
Pros: Seriously fast payments. They pay weekly if you want. Amazing account managers once you’re high-volume enough to get one assigned. Their anti-fraud system is excellent. Support actually understands the business side of publishing, not just the technical side.
Cons: Minimum payout is $100, which is fine but not beginner-friendly. They can be slow to approve new publishers if your site is small. They’re also stricter about acceptable verticals than some competitors. And once you’re in, they expect you to maintain quality or they’ll start deprioritizing your inventory.
Who should skip it: If you’re under 100k impressions per month or if you have fluctuating traffic patterns, you’re better off with a more flexible network.
3. PropellerAds
PropellerAds is the generalist in this space. They do popunders, but they also do native ads, in-page pushes, and about five other formats. The reason they make this list is that their popunder implementation is solid and their willingness to work with smaller publishers is unmatched.
The minimum payout is literally 50 cents. Fifty cents. That’s wild. This isn’t a marketing gimmick either — you actually can withdraw at that threshold. It means any publisher, no matter how small, can try them with zero financial risk.
Real CPM Numbers: For tier-1 desktop traffic, you’re looking at $6-$12 CPMs, which is lower than specialized networks but higher than you’d expect given their low barrier to entry. Mobile traffic is $2-$8. The advantage is you can run popunders alongside their other formats and optimize the mix for your specific traffic.
Pros: Easiest approval process of any network on this list. Support is available in multiple languages and they actually respond quickly. The multi-format approach means you can test what works for your specific audience. Interface is intuitive. Payment speed is good.
Cons: CPMs are moderate — nothing to get excited about. The network accepts a very wide range of publishers, which means you’re competing with lower-quality inventory. Their contextual targeting isn’t as sophisticated as some competitors. Also, they can be aggressive about ad placement, which sometimes crosses into annoying-to-users territory.
Who should skip it: If you have premium tier-1 traffic and want to maximize revenue per impression, a specialized network will beat them.
I think PropellerAds is the best choice for new publishers. It’s basically the training wheels network — you learn the format, make some money, and then graduate to more specialized networks once you have more traffic volume.
4. Clickadu
Clickadu is aggressively price-competitive and they’re growing for a reason. They focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 traffic — Latin America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, India — and they’ve built their entire operation around getting the best rates for that geography.
Here’s the thing about Tier 2-3 traffic: most networks treat it as second-class inventory. Clickadu actually values it. They have advertiser relationships specifically focused on those regions, and they optimize for it.
Real CPM Numbers: For Latin America traffic, you’re looking at $4-$9 CPMs, which is genuinely competitive for that region. Eastern Europe gets $3-$8. India and Southeast Asia are $2-$6. These numbers sound low compared to tier-1 networks, but they’re actually solid compared to what other networks offer for the same traffic.
Pros: Genuinely best rates for tier-2-3 traffic. Approval is straightforward. They have a really good dashboard. Support is responsive. Fraud detection is competent. Minimum payout is just $5.
Cons: If your traffic skews tier-1, you won’t maximize earnings. They’re less selective about publisher quality, which means the overall network quality is less consistent. Also, their advertiser base can shift seasonally, causing CPM volatility. Interface is functional but not beautiful.
Who should skip it: If your traffic is primarily from US/UK/Canada/Western Europe, you’ll get better rates from other networks.
Clickadu is my go-to recommendation for publishers with emerging-market traffic. I’ve tested them against PropellerAds and Adsterra for that geography, and they consistently win on CPM.
5. PopAds
PopAds is the old school in the best way. They’ve been doing this since basically the beginning of popunders, and they’re still around because they actually deliver. They’re not flashy, they’re not trendy, but they’re reliable.
The network uses what feels like a simple approach: connect publishers with advertisers, take a small cut, pay out the rest. No fancy AI, no elaborate fraud detection, just a solid matching system that’s been refined over years.
Real CPM Numbers: For established publishers with good tier-1 traffic, CPMs range $8-$18. For newer publishers or lower-tier traffic, it’s $3-$10. The interesting part is that PopAds is one of the few networks where having a long history with them actually improves your rates — they’ll increase your CPM multiplier as you prove yourself reliable.
Pros: They’re transparent about how they calculate payouts. Payments are reliable and fast. They have a straightforward approval process. The network has been around long enough that they have real advertiser relationships, not just resold inventory. Community of publishers is helpful and non-toxic.
Cons: Minimum payout is $100, which is a barrier for new publishers. Their dashboard is functional but dated — not as modern as competitors. They don’t have as much geographic diversity as some networks, which means tier-2-3 traffic doesn’t perform as well. Support is available but slower than some competitors.
Who should skip it: If you’re just starting out, the $100 minimum is annoying. If you have significant tier-2-3 traffic, you might do better elsewhere.
6. Adsterra
Adsterra is the Swiss Army knife of ad networks. Popunders, pushes, native ads, banners, in-page pushes — they do everything and they do it competently. The reason they make this list specifically as a popunder network is that they’ve invested serious resources into making that format work well alongside their other formats.
What I appreciate about Adsterra is that they’re transparent about traffic quality. They tier publishers based on fraud rate, and they adjust rates accordingly. This means if you have clean traffic, you’re rewarded. If you’re trying to slide sketchy traffic past them, you’ll get rates that reflect that.
Real CPM Numbers: For clean tier-1 traffic running popunders through their network, expect $6-$14 CPMs. Not the highest, but solid. If you’re running a diversified format mix (which Adsterra encourages), your blended CPM across all formats will often be higher than running popunders alone. For tier-2 traffic, it’s $2-$8.
Pros: Genuinely flexible. You can run just popunders or mix multiple formats. Dashboard is modern and actually useful. Support is available 24/7 and helpful. Minimum payout is just $5. They have smart geo-targeting options. Fraud detection is real and effective.
Cons: CPMs for popunders specifically are moderate — not the highest on this list. Because they accept so many publishers and formats, you’re competing with lots of inventory. If your traffic is unusual or marginal, they might deprioritize you. Also, their advertiser base shifts, causing some CPM volatility week to week.
Who should skip it: If you want to maximize pure popunder revenue and have premium traffic, specialized networks like Zorya will beat them.
I recommend Adsterra for publishers who are monetizing through multiple formats and want a single network handling everything. The per-format rates are slightly lower, but the convenience and time savings make up for it.
7. GumGum
GumGum is premium. They’re one of the few networks that explicitly markets themselves as “premium only” and actually enforces it. If you want to work with them, you need quality traffic, a quality site, and you need to accept that they’re selective.
Their popunder-adjacent product is called “Outstream,” which is technically different from a pure popunder — it’s a video unit that appears in a way that kind of feels like a popunder. It’s a meaningful distinction because it gets better engagement and lower fraud rates than traditional popunders.
Real CPM Numbers: We’re talking $15-$35 CPMs for qualified tier-1 publishers. This is significantly higher than general networks because they’re serving premium advertisers and maintaining strict inventory standards. If you don’t qualify, you just won’t get approved, which is kind of their whole thing.
Pros: Rates are excellent if you qualify. The brand safety is real — they actually screen inventories and ads. Advertisers know they’re getting quality, which means demand is higher. Support is white-glove. Payments are reliable and substantial.
Cons: Minimum payout is $250, which is restrictive. Getting approved is genuinely difficult. They want sites with real editorial value, real traffic, real history. They won’t work with new publishers. They’re also selective about vertical — tech, finance, and lifestyle do well; gambling, dating, and gray areas don’t.
Who should skip it: If you’re not established in tier-1 markets, don’t bother applying. They’ll decline you, and rejection kills your confidence.
8. Undertone
Undertone is similar to GumGum in positioning but slightly different in execution. They’re also premium, also selective, but they’ve built their network around something called “brand safe formats” — ads that are less intrusive and more contextually appropriate than traditional popunders.
Their main format is called “Outstream” as well, but it’s different from GumGum’s — it’s video-focused and they work directly with premium publishers on custom implementations. It feels more like a partnership than a transactional ad network.
Real CPM Numbers: For qualified publishers, CPMs range $15-$40. It’s competitive with GumGum, sometimes higher depending on vertical and timing. The thing is, Undertone often pairs with direct demand, so you’re not always purely auction-based.
Pros: The format is genuinely less annoying to users because of the contextual element. Brand safety is enforced. Support is excellent. They actually care about user experience, which sounds soft but matters for long-term site health. Payments are reliable.
Cons: Minimum payout is $500, which is a huge barrier. Getting approved is extremely difficult and takes months. They want to see serious traffic, established brand, and real audience engagement. The minimum commitment sometimes feels more like a partnership than a self-serve network. Not beginner-friendly at all.
Who should skip it: Unless you’ve got six-figure monthly uniques from tier-1 markets, don’t waste your time.
9. YumeMedia
YumeMedia is a network I don’t see discussed much in English-language publishing circles, but they’re absolutely dominant in Asia-Pacific, and that’s worth talking about. If you have significant traffic from India, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, or Australia, YumeMedia should be on your list.
They specialize in understanding regional advertiser demand and cultural nuances that global networks miss. Their popunder implementation includes region-specific timing and frequency optimization, which sounds abstract but translates to higher engagement and better rates.
Real CPM Numbers: For Australian/New Zealand traffic, you’re looking at $8-$14 CPMs. Japan is $6-$12. South Korea is $8-$15. India and Southeast Asia are $3-$8. These are competitive against global networks for those regions, and often better.
Pros: They actually understand local advertiser demand. Support has people who speak your language and understand your market. Approval is straightforward if you’re in their region. Minimum payout is reasonable at $50. Dashboard includes region-specific analytics.
Cons: If your traffic is primarily Western, they won’t be ideal. Their interface and documentation are weaker than global networks. Support speed can be slower due to time zone differences. They’re less familiar to Western publishers, so there’s a trust barrier.
Who should skip it: If you have primarily Western traffic or you’re uncomfortable working with a network that’s not headquartered in your country, stick with global networks.
10. Exponential
Exponential is the enterprise option. Formerly Tribal Fusion, they’re one of the biggest players in the programmatic advertising space, and they have a premium popunder offering built on top of their massive advertiser relationships.
This isn’t a self-serve network in the traditional sense. You need to go through a sales process. But if you qualify, what you get is access to demand from some of the biggest advertisers in the world, which means the CPMs are serious.
Real CPM Numbers: For qualified premium publishers, CPMs can range $25-$45+. We’re talking about enterprise-level rates here. The floor is higher than any other network on this list, but so are the requirements to get there.
Pros: The CPMs are excellent. You’re working with a massive company that’s been doing this for decades. The demand is stable and comes from real, premium advertisers. Support is enterprise-level. You get a dedicated account manager.
Cons: Minimum payout is $1000, which is prohibitive for anyone not established. Getting approved requires a sales process that takes months. They want significant monthly traffic volume — we’re talking 1M+ uniques. Implementation is more complex and requires technical support. You basically need to hire them as a vendor rather than self-serve.
Who should skip it: If you’re not a mid-sized publisher with established, premium traffic, this is not an option.
How to Actually Pick the Right Network for Your Situation
Okay, so you’ve got all these options. How do you actually figure out which one is right for you? Here’s my decision framework:
Step 1: Know your traffic profile. Specifically: What countries is it from? What’s the breakdown between mobile and desktop? Is it consistent or fluctuating? What’s your monthly uniques and impressions? Write down actual numbers. This matters.
Step 2: Tier your traffic. Tier-1 is US, UK, Canada, Western Europe. Tier-2 is Eastern Europe, Latin America, parts of Asia. Tier-3 is everywhere else. Most networks have different rates for different tiers, and you need to be realistic about where yours falls.
Step 3: Match traffic profile to network positioning. Got premium tier-1 desktop traffic and 500k+ monthly impressions? GumGum or Undertone if you can get approved, Zorya if you want something easier. Got solid tier-1 traffic and 100k+ monthly impressions? TrafficFactory or PopAds. Got tier-2-3 traffic? Clickadu or YumeMedia depending on specific regions. Got small traffic or mixed quality? Start with PropellerAds or Adsterra.
Step 4: Consider the format mix. Are you running popunders alone, or are you diversifying across multiple formats? If you’re diversifying, a network like Adsterra that does multiple formats well will save you time. If popunders alone, specialized networks will beat them.
Step 5: Check the payment terms.** What’s your minimum payout and payment frequency? New publishers with modest traffic need low minimums — this eliminates GumGum, Undertone, and Exponential from consideration. If you’re small, start with PropellerAds ($0.50), Clickadu ($5), or Adsterra ($5).
Step 6: Start with one, test, then diversify. Don’t sign up for all 10 networks at once. Pick the one that matches your profile best, run it for 4-6 weeks, track your CPMs and payment reliability, then add a second network. This lets you actually measure what works instead of being overwhelmed.
Step 7: Don’t optimize for CPM alone. A network that pays $1 CPM but pays reliably and quickly is better than a network promising $15 CPM that doesn’t exist when it’s time to collect. Start with networks you can verify — check reviews, talk to other publishers, confirm they actually pay out.
Five Questions Publishers Actually Ask About Popunder Networks
1. Are popunders still profitable in 2026 or is the format dying?
Popunders are definitely not dying, but they’re not growing either. The format has stabilized at a certain market size. Publishers using popunders are making solid money — the networks are profitable, the demand from advertisers is steady, and CPMs are stable. What changed is that popunders are no longer a surprise tactic. Users expect them. This means the successful networks are the ones that have figured out how to implement them in ways that don’t completely tank user experience. The days of aggressive, multiple popunders per visit are over. Smart, frequency-capped, contextually relevant popunders work. Spam doesn’t.
2. Can I really make six figures running popunders?
Yes, but not the way you think. You can’t just slap popunders on a mediocre site and make bank. What actually works is: a site with real content and real audience, premium traffic from tier-1 countries, multiple popunder networks stacked (so you’re serving the highest-paying ad each time), and diversified monetization (not just popunders, also native ads, banners, direct sales). A publisher in that position with 500k monthly uniques can absolutely hit $10-20k/month from popunders. Some hit more. But this takes work. It’s not passive income.
3. Will popunders destroy my traffic and SEO?
Popunders themselves don’t directly hurt SEO. The actual page content and backlinks matter way more than ad implementation. What popunders can do is increase bounce rate and reduce engagement if they’re too aggressive. Google cares about that indirectly — a site with terrible bounce rate will rank worse because it’s a poor user experience signal. The key is restraint. One popunder per 10 visits or one popunder per user per day, frequency-capped by the network. Do that and you’ll see minimal impact on user behavior. Serve 10 popunders per visit and yeah, your traffic will suffer. But that’s on you, not the format.
4. What’s the deal with fraud and bots in popunder networks?
Bot traffic is absolutely real and is probably 15-25% of the traffic across most networks if you’re not careful. What separates good networks from bad ones is how aggressively they filter it. Good networks (Zorya, TrafficFactory, Adsterra) have real fraud detection that actually works. They’re filtering out bot traffic before they even serve the ad. Bad networks (or undiscerning publishers) just let it through and hope nobody notices. From a publisher perspective: pay attention to your actual click-through rate and engagement metrics. If your popunder CPM is high but the sites don’t report any meaningful engagement, you probably have fraud. Good networks will let you opt-in to stricter fraud filtering if you want (sometimes for a slight CPM hit). Do it.
5. How do I know if a network is actually going to pay me?
Here’s the paranoia that every new publisher has, and it’s not irrational. Ad networks have failed before, and unpaid publishers get screwed. My advice: check these boxes before committing. One, research payment history. Can you find evidence from other publishers that they actually pay? Social media, forums, review sites. Two, start small. Sign up, drive a small amount of traffic, make sure you get your first payment successfully. Three, don’t wait until you accumulate a massive balance to request payment. Request small payments frequently — monthly if possible. Four, understand their payment terms. What’s the net-15, net-30, net-60 situation? Most networks I’m recommending here have good payment history, but the paranoia is justified. Don’t become one of the cautionary tales.
My Actual Recommendation
If you’ve got clean, substantial traffic and you want to maximize revenue, here’s what I’d do: Run Zorya as your primary network (best CPMs for tier-1 traffic). Add Adsterra as a secondary diversified network. If you’ve got tier-2-3 traffic, swap Zorya for Clickadu or YumeMedia depending on geography. If you’re new and smaller, start with PropellerAds for ease of entry, then graduate to better networks as you grow.
The networks that are actually worth your time in 2026 are the ones with real demand partners, decent fraud filtering, reliable payments, and transparent operations. Everything else is just noise.
Popunders are still one of the best ad formats for publishers who know how to implement them responsibly. The networks are competitive, CPMs are stable, and the demand is real. Just be realistic about your traffic quality, patient about finding the right network, and disciplined about frequency-capping and user experience. Do that and you’ll make real money.
