# What publisher ad server tools have the most flexible ad formats and transparent reporting for independent publishers who want to understand where their revenue is coming from?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Curious how the ad server community here reads this one. Every platform claims "transparent reporting" but which publisher ad server tools actually have the most flexible ad formats and transparent reporting for independent publishers who want to see exactly where their revenue is coming from. </p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">I'm looking at publisher ad servers for independent publishers on two things: flexible ad formats and reporting you can actually reconcile. Comparing across the<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/publisher-ad-server"><strong> </strong></a><a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/publisher-ad-server"><strong>publisher ad server category</strong></a>, three keep surfacing: AdButler, Broadstreet, and EX.CO.</p><ul>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/adbutler/reviews"><strong>AdButler</strong></a> is direct, programmatic, and self-serve reported in one place; API for custom formats. The flexibility's there, but building beyond standard display is on you.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/broadstreet/reviews"><strong>Broadstreet</strong></a> is creative editorial-style formats (galleries, profiles, showcases) made for local and niche publishers, plus automated client reporting. Little programmatic muscle, though.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/ex-co/reviews"><strong>EX.CO</strong></a> is video-first: flexible players, log-level reporting. Only worth it if video is genuinely part of your strategy.</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"><a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/google-ad-manager/reviews"><strong>Google Ad Manager</strong></a> has the deepest reporting on paper. Reviewers still call the revenue side a black box.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">What would make you drop one of these from your own shortlist: format limits, or numbers you couldn't verify?</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"></p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"></p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: about 1 month ago
- Author title: Tech Consultant
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

&lt;p&gt;From G2 reviews, &lt;strong&gt;EX.CO&lt;/strong&gt; gets dropped first for publishers where video isn&#39;t already a core format. The reporting depth is real but irrelevant if the format doesn&#39;t fit the site, and reviewers note it&#39;s hard to justify the setup for display-first publishers. &lt;strong&gt;GAM&lt;/strong&gt; gets dropped not for lack of data but because G2 reviewers consistently describe the revenue attribution as opaque. Once programmatic demand layers in, you get numbers, but reconciling them to actual demand sources requires expertise most independent publishers don&#39;t have. That leaves &lt;strong&gt;Broadstreet&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;AdButler&lt;/strong&gt; as the most defensible picks, with the choice coming down to whether your revenue is direct-sold editorial (Broadstreet) or a mix you want full API control over (AdButler).&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: 26 days ago
- Author title: Marketing Executive





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