I like that The Trade Desk gives me a bit more control than most ad platforms without feeling completely chaotic once you get used to it. The audience targeting setup is pretty strong and useful, especially when trying to go beyond basic demographic stuff and layering signals. The flexibility to rebuild messy or half-defined segments into something more usable is invaluable. While the reporting isn't pretty or intuitive at first, it becomes decent and functional enough to connect spend with performance across channels, which helps in reducing chaos when explaining campaign results to clients. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A few things feel a bit more painful than they should. The learning curve is probably the first one. It’s not very forgiving for new users, and even simple things like setting up campaigns or finding specific reports can feel unnecessarily layered. We've had situations where onboarding new team members took longer than expected just because the interface isn’t very intuitive. Also, reporting could definitely be cleaner. It works, but it feels like it was built more for depth than clarity. When you’re trying to explain performance to clients quickly, you sometimes end up exporting data and cleaning it outside the tool because the native view isn’t always presentation-friendly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Trade Desk is really impressive because it works so well with lots of different data partners, which makes setting up campaigns a breeze. It performs incredibly well, giving us real-time insights and a great return on investment. And on top of that, their customer support team is always quick to respond and happy to lend a hand, which is a big plus. Overall, it's a great tool that makes our job easier and helps us get the results we're looking for. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

To be honest, The Trade Desk is a good platform, but its user interface can be a bit too much to handle at times. It takes some time to find what you're looking for in the settings. And for smaller brands, the minimum amount you have to spend is a major drawback. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Trade Desk is hands-down the best DSP out there. I love its independent, transparent platform that gives real control over programmatic ads across CTV, video, and more without the walled gardens. Killer tech, strong results, and privacy-focused innovation. Total game-changer for advertisers.Best to use and integration. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Trade Desk can be a real pain super steep learning curve, way too complex with endless settings, and those high fees plus minimum spends make it expensive as hell for smaller budgets. Reports load slow, and the new Kokai AI rollout feels buggy and less transparent lately. Not beginner-friendly at all. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that it’s a programmatic platform that allows agencies to run ads on behalf of our clients. Its user interface is easy to understand and use for all. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It can take a while to set up an ad campaign, especially in a fast-paced environment. Also, it isn’t immediately easy to find in-depth reporting and analytics. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I appreciate how focused they are on building technology instead of simply selling media. The platform feels genuinely data-driven and more transparent than others in the space, particularly when it comes to optimization and reporting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

If I had to point out areas for improvement, I’d say the platform can sometimes feel a bit heavy from a performance standpoint, particularly when working with large datasets. I’ve also noticed that reporting can take a while depending on how it’s set up, which can affect agility when you need insights quickly. From a client perspective, fees can also be a factor when comparing platforms. That said, I understand these are often trade-offs that come with more advanced capabilities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like most about The Trade Desk is the transparency and the level of control it gives me over my campaigns. Unlike some other platforms, I can clearly see where my budget is going, track how bids are performing in real time, and optimize at a very granular level. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The most frustrating thing for me about The Trade Desk is the steep learning curve. Even with experience using other DSPs, it still takes a lot of time to feel truly comfortable on the platform—especially since they moved everything over to the new Kokai interface. On some days it feels overly complex, with too many settings and options, and it’s easy to get lost if you’re not in it every single day. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I've always liked that TheTradeDesk exist as a unique DSP partner in our industry - they are the only 'big vendor' who don't own their own supply, so don't have their own agenda. Their value exists in granting buyers, like us, the most wide access to the open internet. With other products layered in to ensure we have the best opportunity to succeed for our clients. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some of the products they sell are not as transparent as they could be. There have been instances where we haven't known we've been using one of their features, even if we thought we'd 'opted out' it turned out we hadn't. I know this is a public challenge they've faced. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Trade Desk clearly explains how Cross-Device Targeting helps reach the right audience and how Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) supports stronger identity matching and more transparent campagin insights and integration with Lotame and Google Analytics also make it eaiser for us to understand performance, without needing any extra work on our side. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are a lot of campaign options, which can be a bit overwhelming at first. Some reports also take time to customize and a few need additional setup before they’re truly useful and easy to work with. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I really like the recent upgrade to the Kokai experience because it's very user-friendly. The setup and campaign management are super easy, and I can see the campaign performance all in one place, like a periodic table. The Ad group overview lets us efficiently manage campaigns and make changes easily. We also manage multiple creatives, audience targeting, and have more control over inventory, which has helped us increase conversions by aiming at specific audiences. Plus, the brand safety and prompt service from the representatives have been great. The setup process was smooth thanks to the guidance from The Trade Desk representative, who stayed on the call with us. I'd say it's a strong 8 out of 10 for recommending to a friend or colleague. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The most concerning thing about The Trade Desk is the associated data cost and fee features cost. The media cost is almost 55%-60% sometimes. There was a campaign which was related to the ticket sales for a cricket client. The total conversion was below our benchmark even after following all the suggestions and recommendations from the Trade Desk rep. Upon reviewing, we found that most of the media costs were associated with the interest targeting fees related to the cricket fans. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One of the things I admire most about The Trade Desk is its commitment to the open internet, along with its focus on bringing more transparency, objectivity, and data-driven decision-making to digital advertising. The company has built an independent platform that helps advertisers reach audiences across multiple channels, while also giving them greater control and clearer visibility into performance. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I don’t have any major dislikes about The Trade Desk. If I had to point to a challenge, it’s that the digital advertising industry evolves extremely quickly, with constant shifts in privacy regulations, identity solutions, and measurement standards. That said, I see this more as an opportunity than a drawback, because The Trade Desk has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of innovation and adaptation. The pace can be demanding at times, but it’s also a big part of why the company continues to stand out as a leader in the industry. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.