9 Best Real-Time Bidding (RTB) Platforms in 2025
The introduction of real-time bidding (RTB) has significantly changed the way premium publishers, app developers, and advertisers deliver their advertising campaigns.
RTB gives publishers more control over their inventory, including the ability to set price floors and optimize remnant impressions. Choosing the right RTB platform can make the difference between weak monetization and strong yield performance.
In this guide, we will cover how RTB works, the different types of platforms, what to consider when choosing one, and the 9 best real-time bidding platforms for publishers in 2025.
What is Real-Time Bidding?
A core part of programmatic advertising, real-time bidding refers to the automated auction process where advertisers bid on impressions in real time, usually on a CPM basis. Multiple advertisers compete for the same inventory before the page even loads, with the highest bid winning. The entire process happens in milliseconds.
Benefits of RTB for Publishers
Optimized price floors:
RTB allows publishers to set and adjust floor prices dynamically, ensuring impressions aren’t undersold and that revenue opportunities are maximized across markets and formats.
Higher competition and stronger CPMs:
Because multiple advertisers bid simultaneously, publishers benefit from true auction pressure. More competition means higher clearing prices and healthier CPMs over time.
Monetization of remnant ad units:
Inventory that might otherwise go unsold can be monetized through RTB, giving publishers a reliable way to capture value from impressions that direct deals or premium campaigns don’t cover.
Faster, more efficient ad delivery:
Automated auctions happen in milliseconds, reducing manual intervention and ensuring that the highest-value ad is displayed instantly without delays that hurt user experience.
How the RTB Process Works
- A user clicks on a web page.
- The publisher’s ad server/SSP signals available inventory.
- The SSP checks the user’s data (cookies, demographics, interests).
- Demand-side platforms (DSPs) place bids based on user value.
- The SSP selects the highest bid.
- The winning ad is instantly displayed.
Types of Real-Time Bidding Platforms
RTB is not a single platform but an ecosystem of multiple technologies:
- Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs): Publishers sell inventory here.
- Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs): Advertisers buy impressions here.
- Ad Exchanges: Where real-time auctions occur.
- Data Management Platforms (DMPs): Provide audience data.
- Ad Networks: Aggregate demand to increase reach.
What to Look For in an RTB Platform
Choosing an RTB platform depends on your niche, audience, and ad format needs. Still, publishers should always consider:
- Ad Formats: Ensure the platform supports your primary formats (e.g., video, native, CTV).
- Technical Support: Reliable support is essential for troubleshooting complex setups.
- Ad Serving Technology: Platforms should offer advanced targeting, dynamic floors, and optimization tools.
9 Best Real-Time Bidding Platforms for Publishers in 2025
1. AdColony
Founded in 2011, AdColony is one of the largest mobile ad platforms worldwide. It specializes in HD video and playable ad formats, making it a strong choice for mobile game developers and entertainment publishers. With coverage across Android and iOS, AdColony is best known for delivering immersive ad experiences that drive engagement.
2. Ads Compass
Ads Compass is a global ad network and exchange that connects publishers with advertisers, media buyers, and other networks. Its self-serve platform is designed for ease of use, while offering support for multiple ad formats across desktop and mobile. With its own exchange, Ads Compass provides publishers with access to broad demand and simple campaign management.
3. Imonomy
Imonomy is best known for in-image advertising, working with over 13,000 publishers worldwide. Its technology extends to in-line, in-screen, in-video, and header bidding solutions, making it versatile for visually rich websites. By combining contextual analysis, semantic targeting, and big data insights, Imonomy helps publishers unlock incremental revenue from content-driven ad placements.
4. LiveIntent
Founded in 2009, LiveIntent specializes in helping publishers monetize their email audiences. The platform integrates ads directly into newsletters and email campaigns, making it a unique option for publishers with strong subscriber bases. As third-party cookies phase out, LiveIntent is expanding its solutions to help publishers diversify revenue beyond traditional web display.
5. Magnite
Formerly known as Rubicon Project, Magnite is one of the world’s leading supply-side platforms. It offers strong expertise in video and CTV, with advanced solutions like private marketplaces and header bidding wrappers. Magnite supports multiple video formats, from linear to out-stream, and is trusted by major publishers and brands including Spotify, Vox, and eBay.
6. MagicBid
A full-stack ad tech company built for publishers across web, app, and CTV. MagicBid combines Prebid + Postbid unification, real-time reporting, and dynamic floor optimization to maximize yield. With direct partnerships (Google, PubMatic, Magnite, InMobi, Onetag) and third-party fraud protection (Pixalate, Fraudlogix, HUMAN), MagicBid ensures every impression is competitively bid and fully compliant.
What sets MagicBid apart is its AI-powered unified auctions, transparent S-chain verified supply, and seamless onboarding across platforms in as little as 24–48 hours. Every client is paired with a dedicated account manager for 1:1 support, ensuring that publishers not only access premium demand but also achieve consistent growth in both CPMs and fill.
7. OutBrain
OutBrain is a global leader in native advertising and content recommendations. Its widgets appear as content suggestions within articles, designed to drive user engagement and discovery. With a reach of over 2.5 billion people, OutBrain serves premium publishers and offers formats such as native, in-stream, interstitial, and in-article ads. It’s particularly valuable for publishers focused on audience engagement.
8. Smaato
Smaato is a publisher-first, mobile-centric RTB platform offering an ad exchange, a private marketplace, and its own ad server. Supporting more than 90,000 app developers and mobile publishers, it enables monetization through video, native, banner, and out-stream formats. Its strong real-time analytics and exchange access make it a flexible option for publishers focused on mobile growth.
9. Splicky
Splicky is a demand-side platform (DSP) that uses real-time advertising technology to reach audiences across mobile, desktop, CTV, and digital out-of-home (DOOH). It supports a wide variety of formats, including banners, rich media, interstitials, and video. Splicky’s self-serve platform provides publishers and advertisers with intuitive real-time analytics and precise targeting options.
Ready to Optimize Your RTB Strategy?
Choosing the right RTB platform is only the first step, the real results come from setting up your stack to balance CPMs, fill rate, and transparency across every impression. If you’re looking to simplify integrations, access premium demand, and maximize yield across web, app, and CTV, our team can help.
Email us at support@magicbid.ai and let’s review your setup to see where your RTB performance can grow.
If you’re not making the most of your ad space, you’re leaving money on the table.
MagicBid helps web, app, and CTV publishers maximize revenue with smarter ad placement and optimization tools.
- Web Monetization: Get better ad visibility, higher engagement, and more revenue from every impression.
- In-App Monetization: Connect with premium advertisers to effortlessly boost fill rates and eCPMs.
- CTV Monetization: Deliver high-quality, tailored ad experiences that keep viewers engaged and advertisers paying more.
With MagicBid’s advanced ad tech and expert support, you can turn your traffic into higher earnings without the guesswork.
Connect with us now to get a free ad revenue evaluation.
