Popunder campaigns still drive massive profits, but the wrong ad network can drain your budget and ruin performance. In this guide, you’ll learn how to choose the best popunder ad network in 2026 and why HilltopAds stands out with high-quality traffic, smart optimization, and powerful targeting. We break down key selection criteria, and show what really impacts ROI today.
Popunder is a magnificent ad format: tried and true, it remains popular in 2026. But this gold mine should be entered the right way and with the right gear.
Popunder ad networks provide access and all the necessary infrastructure for you to capitalize on this ad format. But some of them opt for pickaxes, while others equip you with something more advanced, like metaphorical water cannons. Some ad networks can solve a number of problems, while others only create new ones.
That’s why it’s good to know how to pick the right Popunder ad network for your needs. And that’s why this article exists! We’ll tell you about the best networks, provide some guidelines on finding them, and share some insights from our invited expert, Elm.
Launch your popunder campaign on HilltopAds
and get access to 273+ billion monthly impressions from direct publishers.
What Is Popunder Ad Network?
Popunder ad network is an advertising platform that focuses primarily on the popunder type of ad format. Networks help you streamline your work by allowing you to target precisely, adjust bids, and use their tools to perfect your campaigns. Finding one tailored to your needs can free you from mundane and tiring tasks so you can focus on the creative part.
Now, popunder is a unique advertising format that, despite being on the market for quite some time, still delivers exceptional results. In fact, popunders command 300% conversion rates while being relatively cheap to fund.
Popunders appear in a new browser window behind the main content. They take up the entire window, so users see the ad when they close their tab, making it harder to ignore than traditional banner ads. For popunders, ad networks generally offer lower CPC and CPM rates compared to other ad types. The format is also great for rapid testing of landing pages and creative strategies. Popunders are equally effective for diverse verticals like gaming, finance, streaming, and dating, as they are easily customizable and versatile.
Users are generally more receptive because the format allows them to browse without being interrupted or having to answer questions, in contrast to popups, for example. Besides, popunders give users the option to engage, further reducing bounce rate. At the same time, in case the user is interested in the offer, popunders provide all the needed information in one place, unlike small banner ads, to automatically deal with any user objections.
Also check out our complete guide to popunder traffic in 2026:
How to Choose the Best Ad Network in 2026
So, there are a handful of ad networks out there; some of them are quite popular and hyped, and some are, well, less than that. As cheesy as it may sound, going with the first category isn’t always the right move: choosing an ad network in 2026 requires careful evaluation rather than simply selecting the most visible option.
An ad network is a sort of mediator that connects advertisers with available ad space across websites, apps, and newer digital environments. It automates the process of buying and placing ads so businesses can reach relevant audiences efficiently. However, with so many networks operating (and varying in quality), making an informed choice is essential to protecting your budget and achieving the desired results.
Check Reputation
Before any technical insights, let’s talk safety. Research independent reviews and community feedback. Look beyond the testimonials on the network’s website, check advertiser forums, and review platforms and industry groups for recurring themes. Look for payment reliability, policy enforcement, or optimization transparency. Consistent complaints about sudden account suspensions or sketchy and unclear algorithms raise major red flags.
Verify Traffic Quality
Traffic quality is to be investigated first. You need to make sure that your ads appear in front of real people, not bots. Check with potential networks about their anti-fraud measures, such as how they filter invalid traffic and verify human engagement. Transparency about traffic sources, whether from premium sites, social platforms, or incentivized apps, is good for brand safety and ensures high performance.
Assess Targeting Flexibility
Let’s say the traffic is good; now you need to target it properly. You are looking for segmentation by:
- GEO location down to the city level
- Device type (desktop, mobile, and tablet)
- Operating system
- Browser
- Language
- Connection type
Controlling when ads appear throughout the day or limiting how often a single user sees your creative is optional yet recommended. You don’t have to use all the possibilities of flexible targeting, but it’s good to have it, so the filters are available when you need them the most or just want to try out a new approach.
Inspect Optimization and Tracking Tools
Look for networks that support postback URLs to sync conversion data with your tracking platforms, offer real-time performance dashboards, and enable quick A/B testing of different creatives or landing pages. Future optimization should be based on the data you have. Networks that delay reporting or lack integration options make scaling difficult.
Review Pricing and Payment Models
Overall costs and general alignment with your campaign goal are your next concerns. Consider which payment models the network supports: CPC, CPM, or maybe CPA. The commission structure will have an impact on your budget and campaign planning. Also, you want to have options for bid adjustments across different audience segments, along with daily budget caps or maximum bid limits. You will need those features to manage risk during testing phases and prevent overspending when algorithms are still learning.
Evaluate Support Quality
Information is the key. An account manager can provide strategic advice tailored to your vertical, while technical support resolves tracking or delivery issues quickly. The presence of additional resources, such as case studies, onboarding sessions, and updated educational materials, speaks for the network itself. When problems arise (and they will), you do want to have a quick way to resolve them, and well-established communication is of great help here.
Confirm Niche Compatibility
Last but not least, ad networks might specialize in specific verticals while excluding others. The most common examples are non-mainstream and/or iGaming, but other niches can also be excluded, depending on compliance requirements. Restrictions aside, you want a network with proven experience and ad inventory so you can work in your desired niche hassle-free.
Generally, we recommend running a split test between two ad networks with a single campaign if you have difficulty deciding which is better.
Elm
Business Development Manager HilltopAds
The most important factors when choosing a network are traffic quality and its effectiveness:
- How well the network handles bots,
- How active the audience is,
- What ROI is achieved.
Everyone’s talking about AI these days, and ad networks shouldn’t miss out on the opportunities offered by smart algorithms. At Hilltopads, we’ve developed AI algorithms for automatic campaign optimization, eliminating ineffective traffic segments and distributing budget to the most effective zones.
Also, the ease of launching and managing your account is impressive, as is the variety of formats and the professionalism of your personal manager.
Targeting flexibility and the ability to customize campaigns in depth are also crucial. Did you know that at Hilltopads, we can even show ads in VR headsets?
Buy popunder traffic on HilltopAds today and achieve the highest ROI
How Top Popunder Ad Networks Compare in 2026
Popunder remains one of the most popular and loved formats among advertisers. However, despite its potential, results vary significantly depending on the network powering your campaigns. Long story short, even if you did everything right, success still depends heavily on the network you work with.
Top-tier popunder networks care about their traffic quality, offer precise targeting, report transparent data, ensure flexible bid structures, and provide internal support. They also keep up clear vertical policies and compliance expertise for regulated industries. For reputable and trusted ad networks, maintaining high standards is not about obligatory compliance but rather full client satisfaction and success.
In contrast, average ad networks often bet on quick, unstable strategies that might yield initial profits but fail in the long run. Third-party traffic with minimal (if any) fraud prevention, limited targeting options, reporting delays (24 hours or more), rigid bid structures, and unpredictable pacing: all that makes scaling difficult and unpredictable.
Popunder works best for direct-response offers where intent and landing page match matter more than brand impressions. If that describes your goals and you value transparency over volume, we’ve structured our platform to ensure fairness and honesty for all parties involved. At HilltopAds, we believe that high-quality traffic, straightforward controls, and responsive support lay the groundwork, and you can witness it firsthand by registering on our platform.
Elm
Business Development Manager HilltopAds
In 2026, it’s clear that traffic volume doesn’t equal traffic quality, and high volumes with low efficiency are pointless. Targeted, active traffic is key. Furthermore, the global growth of internet users and traffic is making it difficult to manually handle such volumes, so networks without AI optimization algorithms are losing out.
With Hilltopads, you can set up automatic checkups once and monitor your campaigns’ results without the need for manual optimization. It’s also important to be able to quickly and easily launch an advertising campaign to reap the benefits first, so a fast and easy-to-use advertising account is also crucial.
Why HilltopAds Is the Best Popunder Ad Network
Since launching an ad network in 2013, we’ve focused on building a reliable platform for advertisers, with popunder remaining the main focus alongside push notifications, display ads, and video ads. The network processes approximately 273+ billion impressions per month across more than 250+ countries, focusing on verticals such as iGaming, dating, finance, and nutra.
Direct Relationships
We follow a straightforward, pragmatic approach: prioritizing direct publisher relationships over reliance on third-party traffic resellers. This way, the advertisers running performance-based campaigns get cleaner traffic and consistent results.
Traffic Quality Management
We’ve automated traffic quality management, continuously monitoring and evaluating traffic sources based on their performance. Engagement patterns and conversion data determine whether a traffic source gets White- or BlackListed.
This way, an advertiser doesn’t have to go over manually and filter out low-quality impressions. While no ad network can eliminate fraud entirely, this layered approach helps reach set standards across campaigns. Advertisers working in sensitive verticals often note the relative stability of traffic sources here compared to networks with more obscure supply chains.
Transparent Reporting
For your campaigns to perform well, it is crucial to track analytics and optimize in a timely manner. It is even better if the ad network offers a wide range of analytics and optimization tools.
HilltopAds provides automated optimization tools, postback and external tracker integration, and a new feature – CPA Goal, which allows you to set a target cost per conversion, after which the system automatically optimizes the campaign to reach that goal.
These capabilities distinguish HilltopAds from other networks, which often offer only basic analytics and limited tracker integration.
Precise Targeting
Targeting options are plain and simple: GEO targeting down to the regional or city level, device and OS segmentation, browser filters, and IP range blocking. Bid models include CPM, CPC, and CPA, with a $100 minimum deposit to cover the testing period.
Reliable Support
Achieving success alone can be very challenging, especially when working with an ad network. Support from a manager can be a decisive factor in campaign performance, as they can answer questions, advise on campaign setup, and guide the use of the platform.
In HilltopAds, personal managers are available Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00 UTC through Telegram, Skype, live chat, or email. This allows advertisers to quickly resolve issues, get recommendations on campaign setup, and receive guidance on choosing formats for specific offers.
Read our case studies on running popunder campaigns with HilltopAds:
Please note that popunder performance can fluctuate, depending on a number of factors: a tiny typo in a creative can ruin the impression. Therefore, no reputable ad network can guarantee high performance, but you can maximize your chances of success.
And HilltopAds does everything it can to minimize fluctuations and provide stability to your traffic generation and performance marketing in general.
WResults ultimately depend on the advertiser’s execution, but an ad network provides a stable foundation for testing and scaling when aligned with compatible verticals.
Elm
Business Development Manager HilltopAds
HilltopAds takes a serious approach to analyzing and verifying traffic. We are often cited as one of the leading popunder networks. HilltopAds generates billions of impressions and covers virtually every country, enabling advertisers to acquire a broad audience from direct websites.
Automatic campaign optimization quickly and easily helps you find the most effective segments for each unique advertising campaign. This saves time and enables you to achieve a higher ROI faster. We use built-in anti-fraud mechanisms to filter out ineffective sources, thereby delivering the highest-quality traffic. Hilltopads also integrates easily with a wide range of analytics and tracking tools (Voluum, Redtrack, Binom, etc.).
Start Working With HilltopAds
HilltopAds is an ad network for publishers and advertisers looking to start campaigns in a fair and honest environment. You get a range of ad formats, including popunders, of course, push ads, and banners, along with targeting by GEO, device type, and other parameters. To start working with HilltopAds, follow these simple steps:
Create and Verify Your Advertising Account
To start advertising with HilltopAds, visit hilltopads.com.
Choose your role – Advertiser – and fill out the required fields with accurate information:
- Your name;
- Your email;
- Create a password;
- Please review our Terms of Use carefully and accept them by clicking the checkbox.
After submitting the form, check your inbox for an email. Click the confirmation button inside the email to verify your address.
Launch your ad campaign with HilltopAds and get
- Advanced targeting options
- Direct traffic sources
- Self-serve platform
- Fully-managed service
- Postback tracking
Fill in Invoice Details to Make a Deposit
At the next step after creating your HilltopAds account, you need to fill in your invoice details before making a deposit and running ads. In the My Account → Invoice Information section, provide your fiscal status (individual or company), contact details, location (city, country, ZIP code, address), and preferred messenger for communication. This information is used for invoice generation and helps your personal manager reach you if needed, and it can be updated later if necessary.
Add Funds to Your Account
After filling in your invoice details, the next step is to add funds to your HilltopAds advertising balance in order to start running campaigns. Go to the Add Funds section in your dashboard, select your preferred payment method such as Bitcoin, USDT, Capitalist, Paxum, Wise, credit card, or wire transfer, enter the amount, and confirm the payment. The minimum deposit is $100, and once the payment is processed, your balance will be updated so you can proceed with launching your first campaign.
Create ad campaigns
After funding your account, you can move on to creating your first ad campaign in HilltopAds. In the dashboard, go to the Campaigns section and click Create Campaign. Choose the traffic source, select popunder or another ad format, set your target GEOs, devices, and other audience parameters, enter your campaign budget and bid settings, and upload your creatives. You can also configure frequency caps and tracking options before launching. Once everything is set, save and activate the campaign to start delivering ads to your target audience.
Monitor and Optimize Performance
Once your campaign is running, the next step in HilltopAds is to monitor and optimize its performance. Use the campaign dashboard to track key metrics such as impressions, clicks, CTR, conversions, and ROI in real time. Review the performance by GEO, device, and ad format to identify which segments are delivering the best results. Based on this data, you can adjust bids, refine targeting, exclude underperforming placements, and test new creatives to improve efficiency and maximize campaign outcomes. Regular monitoring and timely optimization help you make informed decisions and scale successful traffic segments.
Elm
Business Development Manager HilltopAds
Hilltopads makes it easy for beginners to launch successfully, with an intuitive interface that lets you create and launch your first campaign in less than 60 seconds, without lengthy setup.
Each registered user has their own personal manager, not a chatbot, but a real person committed to each client’s success. Automatic campaign optimization helps new users quickly achieve a positive ROI, and the number of case studies described in our blog provides a vast knowledge base.
Even if you’re launching a campaign for the first time, you can quickly connect to a tracker (our templates are already included in trusted trackers) and get clear data on traffic and campaign results. This provides everything needed to increase campaign effectiveness and enhance new users’ expertise.
Also check out our recent article on how to promote 3SNET iGaming offers with HilltopAds:
Conclusion
For advertisers looking for a simple way to get started, we can offer the ad platform with all the necessary features and support. A wide range of ad formats, flexible targeting options, and operating systems are all you need to promptly get started.
Although the market is saturated with well-known ad networks, HilltopAds is the one that is easily accessible, especially for those who are less experienced with traffic monetization and may find more complicated platforms daunting.
It’s important to remember that campaign optimization, niche relevance, and individual traffic quality, rather than just the ad network, ultimately determine results. Test multiple ad networks on a small budget to see if they fit your traffic and income targets, as performance results tend to vary. Those ready to begin running campaigns without the hassle of extensive setup or long approval periods, get on board and register as our partner.