Ad network requirements in 2026: what each network asks for
Traffic minimums, audience rules and payment terms for AdSense, Monumetric, Journey, Raptive, SHE Media, Mediavine, Ezoic, Playwire and Freestar, each checked against the network's own pages.
Every ad network for websites has an entry bar, and they're all measured differently: pageviews, sessions, users or revenue. Some add rules about where your readers are or how old your site is. This page puts them side by side.
Every rule below comes from the network's own requirements page or help center, linked in the table, except one detail of Raptive's audience rule, which is marked with its source. All were checked on October 31, 2026. Networks change these often (Raptive and Ezoic both did in the last year), so check the linked page again before you apply. Where a network's own page didn't state something, we've left it blank rather than repeat a number from a third-party blog.
The requirements, from lowest bar to highest
| Network | Traffic you need | Other rules | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AdSense | No minimum | Original, high-quality content; policy approval | $100 threshold, paid between the 21st and 26th |
| Monumetric Propel | 10,000–80,000 pageviews a month | WordPress or Blogger; at least 6 ad slots on desktop and mobile; 300px sidebar; $99 one-time fee | |
| Journey by Mediavine | 1,000 sessions in 30 days from the US, Canada, UK or Australia | Original content; Mediavine's quality and traffic standards | |
| Raptive | 25,000 pageviews a month | 50%+ of traffic from the US, UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand; 40% above 100,000 pageviews (SEJ) | Net 45; balances under $25 roll over |
| SHE Media | 50,000+ pageviews a month | At least 30% US traffic; site at least 90 days old; human-created content | Paid 35 days after the end of the month |
| Mediavine | No traffic bar: $5,000+ a year in ad revenue | Good standing with AdSense and Ad Exchange; original content | |
| Ezoic | 250,000+ monthly active users (new sites since February 2026) | Smaller sites can apply to its Incubator, 20 a month | |
| Playwire | 500,000 pageviews a month (or 1,000 daily users for apps) | Net 60 | |
| Freestar | No stated minimum; its publishers "typically" have at least 1 million pageviews a month |
A few things worth noticing. SHE Media's own FAQ now asks for 50,000 pageviews and 30% US traffic, more than the 20,000 that many blog posts still quote. Ezoic, long the easy next step after AdSense, now has one of the highest bars on the list. And Mediavine is the only one that measures revenue instead of traffic.
Mediavine's bar depends on your audience
Because Mediavine counts revenue, the traffic you need depends on what each pageview earns. Using our calculator's RPM estimate for Mediavine, a general-interest site needs roughly:
| Where readers are | Estimated RPM | Monthly pageviews for $5,000 a year |
|---|---|---|
| US, UK, Canada, Australia | $19.80 | about 21,000 |
| Western Europe | $10.80 | about 39,000 |
| Mixed worldwide | $9.00 | about 46,000 |
| Asia / SEA / India | $3.42 | about 122,000 |
The math is $5,000 ÷ 12 months ÷ RPM × 1,000. These are our estimates, not Mediavine's figures: Mediavine doesn't publish RPMs, so the calculator uses its own, and says so. The point holds whatever the exact RPM: the same revenue bar is several times easier to reach with a US audience.
The path most sites follow
With these rules, a new English-language site with mostly US and UK readers usually goes:
- AdSense from the start, once it's approved (what that takes).
- Journey by Mediavine once it gets 1,000 tier-1 sessions a month, or Monumetric if it's on WordPress or Blogger and past 10,000 pageviews.
- Raptive or Mediavine at around 21,000–25,000 pageviews. Raptive at 25,000 pageviews; Mediavine whenever estimated revenue passes $5,000 a year.
- Ezoic, Playwire or Freestar only become options at hundreds of thousands of users or pageviews.
A site with a mostly non-US audience has a harder path. Raptive's 50% rule, SHE Media's 30% US rule and Journey's tier-1 sessions all depend on where readers are, and Mediavine's revenue bar takes far more traffic. For those sites, AdSense may stay the best option for longer, and the calculator will tell you when that changes.
Before you apply anywhere
Have your numbers ready. Ezoic, for example, verifies traffic by connecting your Google Analytics account when you apply, and every rule above is measured over a month or more, so make sure Analytics is installed and has at least a full month of data first.
Read the contract before you sign. Managed networks can have exclusivity clauses, minimum terms and notice periods, and it's much easier to ask about them before you sign. For what each network pays once you're in, see our comparison of AdSense, Ezoic, Mediavine and Raptive.