Outbrain is one of the two big names in native advertising, alongside Taboola. Its recommendation boxes — the “you may also like” grids under articles — appear on some of the world’s biggest publisher sites.
Since its merger with Teads, Outbrain now operates under the Teads brand, combining its recommendation feeds with Teads’ premium video and display demand.
✓ Our pick for: content publishers of any size who want premium native ads.
Unlike Taboola, Outbrain says it works with publishers of all sizes, and there is no traffic minimum published on its official pages. To join, you fill in the form on Outbrain’s help pages, your site is reviewed, and if you are accepted you receive an agreement and a welcome email.
The payout threshold is a friendly $50 in monthly revenue, and payments are sent automatically through Outbrain’s Tipalti payment portal — you do not need to send an invoice.
The catch is transparency. Outbrain does not publish how fast it pays; payment timing is set in your individual contract, so you only learn it after you are accepted. Its publisher guidelines are also strict: your site needs original content, real human traffic, a privacy policy and ads.txt, and Outbrain bans a long list of content types including crypto, gambling and alcohol.
If your site is clean and content-rich, Outbrain is a strong, reputable choice — just expect a manual review and contract terms you cannot see upfront.
Payout & Join Details
Payout threshold: $50 in monthly revenue
Payment methods: Tipalti payment portal
Payment speed: Not published officially (monthly; timing set in each publisher's contract)
Approval: Apply via form; site reviewed; agreement and welcome email after acceptance
Pros
Open to publishers of all sizes — no traffic minimum stated.
Low $50 payout threshold, payments sent automatically once reached — no invoice needed.
Payments through Tipalti, with a dashboard payment tab.
Strict quality guidelines keep low-quality and scammy ads off the network.
Cons
No self-serve signup — you apply through a form and wait for review and a contract.
Payment timing is set in your individual contract and is not published.
Long prohibited-content list (crypto, gambling, alcohol and more); Outbrain can reject or remove any site at its sole discretion.