Brandwave

StackAdapt vs The Trade Desk:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, The Trade Desk had more branded searches than StackAdapt among programmatic advertising platforms worldwide. The Trade Desk had about 50,500 branded searches, while StackAdapt had 22,400. The Trade Desk made up 34.1% of all programmatic advertising platform searches we track, and StackAdapt accounted for 15.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about programmatic advertising platforms, both StackAdapt and The Trade Desk appeared in all five answers. The Trade Desk was mentioned before StackAdapt in three out of five answers.

Among programmatic advertising platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

The Trade Desk, about 2 searches for every 1 for StackAdapt

The Trade Desk 50.5K searchesStackAdapt 22.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

StackAdapt in 5 of 5The Trade Desk in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

The Trade Desk, named ahead of StackAdapt in 3 of 5 answers

The Trade Desk first in 3StackAdapt first in 2

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Top programmatic advertising platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both StackAdapt and The Trade Desk showed up in all five answers. The Trade Desk was listed before StackAdapt in three of them.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. The Trade Desk1st
  2. StackAdapt2nd
  3. Google Display & Video 3603rd
  4. Display & Video 3604th
  5. Amazon DSP5th
  6. Basis Technologies6th
  7. Criteo7th
  8. Xandr–
  9. MediaMath–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • The Trade Desk5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Amazon DSP5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • StackAdapt5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Display & Video 3605 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Display & Video 3604 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Basis Technologies3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Criteo1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Xandr0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • MediaMath0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about programmatic advertising platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is StackAdapt or The Trade Desk more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for StackAdapt and The Trade Desk by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine programmatic advertising platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

StackAdapt and The Trade Desk among programmatic advertising platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for The Trade Desk, StackAdapt. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthThe Trade DeskCriteoAmazon DSPStackAdaptXandrBasis TechnologiesDisplay & Video 360MediaMathGoogle Display & Video 360
Oct 202529.4%29.1%23.8%10.8%2.6%2.6%0.83%0.77%0.19%
Nov 202530.9%30.6%20.5%11.4%2.7%1.8%0.98%0.8%0.24%
Dec 202529.6%29.1%23.8%10.8%3.2%1.7%0.98%0.72%0.19%
Jan 202634.7%28%18.8%12.7%2.5%1.4%0.84%0.91%0.18%
Feb 202636.9%29.7%16.2%11%2.6%1.5%0.95%0.96%0.23%
Mar 202639.5%25.8%17.3%11.7%2.3%1.3%1.1%0.84%0.25%
Apr 202630.9%29.8%19.9%13.6%2.2%1.5%1.1%0.78%0.19%
May 202633.3%25.8%21.1%14.4%2.3%1.2%1%0.64%0.25%
Jun 202631.6%29.9%20%13.5%2.2%1.2%0.89%0.6%0.19%
Jul 202629.8%34%18.6%12.5%2%1.3%1%0.6%0.18%
Aug 202638.9%25.5%17.1%14.1%1.8%1.2%0.76%0.55%0.13%
Sep 202634.1%27.4%18.3%15.1%2%1.3%0.99%0.59%0.18%

How has the StackAdapt and The Trade Desk comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for programmatic advertising platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, StackAdapt gained share of searches among programmatic advertising platforms worldwide, from 14.1% to 15.1%.

  2. In September 2026, The Trade Desk lost share of searches among programmatic advertising platforms worldwide, from 38.9% to 34.1%.

How are branded searches counted?

5 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using StackAdapt’s and The Trade Desk’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

StackAdapt

3 branded search terms

  • stackadapt
  • stackadapt dsp
  • stackadapt programmatic advertising

The Trade Desk

2 branded search terms

  • the trade desk
  • the trade desk dsp

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among programmatic advertising platforms

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