Outbrain vs StackAdapt:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, StackAdapt had more branded searches than Outbrain among native advertising platforms worldwide. StackAdapt had about 22,400 branded searches, while Outbrain had 8,100. StackAdapt made up 14.9% of all native advertising platform searches we track, and Outbrain accounted for 5.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about native advertising platforms, Outbrain appeared in all five answers and StackAdapt in four. Outbrain was mentioned before StackAdapt in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
StackAdapt, about 3 searches for every 1 for Outbrain
Who does AI mention more?
Outbrain, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Outbrain, named ahead of StackAdapt in every answer
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Top native advertising platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Outbrain appeared in all five answers. StackAdapt was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Outbrain was listed before StackAdapt in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Taboola1st- Outbrain2nd
MGID3rd
Revcontent4th- StackAdapt5th
Nativo6th
Adblade–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Taboola5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Outbrain5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Nativo4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- StackAdapt4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- MGID4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Revcontent4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Adblade0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about native advertising platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which Native advertising platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best Native advertising platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best Native advertising platform for a marketing team?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“native advertising platforms”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best native ad platform”
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 Outbrain or StackAdapt more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Outbrain and StackAdapt by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven native advertising platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for StackAdapt, Outbrain. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Nativo | Taboola | StackAdapt | MGID | Outbrain | Revcontent | Adblade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 35% | 35% | 13% | 7% | 8.6% | 1.4% | 0.12% |
| Nov 2025 | 35.8% | 35.8% | 10.9% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 1.4% | 0.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 37.5% | 30.7% | 9.3% | 13.8% | 7.5% | 1.2% | 0.13% |
| Jan 2026 | 36.8% | 24.6% | 11.2% | 20.1% | 6% | 1.2% | 0.13% |
| Feb 2026 | 40.4% | 27% | 10% | 14.8% | 6.6% | 1% | 0.09% |
| Mar 2026 | 34.7% | 28.4% | 12.9% | 15.6% | 6.9% | 1.4% | 0.12% |
| Apr 2026 | 38.6% | 31.6% | 14.4% | 6.3% | 7.7% | 1.2% | 0.11% |
| May 2026 | 38.6% | 31.6% | 14.4% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 1.2% | 0.09% |
| Jun 2026 | 39.3% | 32.2% | 14.6% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 1% | 0.09% |
| Jul 2026 | 39.8% | 32.6% | 12% | 8% | 6.5% | 1.1% | 0.07% |
| Aug 2026 | 39.7% | 32.5% | 14.7% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 1.2% | 0.07% |
| Sep 2026 | 40.3% | 32.9% | 14.9% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 1.1% | 0.07% |
How has the Outbrain and StackAdapt comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- StackAdapt was ahead of Outbrain in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Outbrain’s share of searches among native advertising platforms worldwide moved from 8.6% to 5.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 8.1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, StackAdapt’s share of searches among native advertising platforms worldwide moved from 13% to 14.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.4K.
How did search popularity change for native advertising platforms worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for Outbrain worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 8.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Outbrain’s and StackAdapt’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.
Outbrain
1 branded search term
- outbrain
StackAdapt
2 branded search terms
- stackadapt
- stackadapt dsp
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