What users are saying about
35 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 7.2 out of 100
Based on 35 reviews and ratings
3 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 6.6 out of 100
Based on 3 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
- AppNexus ranks higher in 2 feature sets: Ad Network Integration, Ad Reporting & Analytics
- Smart AdServer ranks higher in 1 feature set: Ad Campaigns
Ad Network Integration

8.4
AppNexus
84%

8.0
Smart AdServer
80%
AppNexus ranks higher in 2/2 features
AppNexus ranks higher in 2/2 features
Data Transfer

8.0
80%
6 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
DSP integration

8.8
88%
8 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Ad Campaigns

7.9
AppNexus
79%

8.0
Smart AdServer
80%
Smart AdServer ranks higher in 5/5 features
Smart AdServer ranks higher in 5/5 features
Ad campaign creation

7.9
79%
8 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Ad deployment

8.9
89%
7 Ratings

9.0
90%
1 Rating
Display advertising

7.0
70%
7 Ratings

7.0
70%
1 Rating
Ad display and retargeting segmentation

8.0
80%
7 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Sequence targeting

7.9
79%
7 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Ad Reporting & Analytics

8.1
AppNexus
81%

7.5
Smart AdServer
75%
AppNexus ranks higher in 4/6 features
AppNexus ranks higher in 4/6 features
Ad dashboards

8.8
88%
9 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Ad performance reports

6.9
69%
9 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Ad conversion tracking

7.9
79%
8 Ratings

7.0
70%
1 Rating
Ad attribution reporting

7.9
79%
8 Ratings

8.0
80%
1 Rating
Cross-channel ad management

8.9
89%
8 Ratings

7.0
70%
1 Rating
Ad forecasting and optimization

7.9
79%
8 Ratings

7.0
70%
1 Rating
Attribute Ratings
- AppNexus and Smart AdServer are tied in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend
Likelihood to Recommend

8.0
AppNexus
80%
16 Ratings

8.0
Smart AdServer
80%
1 Rating
Likelihood to Renew

4.0
AppNexus
40%
6 Ratings

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Usability

5.0
AppNexus
50%
2 Ratings

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Availability

10.0
AppNexus
100%
2 Ratings

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Performance

10.0
AppNexus
100%
2 Ratings

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Support Rating

6.0
AppNexus
60%
2 Ratings

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Online Training

2.0
AppNexus
20%
1 Rating

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Implementation Rating

5.0
AppNexus
50%
2 Ratings

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Product Scalability

5.0
AppNexus
50%
1 Rating

Smart AdServer
N/A
0 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
AppNexus
Appnexus is specifically well suited for CTV campaigns. They have the full technology stack to help you scale campaigns in any format, whether you need a lot of volume in traditional formats like banners and interstitials or if you need high-impact formats like video and other alternatives. Appnexus has a very strong set of unique publishers which makes it a great DSP for branding campaigns.
Director digital
OgilvyInternet, 10,001+ employees
Smart AdServer
Smart AdServer is great for a marketing department, to track stats and clicks of their audience. It's a great way to engage the client without actually engaging them. We use it all the time to monitor where they're going, what they're interested in, and how engaging our posts are. I would say it's probably not a good idea for a smaller organization, as one social media manager could work it all out
Graphic Designer
The Scott & Miller GroupDesign, 11-50 employees
Pros
AppNexus
- As per my experience they have strong support personnel. Solving the issues as and when required.
- We can solve certain issues like campaign performance, inventory optimization and more with the help of AppNexus wiki. We get all the required information in the Wiki itself.
- They have given the right platform to both buyers and sellers to workout and meet their digital marketing needs and goals.
Media Buying Manager
Pixel Pro Media LLCOnline Media, 1-10 employees
Smart AdServer
- It is easy to use, with functionality covering mobile, desktop and even tablet. I'm always on the go, so it's nice to be able to access my server from pretty much anywhere.
- It has a wonderful intuitive user interface, every facet of this is designed and thought over, so it's easy to navigate around the program.
- It offers a free trial so there's no real commitment if you just want to try it out, which is nice.
Graphic Designer
The Scott & Miller GroupDesign, 11-50 employees
Cons
AppNexus
- The platform is incredibly complex and requires a great deal of understanding of how the platform works that caught us by surprise.
- The wiki is not enough and when we resorted to reaching out to AppNexus it was a nuisance of having several emails going back and forth.
- No phone support is offered which would have made several things easier than exchanging confusing emails.
- Video inventory is still not implemented.

Verified User
Manager in Marketing
Furniture Company, 11-50 employeesSmart AdServer
- I would like a more in-depth look at my traffic stats. I can see clicks, where my audience is going, but I'd like maybe some kind of perspective into who my audience is (18-24, adult, etc).
- Constant updates. It's nice that they're always looking to update program, but the update can kinda get in the way of my work sometimes.
- I'd prefer it if were a little cheaper – the free trial is nice, but getting my superiors to sign off on the cost (they're a bit old school) is a bit tough sometimes.
Graphic Designer
The Scott & Miller GroupDesign, 11-50 employees
Pricing Details
AppNexus
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Smart AdServer
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
—Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
AppNexus
AppNexus 4.0
Based on 6 answers
I love almost everything about AppNexus because I feel like the user data is easy to track because of the identifiers, you can see which adverts got clicked and which were ignored. We can track the location of the ad on the page fold and this makes it so much easier for future campaigns. The only thing I don't like is that the data is only kept for a year, and I'd like it for a longer period of time

Verified User
Analyst in Marketing
Publishing Company, 10,001+ employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Usability
AppNexus
AppNexus 5.0
Based on 2 answers
Because I think the interface is kind of confusing at the beginning and it confuses you a lot.

Verified User
Representative in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 5001-10,000 employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
AppNexus
AppNexus 10.0
Based on 2 answers
I've never had any problems with appnexus - the software is always available

Verified User
Representative in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 5001-10,000 employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Performance
AppNexus
AppNexus 10.0
Based on 2 answers
Yes, everything works great in that sense

Verified User
Representative in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 5001-10,000 employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
AppNexus
AppNexus 6.0
Based on 2 answers
Because the support team does give you support, they take 24hrs to get back to you but once they open a ticket they focus on resolving the issue for you. My only problem is that you don't have a specific account representative assigned to you.

Verified User
Representative in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 5001-10,000 employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Online Training
AppNexus
AppNexus 2.0
Based on 1 answer
Online training are not user friendly and not easy to understand

Verified User
Representative in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 5001-10,000 employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
AppNexus
The TTD platform seems to have better CTV/OLV inventory, so that is typically preferred over AppNexus (APN). Usually, if clients have an internal desk, they will use TTD, which can often lead to us bidding against them, which is also another benefit of running campaigns within AppNexus (APN). Google DSP is typically used to increase the scale for display and build larger re-messaging pools.

Verified User
Account Manager in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 201-500 employeesSmart AdServer
Honestly, you can use either/or. I'm all about AdServer right now because since Adobe has implemented their cloud service, they've gotten more expensive. Smart AdServer is just one cost, and it's cheaper than Adobe Cloud
Graphic Designer
The Scott & Miller GroupDesign, 11-50 employees
Scalability
AppNexus
AppNexus 5.0
Based on 1 answer
Because it's a great DSP but not the best

Verified User
Representative in Marketing
Marketing and Advertising Company, 5001-10,000 employeesSmart AdServer
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
AppNexus
- The 1 USD audit fee makes it very hard to A/B test creatives and improve performance, hurting ROI.
- We have been able to reach some users that we weren't able to get before, increasing spending, which is good for ROI.
- We can run campaigns on TV, which is a big boost for the business, and very ROI positive.

Verified User
Director in Sales
Internet Company, 201-500 employeesSmart AdServer
- It's helped my organization better manage our traffic flow.
- It's reduced the amount of work on our social media manager.
- It's helped my organization get a better perspective on our clientele - where they're going, what they're interested in, it's been a great asset to our business.
Graphic Designer
The Scott & Miller GroupDesign, 11-50 employees