Most affiliate campaigns do not fail because the offer is bad.
They fail because the traffic source does not match the offer, funnel, budget, and testing patience.
We have used both PropellerAds and RichAds across affiliate campaigns for years, so here is a real affiliate ad network comparison based on actual buying feel, features, formats, and practical use.
Short answer: PropellerAds is our winner for most affiliate media buyers because it gives more flexible automation, cleaner scaling paths, and stronger format depth.
RichAds is still a serious traffic source, mainly for push, pop, direct click, and Telegram tests.
Quick Comparison: PropellerAds vs RichAds
| Feature | PropellerAds | RichAds | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main ad formats | OnClick/popunder, push, in-page push, interstitial, Survey Exit, Telegram Ads | Telegram ads, push, in-page push, calendar push, pop, domain redirect, native, display | RichAds |
| Pricing models | CPM, CPC, SmartCPM, SmartCPC, CPA Goal | CPC, CPM, Target CPA style automation, format-based bid models | PropellerAds |
| Minimum advertiser deposit | $100 for PayPal funding and standard deposits | $150 minimum deposit | PropellerAds |
| Push traffic entry cost | Push supports CPM, CPC, SmartCPC, and CPA Goal | Push CPC can start from $0.005, based on GEO | RichAds |
| Publisher payout threshold | Weekly payouts from $5 on PayPal, ePayments, Skrill, and WebMoney | Not enough official payout data checked for fair claim | PropellerAds |
| GEO reach | Publisher access covers most countries, with limited restricted regions | More than 200 GEOs across Tier 1 to Tier 3 | RichAds |
| Automation | SmartCPM, SmartCPC, CPA Goal, user activity targeting | Automated rules, micro bidding, performance mode | PropellerAds |
| Best fit | Scaling broad affiliate tests, popunder, push, interstitial, smart bidding | Push, native, direct click, pop, Telegram Mini Apps | PropellerAds |
What Is PropellerAds?
PropellerAds is a self-serve advertising network for advertisers and publishers. Its platform helps advertisers buy traffic from publishers through formats like OnClick, push notifications, interstitials, Survey Exit, and Telegram Ads.
PropellerAds feels like a “test fast, cut fast, scale fast” traffic source. Campaign setup is simple, but still gives enough knobs for serious affiliate testing.
Its biggest strength is not only traffic volume. Actual value comes from CPA Goal optimisation, SmartCPM bidding model, user activity targeting, and flexible campaign pricing.
PropellerAds also works well for affiliates who want less manual babysitting. CPA Goal helps aim campaigns towards conversion cost, while SmartCPM can adjust prices for OnClick placements.
Winner: PropellerAds starts stronger for affiliates who need cleaner setup, smart bidding, and broader campaign testing.
What Is RichAds?
RichAds is a performance marketing ad network with several ad formats for affiliate advertisers.
Its current traffic formats include Telegram ads in Mini Apps, push ads, in-page push, calendar push, pop, domain redirect, native ads, and display ads.
RichAds feels more traffic-source focused. Once a campaign gets data, micro bidding, blacklists, whitelists, and automated rules can help tighten spend.
For push traffic, RichAds has a strong base. Push CPC can start from $0.005, while native ads can start from $0.001 CPC, pop traffic from $0.5 CPM, and domain traffic from $1.5 CPM.
Telegram Mini Apps traffic also gives RichAds a fresh angle. Telegram push-style ads use CPC, while interstitial, video, and embedded banners use CPM pricing.
Winner: RichAds looks better for affiliates who want more ad format variety and very low entry bids on some formats.
Ad Formats Compared
Ad formats matter because each affiliate offer needs a different user mood. A sweepstake offer may need push, while iGaming or utilities can work better with pop or interstitial traffic.
PropellerAds gives OnClick/popunder, push notifications, in-page push, Survey Exit, Telegram Ads, and interstitials. Push has Classic Push and In-Page Push, which helps when browser or operating system support becomes a problem.
RichAds gives Telegram Mini App ads, push, in-page push, calendar push, pop, domain redirect, native, and display ads. Direct click/domain redirect can work well when a funnel needs intent-style redirect traffic.
Here is our honest take from affiliate testing.
PropellerAds feels smoother for pop, interstitial, and push scaling, while RichAds gives more room to test native and direct click angles.
| Format Type | PropellerAds | RichAds | Practical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push ads | Classic Push and In-Page Push | Push, In-Page Push, Calendar Push | Sweepstakes, antivirus, finance, apps |
| Pop traffic | OnClick/popunder | Pop ads | iGaming, utilities, dating, app installs |
| Redirect traffic | Not shown as direct click in checked official data | Domain Redirect Ads | Short intent funnels |
| Native ads | Not found in checked official PropellerAds formats | Native ads | Content-style presell pages |
| Telegram traffic | Telegram Ads | Telegram Mini Apps ads | Gaming, betting, app, crypto-style offers |
| Interstitial | Interstitials available | Telegram interstitial banners | Full-screen mobile attention |
Winner: RichAds wins ad format variety.
But PropellerAds wins ease when core affiliate formats are push, pop, and interstitial.
Traffic Quality And GEO Reach
Traffic quality is not just “Tier 1 good, Tier 3 bad”.
Good traffic means clean source data, enough volume, stable clicks, and cost that still allows profit.
PropellerAds accepts publishers from most regions, except a limited list of restricted countries. That helps advertisers reach broad traffic pools without feeling boxed into only a few GEOs.
RichAds promotes more than 200 GEOs across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 markets. That wide reach is useful for affiliates testing low-cost GEOs before moving spend to pricier markets.
In our testing style, PropellerAds was easier when we wanted volume quickly. RichAds felt better when we wanted to isolate smaller source groups and tune bids source by source.
For India, Indonesia, Philippines, and similar value GEOs, push traffic can still be useful for low-cost campaigns. PropellerAds highlights Indonesia, India, and Philippines as affordable and scalable GEOs for push campaigns.
Winner: PropellerAds wins for faster practical scaling.
RichAds is very strong for GEO range, but PropellerAds felt easier to move from test budget to scale budget.
Verticals That Fit Better
Affiliate verticals decide which network makes sense. A dating offer, finance lead form, antivirus install, or betting funnel can behave very differently on the same traffic format.
PropellerAds official campaign content often talks about verticals like finance, iGaming, eCommerce, browser extensions, apps, sweepstakes, and content on demand.
Its USA-focused campaign notes also mention TikTok-style offers, job search, installs, sales, and iGaming use cases.
RichAds highlights gambling, betting, antivirus, finance, dating, telecom, eCommerce, media, nutra, and gaming across different ad formats.
RichAds also notes Telegram and pre-roll video traffic performing around gambling, betting, dating, and gaming.
From our own affiliate view, PropellerAds is better when a vertical needs broad volume and fast testing.
RichAds is better when campaign profit depends on careful source-level control, especially in push or native campaigns.
| Vertical | PropellerAds Fit | RichAds Fit | Our Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| iGaming | Strong fit via pop, push, CPA Goal | Strong fit via push, pop, native, video | Both work, PropellerAds scales easier |
| Finance | Mentioned across USA and India-focused campaign use cases | Seen across push, direct click, native insights | PropellerAds feels cleaner for lead-gen tests |
| Dating | Works with push/pop style affiliate traffic | Mentioned for in-page, direct click, native, video | RichAds has more format angles |
| Antivirus | Good for push-style urgency funnels | Strong push vertical from RichAds | RichAds can test cheap push clicks well |
| eCommerce | Supported with CPA, CPC, CPM, smart options | Mentioned for Telegram and monthly format | PropellerAds feels stronger for broad tests |
| Apps/utilities | Strong via pop, push, interstitial | Works via push and pop formats | PropellerAds is easier to scale |
Winner: PropellerAds wins for affiliate vertical flexibility.
RichAds wins some narrow use cases, but PropellerAds gives more comfort when testing many offers every week.
Pricing Models And Bidding
Bidding decides how much pain a campaign gives before first conversion. Bad bid control can kill a good offer before data even becomes useful.
PropellerAds supports CPM, CPC, SmartCPM, SmartCPC, and CPA Goal across eligible ad formats. OnClick supports CPM, SmartCPM, and CPA Goal, while push supports CPM, CPC, SmartCPC, and CPA Goal.
Telegram Ads and Survey Exit Ads on PropellerAds work with CPA Goal, CPC, and SmartCPC.
That gives more freedom when campaign tracking is ready from day one.
RichAds has format-based pricing. Push can start from $0.005 CPC, pop from $0.5 CPM, domain ads from $1.5 CPM, and native from $0.001 CPC.
For Telegram Mini Apps, RichAds has a $150 minimum deposit. Push-style ads use CPC with a minimum CPC of $0.015, while embedded banners, classic interstitials, and video use CPM models.
In real campaign work, PropellerAds pricing feels more friendly for learning and scaling. CPA Goal and SmartCPM reduce guesswork, especially when conversion tracking is properly set.
Winner: PropellerAds wins bidding flexibility.
RichAds has attractive low starting bids, but PropellerAds gives better model depth for performance campaigns.
Deposit And Budget Control
Minimum deposit matters when testing five offers, ten GEOs, and three landing pages. A lower entry point leaves more room for actual campaign data.
PropellerAds has a $100 minimum deposit for PayPal funding, and its Brazil payment note also mentions a standard $100 minimum deposit. That lower starting point is useful for small affiliate test batches.
RichAds minimum deposit is $150. For Telegram ads, RichAds also lists $150 as minimum deposit for launching Telegram Mini Apps campaigns.
Budget control is not only about the first deposit. Campaigns need daily caps, bid changes, source blocks, and conversion-led rules.
PropellerAds works well when CPA Goal has enough data. RichAds works well when using micro bidding, automated rules, blacklists, and whitelists.
For our spend pattern, PropellerAds feels safer for first tests. RichAds becomes more interesting once enough campaign data exists for source-level control.
Winner: PropellerAds wins budget control for new tests.
Lower minimum deposit plus smart models make it easier to start without feeling locked.
Targeting And Optimisation Tools
Targeting can save more money than any fancy creative. Good targeting means less waste before optimisation even starts.
PropellerAds has user activity targeting for OnClick, with High, Medium, Low, and All activity options. High activity focuses on more engaged users, while Low activity gives bigger volume and lower reach cost potential.
PropellerAds also has audience targeting by interests, gender, and age groups. Available interest groups include sports, shopping, finance, iGaming, giveaways, social discovery, and utilities.
RichAds optimization tools are very practical. Automated rules can whitelist, blacklist, change bids, pause creatives or campaigns, and change daily budget.
RichAds micro bidding helps set different bids for traffic sources or parameters based on campaign results. Its Optimizer also lets advertisers manage sources, blacklists, whitelists, and creative bids from statistics pages.
Here is our honest usage note. PropellerAds felt better for getting campaign logic right early, while RichAds felt powerful once source-level stats became stable.
Winner: PropellerAds wins for easier optimisation.
RichAds has strong manual controls, but PropellerAds keeps testing cleaner for most affiliates.
Campaign Setup Experience
Campaign setup sounds boring until one small setting wastes $50 overnight. Good UI saves money because fewer mistakes happen during launch.
PropellerAds campaign setup feels direct. Pick format, pricing model, GEO, device, OS, targeting, creative or URL, then launch.
CPA Goal setup on PropellerAds works with Push or Interstitial campaigns, and advertisers can add target URL, creatives, GEOs, OS, devices, and zones. That feels logical for affiliates already using postback tracking.
RichAds also has a clear setup flow, but more knobs appear once optimization starts. Micro bidding, source groups, automated rules, and performance mode need a little more attention.
For beginners, PropellerAds feels less stressful. For media buyers who enjoy granular tuning, RichAds can feel more flexible after enough spend.
Winner: PropellerAds wins setup experience.
Fewer confusing steps help launch tests faster and reduce accidental budget leaks.
Tracking And Conversion Data
No tracking, no paid traffic profit. Affiliate campaigns need postbacks, zone data, source IDs, and clear conversion events.
PropellerAds CPA Goal works best when conversion tracking is active because campaigns can optimise towards desired CPA outcomes. That makes sense for CPA offers, lead-gen funnels, app installs, and sales pages.
RichAds tracking also unlocks more campaign actions. Conversion tracking helps automated rules, micro bidding, and source-level optimisation work better.
In practice, both platforms need proper tracker setup. Without postbacks, both can still send traffic, but optimization becomes mostly manual and slower.
Our approach is simple. Start with broad but controlled targeting, pass zone or source IDs into tracker, then block losers fast.
PropellerAds gets our vote because CPA Goal and SmartCPM feel easier for conversion-led testing. RichAds gets praise for micro bidding once source data has enough clicks.
Winner: PropellerAds wins tracking-led optimisation.
RichAds is strong, but PropellerAds feels more natural for CPA affiliate funnels.
Publisher Side And Payouts
Some affiliates also own blogs, tools, or traffic sites. So publisher payout data matters when comparing ad networks from both sides.
PropellerAds offers automated weekly publisher payouts starting from $5 for PayPal, ePayments, Skrill, and WebMoney, $20 for Payoneer, and $500 for bank wire. That low threshold is friendly for smaller publishers and niche website owners.
RichAds official payout details were not clear enough from checked official pages to make a fair exact payout comparison. So we are not adding random claims just to make a table look full.
For Affninja-style affiliate work, PropellerAds gives a stronger full-circle feel. Advertisers can buy traffic, while publishers can monetise with low payout thresholds.
Winner: PropellerAds wins publisher payout clarity.
Clear low payout limits create more trust for small and mid-size publishers.
Traffic Scaling Reality
Scaling is where many ad networks expose real limits. A campaign can look profitable at $20 daily spend but collapse when the budget goes to $300.
PropellerAds has better comfort for scaling because SmartCPM and CPA Goal can help control prices while traffic expands. User activity targeting also helps split traffic by engagement level.
Our favourite move with PropellerAds is simple. Start with High or Medium activity, find converting zones, then widen targeting once EPC stays stable.
RichAds scaling works better through source-level tuning. Micro bidding lets buyers adjust bids for different sources or parameters instead of blocking everything too early.
RichAds Performance mode also works as an automatic optimisation flow that adds fresh high-converting sources based on selected targetings. That can help once campaign data is not too thin.
Still, PropellerAds feels safer when scaling faster. Less manual pressure means fewer late-night source checks.
Winner: PropellerAds wins scaling.
RichAds is good for controlled expansion, but PropellerAds feels better when speed matters.
Support And Account Help
Support matters most when payment fails, campaign gets rejected, or tracking looks wrong.
Affiliate campaigns cannot wait three days during a hot offer window.
PropellerAds gives a self-serve platform with pricing and targeting controls that are easy to reach from campaign setup. From usage experience, less back-and-forth was needed for normal launches.
RichAds gives personal manager support and full campaign management perks for Telegram ads when first deposit reaches $3000. That can help larger buyers who want hands-on help.
For small and mid-level affiliates, PropellerAds still feels more practical. RichAds support perks become more attractive when budgets are higher.
Winner: PropellerAds wins for everyday affiliate use.
RichAds looks better for larger Telegram budgets and managed help.
PropellerAds Pros And Cons
PropellerAds is not perfect, but campaign flow feels more friendly. Main value comes from faster tests, smart bidding, and lower advertiser deposit.
- Lower $100 advertiser deposit helps test without heavy upfront spend.
- Multiple pricing models include CPM, CPC, SmartCPM, SmartCPC, and CPA Goal.
- Push, OnClick, interstitial, Survey Exit, and Telegram Ads cover core affiliate needs.
- User activity targeting helps split traffic by engagement level.
- Publisher payouts start from $5 for several payment methods.
- Audience targeting includes interests, gender, and age groups.
- Native ads were not found in checked official PropellerAds format data.
- Smart models still need good postback tracking for best results.
- Broad traffic can waste money if zones are not checked early.
- Pop traffic needs strong landing pages because user intent can vary.
Winner: PropellerAds wins for balanced affiliate campaigns.
Good setup, lower deposit, and smart optimisation make daily media buying less painful.
RichAds Pros And Cons
RichAds has real strengths, especially for push buyers and source-level optimisers. Its format variety also gives more creative room for affiliate funnels.
- RichAds offers eight formats, including Telegram, push, calendar push, pop, domain redirect, native, and display.
- Push CPC can start from $0.005 depending on GEO.
- Native ads can start from $0.001 CPC, while pop can start from $0.5 CPM.
- Micro bidding lets advertisers adjust bids by source or campaign parameters.
- Automated rules can blacklist, whitelist, pause creatives, change bids, and change daily budget.
- More than 200 GEOs are available across Tier 1 to Tier 3 markets.
- Minimum deposit is higher at $150.
- More controls can slow down new affiliates.
- Source tuning needs enough spend before decisions become reliable.
- Telegram ad perks become better at higher deposits.
Winner: RichAds wins for format variety.
But PropellerAds still feels better for general affiliate scaling.
Best Use Cases
A network should match campaign goal, not ego.
Here is where each one makes more sense from our side.
Use PropellerAds when
Use RichAds when
Winner: PropellerAds wins for most affiliate marketers.
RichAds is better as an add-on network once core campaigns already work.
Final Verdict
PropellerAds is our pick over RichAds for most affiliate campaigns. Lower starting deposit, stronger pricing model mix, simple setup, and smart optimisation make PropellerAds easier to use for daily performance testing.
RichAds is still worth testing, especially for push, native, domain redirect, pop, and Telegram Mini Apps traffic. Its micro bidding and automated rules are genuinely useful once campaign data becomes strong enough.
If only one platform had to get the first test budget, we would put that money into PropellerAds. RichAds can come next when there is already a proven landing page, proven offer, and clear tracker data.
Overall Winner: PropellerAds 🏆
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