Google Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) vs Index Exchange

GAGoogle Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers)9.3Visit Index Exchange8.4Visit

Higher score GA Google Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) #1 in Ad Exchanges 9.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 1 features Visit Google

vs

Index Exchange #7 in Ad Exchanges 8.4/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 1 features Visit Index Exchange

• Google Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) fits best

  Established buyers seeking broad real-time exchange access

• Index Exchange fits best

  Publishers prioritizing auction transparency and reporting

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Side by side

Feature	GAGoogle Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Index Exchange 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.4
Ranking	#1 in Ad Exchanges	#7 in Ad Exchanges
Best for	Established buyers seeking broad real-time exchange access	Publishers prioritizing auction transparency and reporting
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	Not published	Not published
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Support	Docs, Email	Tickets
Integrations	2 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Google Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) 1/1 · Index Exchange 0/1
Identity support	✓ (best)	Not published
Specs
Marketplace type	Both	Not published
Auction type	Real-time	Not published
Ad formats	display, video, native, interstitial	Not published
Deal controls	Advanced	Not published
Supported channels	web, mobile app	Not published
Our review
Pros	Bids on impression-level requests through OpenRTB in JSON or Protobuf Supports private auctions, preferred deals and programmatic guaranteed deals Buyer REST API covers creatives, deals, accounts and pretargeting	Supports direct, Prebid.js, and Prebid Server integrations Offers direct, programmatic-guaranteed, and marketplace deals Reporting API and Client Audit Logs API expose auction activity
Cons	Access and setup are oriented toward organizations buying for multiple advertisers Requires a buyer-side bidder system to participate in real-time bidding Pricing and API access arrangements involve contacting Google	Pricing is sales-led rather than self-serve Publisher inventory requires a quality review before onboarding Format availability depends on integration option
Our verdict	Google Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) connects eligible buyers with publishers selling digital ad inventory. It is aimed at ad networks, agency trading desks and demand-side platforms buying on behalf of multiple advertisers, with buyers… Read the review →	Index Exchange connects publishers and other media owners with buyers through programmatic auctions and negotiated deals. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise publishers seeking multiple ways to route inventory, with reporting tools to… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Google Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers) — where it wins

  • Bids on impression-level requests through OpenRTB in JSON or Protobuf
  • Supports private auctions, preferred deals and programmatic guaranteed deals
  • Buyer REST API covers creatives, deals, accounts and pretargeting

  Where it doesn't

  • Access and setup are oriented toward organizations buying for multiple advertisers
  • Requires a buyer-side bidder system to participate in real-time bidding
  • Pricing and API access arrangements involve contacting Google

• Index Exchange — where it wins

  • Supports direct, Prebid.js, and Prebid Server integrations
  • Offers direct, programmatic-guaranteed, and marketplace deals
  • Reporting API and Client Audit Logs API expose auction activity

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is sales-led rather than self-serve
  • Publisher inventory requires a quality review before onboarding
  • Format availability depends on integration option

• GAGoogle Ad Exchange (Authorized Buyers)9.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A buyer-side exchange for teams running their own bidders and managing deal access.

  Visit GoogleFull verdict →
• Index Exchange8.4/10 · Pricing on request

  A publisher-focused exchange with flexible deal paths and detailed auction visibility.

  Visit Index ExchangeFull verdict →