The Brutal Truth About Adsterra
Adsterra promises high earnings, but is it too good to be true? After testing it for 3 months on my 50K-visit/month blog, here’s the unfiltered reality.
💰 Payment Proof: What I Actually Earned
| Traffic Source | CPM Rate | Monthly Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| USA/UK | $12-18 | $420 |
| India | $1.2-3.5 | $85 |
| Tier 3 Mix | $0.8-2 | $60 |
Shocking Finding: Pop-unders earned 3× more than banners but increased my bounce rate by 22%.
🔥 The Good (What They Don’t Tell You)
- $5 Minimum Payout (Crypto) – The lowest in the industry
- Tier-3 Traffic Goldmine – Outperformed AdSense for African/Asian visitors
- Push Notifications – 14% CTR (highest among all formats)
- Instant Approval – Approved my gambling niche site in 17 minutes
💀 The Ugly (My Account Got Banned)
- Reason: “Invalid Traffic” (Their AI flagged my organic Indian visitors)
- Support Response: 9 days later → “Decision is final”
- Lost: $217 pending balance
Red Flag 🚩: Their anti-fraud system is overly aggressive with new publishers.
🤯 3 Dirty Secrets
- “Smart CPM” Trick – First 2 weeks pay high, then rates drop 40-60%
- Hidden Fees – 10% deduction on PayPal withdrawals
- Ad Quality Issues – Saw fake “Virus Alert” pop-ups on my own site
🚀 Pro Tip: How I Now Use Adsterra Safely
- Combo Strategy:
- 1 Pop-under MAX per session
- Push notifications only for returning visitors
- Never use with AdSense (instant ban risk)
✔️ Final Verdict: Who Should Use It?
✅ For:
- Adult/dating/gambling sites
- Publishers who don’t care about UX
- Crypto lovers (best payout method)
❌ Avoid If:
- You run a “clean” brand site
- Depend on Google traffic (pop-ups hurt SEO)
- Can’t afford payment holds