Best Programmatic Advertising Platforms Compared for India
For most Indian advertisers the shortlist is DV360, The Trade Desk and Amazon DSP. DV360 suits YouTube, Indian OTT and publisher deals in one plan. The Trade Desk suits agencies buying the open web and global CTV independently of Google. Amazon DSP suits brands that sell on Amazon or want Prime Video. Pick by the inventory you need.
What is a programmatic advertising platform?
A programmatic advertising platform is software that buys ad space automatically, one impression at a time, instead of through manual bookings. For advertisers, the main type is the demand-side platform, or DSP, which connects to many ad exchanges and publishers at once. Our guide to what a DSP is covers the basics, and what programmatic advertising is explains the wider picture.
Three kinds of tools often get lumped together:
- DSPs, which advertisers and agencies use to buy from many sellers
- SSPs and ad exchanges, which publishers use to sell their inventory
- self-serve ad platforms such as Google Ads, which sell ads mainly on one company's own properties and network
When people search for the best programmatic platform, they usually mean a DSP. So this comparison covers the DSPs Indian advertisers actually shortlist, with Google Ads as a reference point.
Which programmatic platforms should Indian advertisers consider?
DV360 (Google)
Display & Video 360 is Google's DSP and part of Google Marketing Platform. Its biggest advantage in India is coverage. YouTube is bought inside the same platform, and Indian OTT apps such as JioHotstar, ZEE5 and SonyLIV, major news publishers and DOOH networks can be bought through guaranteed and private deals. Measurement ties in with Campaign Manager 360 and Google Analytics 4. There is no public sign-up, so access comes through Google, a partner seat or an agency.
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is an independent, publicly listed DSP that doesn't own or sell media of its own. Buyers like it for open-web and connected TV buying across many countries, its data marketplace and its Unified ID 2.0 identity framework. Its Kokai platform puts AI into bidding and planning, and the latest release, Kokai Zuma (August 2026), adds AI agents and a conversational assistant, some of them still in beta. It has an India team, with offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and an engineering hub in Bengaluru. It does not give you YouTube, and access is by contract, usually through agencies.
Amazon DSP
Amazon's DSP is built on Amazon's shopping, browsing and streaming signals, and it is open to brands that don't sell on Amazon too. In India it is the main route to Prime Video ads, which started in June 2025, and to MX Player, which Amazon is folding into Prime Video. In September 2026 Amazon announced that Amazon DSP is now part of Amazon Ads Agent, its unified ad platform, with a simpler campaign type called DVA+ rolling out in stages from the US. Self-service and managed-service options continue. Our page on Prime Video advertising explains how that buy works alongside DV360.
Google Ads
Google Ads is not a DSP, but it is often the first alternative for smaller budgets. Anyone can sign up, there is no minimum spend, and it covers Search, YouTube, Discover, Gmail and the Display Network. What it lacks is third-party exchanges, guaranteed deals with Indian OTT apps and publishers, and DOOH.
Other platforms
Global DSPs such as Yahoo DSP, StackAdapt and Adform are used in other markets, and app-focused platforms specialise in installs and in-app events. Before you shortlist one, check its Indian supply, local support and billing. Platforms also change. Microsoft shut down its Invest DSP, formerly Xandr Invest, on 28 February 2026 and named Amazon DSP as the preferred platform for its former users.
How do the main platforms compare side by side?
| DV360 | The Trade Desk | Amazon DSP | Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Independent, publicly listed | Amazon | ||
| Type | DSP | DSP | DSP | Self-serve ad platform |
| YouTube | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Indian OTT and news deals | PG and private deals with major OTT apps and publishers | Depends on the publisher | Prime Video and MX Player, plus third-party supply | Google's own network only |
| Standout data | Google audiences, first-party lists, Floodlight | UID2, third-party data marketplace | Amazon shopping and streaming signals | Google audiences, first-party lists |
| Automation | Automated and custom bidding, Gemini-powered deal curation | Kokai with its Koa AI | AI-assisted buying in Amazon Ads Agent | Smart Bidding, Performance Max |
| Fee model | Percentage of media cost, set by contract | Percentage of spend, rate not published | Set with Amazon, self-service or managed | You pay for media only |
| Access in India | Google, partner seats, agencies | Contract, usually through agencies | Self-service or Amazon's team | Open sign-up |
For deeper head-to-heads, read DV360 vs The Trade Desk and DV360 vs Amazon DSP.
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What should you compare before choosing a platform?
Start from your plan, not from the platform's sales deck. These seven questions settle most decisions.
- Which inventory do you need? If YouTube is central, you need Google's tools. If Prime Video matters, you need Amazon. For Indian OTT and news, ask which platforms each publisher will set up deals on for your dates. Our premium inventory page shows what we buy through DV360.
- What data do you have? Strong first-party data travels to any DSP. Amazon's shopping signals and Google's audiences are mostly used inside their own platforms.
- How will you measure? Check whether the platform works with your ad server, your analytics and any brand lift or sales studies you need.
- What will it really cost? Ask for media, platform fee, data and service fees as separate lines, plus the minimum spend.
- How do you get access? Your own seat, a partner seat, an agency or a managed service. Check billing in ₹ with GST invoices.
- Who will run it? Self-serve seats need trained traders. If you don't have them, our guide to self-serve vs managed DV360 shows the trade-offs.
- How much can you see? Placement reports, supply path details, brand safety controls and third-party verification all matter, especially for BFSI and other regulated categories.
How much do fees change what you actually buy?
Fees decide how much of your budget reaches the media. Here is an illustrative example with made-up fee levels, not quotes for any platform.
| Route A | Route B | |
|---|---|---|
| Total budget | ₹20,00,000 | ₹20,00,000 |
| All fees (illustrative) | 15%, or ₹3,00,000 | 22%, or ₹4,40,000 |
| Working media | ₹17,00,000 | ₹15,60,000 |
| Impressions at ₹250 CPM | 68 lakh | 62.4 lakh |
The formula is working media divided by CPM, multiplied by 1,000. Route A buys about 5.6 lakh more impressions. That doesn't make it the winner automatically. If Route B reaches inventory or data that performs better for your goal, it can still deliver more. The point is to compare working media and outcomes, not headline CPMs.
Which platform fits your situation?
| Your situation | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| National FMCG launch on YouTube and JioHotstar | DV360 | YouTube and Indian OTT deals in one plan, with one frequency cap |
| D2C or electronics brand that sells heavily on Amazon.in | Amazon DSP, often with DV360 | Shopping audiences, Prime Video and sales measurement on Amazon |
| Agency running one client across several countries | The Trade Desk, often with DV360 | Independent open-web and CTV buying across markets |
| BFSI brand that needs named news publishers and tight brand safety | DV360 | Guaranteed and private deals with publishers, plus verification |
| Small, performance-led budget | Google Ads | Open sign-up, no minimum, strong search and YouTube |
| App install push | Google Ads app campaigns or an app-focused platform | Built around installs and in-app events |
Can you use more than one platform?
Yes, and many larger advertisers do, but each extra platform has a cost. Frequency caps don't carry across platforms, so the same person can see your ad on DV360 and on Amazon in the same evening. Reach is counted differently on each, so combined reach needs care. Fees and minimums stack up too.
A sensible approach is to pick one anchor platform for most of the budget, then add a second only for inventory or data the first can't reach, such as Prime Video through Amazon. Set matching frequency goals on both and agree one combined report before launch.
How is AI changing these platforms?
Every major DSP now sells AI. The Trade Desk has Kokai Zuma, Amazon has Amazon Ads Agent, and Google is building Gemini models into DV360. These tools can save setup time and improve bidding, but vendor performance claims come from vendors. Run a controlled test before you move budget on the strength of a demo. Our guide on how AI optimises programmatic advertising covers what to test.
Next step
If DV360 looks like the right anchor, start with that part of the plan. Ask for a free media plan and a DV360 specialist estimates reach and cost by channel for your budget; once you have the draft, our team can talk through where Amazon DSP, The Trade Desk or Google Ads might sit beside it.
