On most adult sites, neither format wins everywhere. A popunder earns once per visitor and needs no space on the page; a banner earns on every page view where it shows, but only from the slot you give it. Which pays more on your site depends on how many pages each visitor sees, where your visitors come from and which devices they use. The only reliable answer is a test on your own traffic, measured per 1,000 visits rather than per 1,000 impressions.
We run an adult ad network that sells both formats, so we have no reason to push one over the other. This guide explains how each one works, how to compare them fairly and how to run the test.
How does a popunder work, and how does a banner work?
A popunder opens an advertiser's page in a new tab, behind or next to the page the visitor is reading. It is triggered by the visitor's own tap or click, so it needs no space in your layout. Networks cap how often it fires; on Lana Network a popunder fires on the visitor's first tap, and a visitor sees at most one ad per zone per cap window, 24 hours by default and adjustable from 1 hour to 7 days by the publisher.
A banner is an image in a fixed slot on your page. The sizes we sell include:
- 300x250, the standard rectangle, placed between paragraphs, under a video or in a feed.
- 300x500, a tall rectangle for a sidebar or a column.
- 320x100, a large mobile banner under the header or above the footer.
- Corner slider 300x250, a box fixed in a corner of the screen with a close button.
A banner earns each time its slot is shown and sold, so a site where visitors browse many pages sells many banner impressions. A popunder sells at most one impression per visitor per cap period, however many pages that visitor reads.
Why is price per impression the wrong comparison?
A popunder gives the advertiser a full page in front of the visitor, a banner gives one slot among others, and prices tend to reflect that. On our own formats page, which shows the public minimum an advertiser can bid for each format, the minimum for a US mobile popunder was $0.60 per 1,000 and the minimum for every banner was $0.08 when we checked on 20 October 2026. Minimums are not earnings, and they change, so read the live page.
Comparing prices per impression misleads, because the two formats produce a different number of impressions from the same visitors. Take one visitor who reads eight pages:
- A popunder capped once per day (our default) sells one impression.
- A 300x250 on every page can sell up to eight, one per page view, if each one finds a buyer.
So the fair comparison is revenue per 1,000 visits (or per 1,000 page views), with each format on the same pages for the same period. A format with a lower price per impression can still earn more per visit, and the reverse is true on sites where visitors read one page and leave.
What does each format cost you in user experience?
Revenue is not the only cost. A format that pushes visitors away lowers your pageviews tomorrow.
The Better Ads Standards from the Coalition for Better Ads list ad experiences that tested badly with users. On mobile, they include pop-up ads, which the coalition defines as ads that block the main content of the page, sticky ads that take up more than 30% of the screen, and an ad density above 30% of the main content's height. The standards do not name popunders, so read the definitions yourself rather than assume either way.
Practical rules that follow from this:
- Cap the popunder. Our default is once per visitor per 24 hours, and each zone can be set from 1 hour to 7 days.
- Keep banners inside the content, not on top of it. A 300x250 between paragraphs does not block anything.
- Watch the total. Count the height of every ad in your main content on a phone and keep it well under 30%.
- Give sticky units a close button. A corner slider should be small and easy to dismiss.
When should you run both?
Often. The formats do not compete for the same space: a popunder uses the visitor's tap, a banner uses a slot, so one popunder zone and one or two banners can each earn on their own.
The risk is stacking too much at once. Add one format, measure, then add the next. On Lana Network each format is a separate zone with its own tag and its own net floor, so you can add or remove one without touching the others, and two zones can share a page. On banner, slider and popunder zones, every visitor we do not buy goes to your current network through the passback; interstitial and in-page zones have no passback.
How do you run a one-week test?
- Pick your busiest page type. Video pages or gallery pages, whichever brings most visits.
- Measure your baseline. Write down revenue per 1,000 visits for that page type over the last full week.
- Add one format only. For example a popunder zone, with your current network's tag as the passback.
- Set the floor from your current numbers. Start at or just above what you earn now for the same visit, for example US mobile.
- Wait seven full days. Daily results move with traffic mix. Compare the week against the baseline week, per 1,000 visits.
- Check pages per visit. If it drops, the format is costing you more than it shows in revenue.
- Then test the other format the same way, and keep the combination that earns most per 1,000 visits without lowering pages per visit.
For the wider picture of revenue lines and placement, read how to monetize an adult tube site, and for how to choose a network in the first place, see what is the best adult ad network for a small site.
Which visitors does Lana Network buy?
Today we buy mostly United States visitors on a mobile browser, outside data centers and known VPN networks. Visitors in the European Union (Germany included) and the United Kingdom are not open yet, so they go straight to your passback. If most of your traffic is US mobile, you can create a publisher account and add your site; your site goes live as soon as the ownership check passes.
Frequently asked questions
Does a popunder pay more than a banner on an adult site?
On our price table the minimum for a popunder impression is higher than for a banner impression. Per visit, it depends on how many pages each visitor reads. Compare both formats on revenue per 1,000 visits over a full week on the same pages.
Can I run a popunder and banners on the same page?
Yes. They use different space: the popunder uses the visitor's tap, the banner uses a slot. On Lana Network each format is its own zone with its own tag and floor, and two zones can share a page.
How often should a popunder fire?
Cap it. By default Lana Network fires a popunder once per visitor per 24 hours, and each zone can be set from 1 hour to 7 days. Firing more often risks fewer pages per visit, so measure it if you change the cap.
Which banner size should I start with on mobile?
The 300x250 rectangle placed inside your content is the simplest start. If your pages are mostly mobile, a 320x100 under the header is a second option to test.
Which formats does Lana Network sell?
A popunder, banners in 300x250, 300x500, 320x100, 320x50 and 300x100, and a 300x250 corner slider. The formats page lists each one with its public minimum price.