Setupad Self-Serve vs. Pubmatic OpenWrap: A Comparison
Header bidding has revolutionized digital advertising, but choosing the right management platform can significantly impact revenue and operational efficiency. At Setupad, we’re often asked how our Self-Serve solution compares to other options, such as PubMatic’s OpenWrap. Let’s break down the key differences to help you make an informed decision.
Understanding Your Options
Header bidding platforms come in various forms, from managed solutions to self-serve platforms, each offering different levels of control and customization. While both Setupad Self-Serve and OpenWrap aim to help publishers maximize their ad revenue with an in-house solution, they work quite differently.
Infrastructure
Let’s dive into the technical details that make the difference:
Wrapper Optimization
When developing Setupad Self-Serve, we prioritized performance and efficiency from the ground up. Our solution maintains a lightweight wrapper (100-140kB) even with maximum SSP integration, achieved through advanced Brotli compression and cloud-based hosting via Azure and Cloudflare.
OpenWrap takes a different approach. It uses a heavier wrapper that starts at 350kB and grows with each SSP addition. Their solution relies on Gzip compression and Apache local hosting, which can impact page load times and overall performance.
The Integration Experience
We designed Setupad Self-Serve to eliminate technical barriers. Ad operations teams can manage everything independently without needing IT support or coding knowledge.
Here’s what this means for publishers:
- 40-minute automated GAM initialization
- One-time head code implementation
- All subsequent changes are managed through our Prebid Panel
- No need for ongoing IT involvement with a no-code solution
In comparison, OpenWrap requires:
- Regular code updates for changes
- Manual mapping through Excel sheets
- Frequent IT involvement
- Manual creation of line items in GAM
- Manual duplication of any Prebid adjustments to match GAM settings
Prebid Module Management
Setupad Self-Serve includes:
- Currency (any currency can be added) is selected automatically.
- User ID Modules (Setupad Provided account IDs for selected identity providers, or publishers can use their own)
- Prebid Server Adapter (Client side and server side bidding working simultaneously)
- PAAPI
- Fledge (PAAPI) for GPT
- Supply Chain Object
- Size Mapping
- Topics FPD Module
- Built-in, free Setupad CMP for GDPR, CCPA, and TCF compliance
- Automated ads.txt management
OpenWrap requires manual management of:
- Currency (Limited list)
- User ID Modules (Only Publisher accounts that can be added manually)
- Limited Prebid Server Adapter functionality (cannot run one bidder with multiple accounts or simultaneously through server-side and client-side connections)
- GDPR, CCPA, and TCF modules
- Identity modules
- Supply chain object
Other selected Prebid modules can be manually added but require technical knowledge about the usage of JSON code.
Advanced Customization Features
SSP Management
Our platform offers:
- Concurrent Prebid client and Prebid server connections for any SSP
- Zero-effort SSP integration process
- Three-click ID pasting process with a bulk-edit option
- Frequent Prebid adapter updates with no-code changes
- Built-in currency management with daily rate updates
- Straight forward price adjustment option to battle the discrepancies
- Built-in Amazon TAM/UAM integration
OpenWrap requires:
- Singular Prebid client or Prebid server connection for chosen SSP
- Manual mapping with external files for each SSP integration
- Manual remapping of all IDs for any single change
- No automated currency settings
- No price adjustments for the discrepancy elimination
- Manual Amazon TAM/UAM integration through a code update
Performance Optimization
Setupad Self-Serve includes:
- Controllable Smart Ad refresh (Includes Bid caching)
- Adjustable timeout settings for Prebid Client, Prebid Server, and Ad Refresh
- Built-in sticky function capabilities
- Integrated lazyloading features
- Device targeting for responsive websites
OpenWrap requires manual implementation and code updates for:
- Ad refresh functionality
- Timeout adjustments for both Prebid Client and Prebid Server sides
- Limited targeting capabilities
Testing and Monitoring
We provide:
- 50/50 traffic allocation of Setupad and its competitor thanks to unique key values in GAM
- Multiple A/B testing profiles with comprehensive setting options
- Performance result monitoring in the reporting section and quick stats in the control panel
- Chrome extension for real-time ad monitoring
- Detailed bid and winner tracking
- No-code solution for various test scenarios
OpenWrap offers:
- 50/50 traffic allocation of OpenWrap and its competitor thanks to unique key values in GAM
- A/B testing with two profiles
- Basic performance result monitoring capabilities
- Manual setup required for testing scenarios
Comprehensive Analytics
Our unified reporting dashboard provides the following Inventory analysis:
- Automatic import of 30-day historical GAM data for comparisons
- Daily and hourly reporting of monetization and performance metrics, with filters for ad unit, domain, and calendar period
- Stacked reporting of primary demand sources – Prebid, GoogleAdx, OpenBidding, Google Adsense, Amazon TAM, GAM programmatic direct and direct standard/price-priority campaigns.
- Split traffic comparison between Setupad’s Prebid and publisher’s current solution
- Detailed demand channel analysis, including all Prebid Client and Server connections
- Key performance metrics, including Smart Refresh rate and revenue
OpenWrap’s analytics include:
- Separate reporting for client and server-side connections
- Basic SSP list reporting
- Standard metrics (such as ad requests, impressions, fillrate)
- GEO and advertiser reporting
- Scheduled reporting
Your Choice
Every publisher has unique needs, and we understand that choosing a header bidding solution is a significant decision. While OpenWrap offers a solid foundation, Setupad Self-Serve represents our vision of what modern header bidding management should be – efficient, user-friendly, and focused on publisher independence.
We invite you to consider these key factors when making your decision:
- How much technical resource availability do you have?
- How important is quick implementation and easy management to your team?
- What level of customization do you need?
- How valuable would real-time, no-code optimization edits be for your team?
Ready to Explore More?
We’re happy to provide more detailed information about how Setupad Self-Serve can streamline your header bidding management. Contact our team for a personalized demonstration or to discuss your specific needs.
