Most Ezoic vs Mediavine comparisons were written when Ezoic had no minimum and Mediavine had a traffic bar that took years to reach. Both networks have changed their entry rules since, and in opposite directions. If you are choosing between them today, start with what each one says it requires, because that decides whether you have a choice at all.
This piece compares entry thresholds only. It makes no claim about which network earns more, because that depends on niche, audience and geography, and no published figure answers it honestly.
The entry thresholds side by side
Each row below comes from the network’s own documentation, as summarised in our guides to Ezoic requirements, Mediavine requirements and the Monumetric review.
| Programme | Stated entry threshold | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Journey by Mediavine | 1,000 sessions from Tier 1 countries within 30 days | Sessions |
| Monumetric Propel | 10,000 to 80,000 pageviews a month | Pageviews |
| Raptive | 25,000 monthly pageviews | Pageviews |
| Mediavine (full programme) | $5,000 in annual ad revenue | Revenue |
| Ezoic (new sites) | 250,000 or more monthly active users | Users |
The units differ, so the rows are not directly comparable, and every network adds quality and policy conditions not shown here. The direction is still clear: for a site starting now, Ezoic is the hardest of these to enter, not the easiest.
What Mediavine asks for
Mediavine runs two programmes with different gates. Its requirements page lists the conditions for the full programme:
- “Generate a minimum of $5,000 in annual ad revenue”
- “Publish original, audience-first content”
- “Maintain clean, human, brand-safe traffic”
- “Be in good standing with Google AdSense and AdExchange”
Note that the main test is revenue, not traffic. A site cannot simply count its sessions and know whether it qualifies; it has to have earned ad revenue at that level already, which in practice means running ads somewhere first.
The AdSense condition matters for the same reason. Good standing with Google AdSense and AdExchange is something you build by running ads within their policies, so a site that has never monetised, or has a history of policy problems, has work to do before the revenue figure is even relevant.
Journey by Mediavine vs Mediavine
Journey is the entry route. It asks you to “Receive a minimum of 1,000 sessions from Tier 1 countries” within 30 days, where Tier 1 means the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. The site also needs original content and has to meet Mediavine’s “content quality and traffic standards”.
The geography condition is the one to check first. A site with plenty of traffic from outside those four countries can be well past 1,000 sessions in total and still fall short. Look at your analytics filtered to those countries over the last 30 days, not at the headline figure.
What Ezoic asks for now
Ezoic’s help centre says sites are generally required to have 250,000 or more monthly active users, comply with AdSense policies, publish original content in a language AdSense supports, and support JavaScript. The unit is users, not pageviews or sessions, so the bar is harder to reach than a pageview figure of the same size.
Three details change the picture for some sites:
- Grandfathering. Publishers monetising with Ezoic before 19 February 2026 remain eligible regardless of size, provided they keep using Ezoic continuously.
- The 7-day rule. Removing the Ezoic integration for more than seven days voids grandfathered status. To return, the site then has to meet the 250,000-user bar.
- The Incubator. Sites below the bar may be offered the Ezoic Incubator programme. It is an offer, not an entitlement.
So the comparison depends on who you are. For a new site, Ezoic is effectively closed until it is large. For a small site already on Ezoic from before the cut-off, the question is not whether to join but whether to leave, and leaving is one-way.
Monumetric vs Ezoic, and where Raptive fits
Monumetric’s entry programme, Propel, covers 10,000 to 80,000 pageviews a month, and Monumetric mentions a setup fee for it. Against Ezoic’s new bar, that makes Monumetric far easier to enter for a mid-sized site, particularly one with a global audience that would struggle with Journey’s Tier 1 condition.
Raptive sits at 25,000 monthly pageviews. Our guide to Raptive requirements covers its conditions. A site that clears that bar has options well before it could reach Ezoic’s.
When you compare offers, compare like with like. Networks quote earnings in different ways, and the distinction in RPM vs CPM is the one that most often makes two numbers look comparable when they are not. Our wider ad network comparison sets out the other trade-offs beyond entry rules.
Which network fits which site
Read your own position against the table rather than against reputation. Before you do, pull three numbers from your analytics for the same recent period: monthly active users, monthly pageviews, and sessions from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Add your trailing twelve months of ad revenue if you already run ads. Each network measures a different one of those, and a site can look large on one and small on another. A site with loyal readers who view many pages each will have far more pageviews than users, which flatters it against pageview bars and hurts it against Ezoic’s.
- New site with Tier 1 readers, a few thousand sessions a month. Journey by Mediavine is the realistic first step. Ezoic is not available to you.
- Site with a global audience, 10,000 to 25,000 pageviews. Monumetric Propel is the obvious fit; weigh the setup fee against what you expect to earn.
- Site past 25,000 pageviews. Raptive becomes an option, alongside Journey if your Tier 1 sessions qualify.
- Site earning $5,000 a year in ad revenue elsewhere. You can apply to the full Mediavine programme on revenue alone.
- Grandfathered Ezoic publisher. Do not switch off the integration to test something else. Test on a staging copy, or accept that leaving is permanent.
For sites being bought and sold, the same table becomes a due-diligence check. A listing that quotes Ezoic revenue on a small site depends on grandfathered status that a careless migration can end. A listing that quotes Mediavine revenue tells you the site cleared a revenue test at some point, but not that it still meets the quality and traffic standards today.
One limitation is worth stating. Entry thresholds tell you where you can apply, not whether you will be accepted or what you will earn. Every network adds a quality review, and the terms change; check each network’s current page before you plan around it, because the documentation is the authority, not this summary.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ezoic or Mediavine easier to join?
For a new site, Mediavine, through Journey. Journey starts at 1,000 Tier 1 sessions in 30 days, while Ezoic generally requires 250,000 or more monthly active users from new sites.
What is the difference between Journey by Mediavine and Mediavine?
Journey is the entry programme, gated on 1,000 sessions from Tier 1 countries within 30 days. The full Mediavine programme requires a minimum of $5,000 in annual ad revenue.
Monumetric vs Ezoic: which has the lower bar?
Monumetric. Its Propel programme covers 10,000 to 80,000 monthly pageviews, against Ezoic’s 250,000 monthly active users for new sites. Monumetric mentions a setup fee for Propel.
Can I leave Ezoic and come back?
Only within seven days if you are grandfathered. Removing the integration for longer voids that status, and the site must then meet the 250,000-user requirement.
The takeaway On published terms, Ezoic is now the high bar and Mediavine’s Journey the low one. Check your Tier 1 sessions, pageviews and ad revenue against each, and never let a grandfathered Ezoic integration lapse.
