Most posts about Freestar requirements quote a single traffic number and stop. The network’s own publisher quality requirements page is more useful than that summary, and more demanding. It sets two traffic-mix tests, a content standard, a brand-safety list and a set of ad layout limits that will change how your pages look on day one.
This guide works through each section of that page, quoting it where the wording matters, and then covers what it leaves out, including sellers.json. If you are still choosing between managed networks, our ad network comparison sets the options side by side first.
The traffic tests: source, geography and volume
The first test is about where visitors come from. “Fifty percent of traffic must come from organic audiences, such as search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo).” The page takes a broad view of organic: it also counts social, Google News, Google Discover, YouTube, Reddit and news syndication. What it is screening out is bought traffic.
The second test is geography: “50% of traffic comes from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and/or Australia.” A site with a large audience spread across other markets can fail this even with healthy totals. Check your country report before you apply, not after.
The third is volume, and it is worded as a norm rather than a gate: “the average pageviews for our publishers are typically at least a million per month.” Read that honestly. It is not a published minimum, but it tells you where the network’s attention goes. A site well below that line can apply; it should not expect to be the priority.
| Requirement | What the page says | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Organic share | 50% of traffic from organic audiences | Hard rule |
| Geography | 50% from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and/or Australia | Hard rule |
| Volume | Publishers typically at least a million pageviews per month | Norm, not a gate |
| Ad refresh | 30 seconds or more; no refreshing non-viewable ads | Hard rule |
| Ad density | Not higher than 30% | Hard rule |
| Ads in view | No more than 5 on desktop, 3 on mobile | Hard rule |
| Video | Only one video ad playing at a time per page | Hard rule |
| Standing | Good standing with all major ad providers | Hard rule |
Freestar will also “request access to GA4” and ask for traffic insights, revenue history and the status of your demand partner relationships. Your analytics, not a screenshot, is what gets judged, so clean up filters and bot traffic first.
Content standards and what gets rejected
The content rules read like a quality rater brief. “Content must be unique to the publisher, and meant for human consumption.” “Content must be high-quality, original, and feature meaningful human involvement.” And: “The majority of pages should feature long-form articles.”
That last line rules out some site types on format alone. A tool site, an image gallery or a directory with thin listing pages may have the traffic and still not fit. Syndicated content is allowed only “using content syndication best practices with proper permissions.”
The page names the strategies it rejects: “stolen/scrapped, low quality AI-generated, clickbait headlines, and content with potential copyright issues.” Note the qualifier. It is low-quality AI content that is named, not AI assistance as such, which lines up with the “meaningful human involvement” test. The page also says Freestar works with publishers in 18 content verticals, the largest being sports, news, finance, automotive, gaming and entertainment.
Brand safety, moderation and good standing
“Content must be brand-safe, with pre-existing content moderation practices enforced.” The page then says “the far majority of content should not include” sexually explicit material, piracy, violence or hate speech, profane speech, illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia, and cruelty to humans or animals.
“Far majority” is softer than “none”, but do not read it as permission. Advertisers judge pages, not averages. Two further exclusions are absolute. Freestar does “not monetize sites that incentivize users to view ads in exchange for rewards, discounts, or money”, and it will not accept sites that allow real-money gambling.
Comment sections and forums get their own rule: “it is required that those areas be moderated by a site admin or third-party technology prior to monetization.” If your site has user-generated content, the moderation has to exist before you apply. And “Publishers must be in good standing with all major ad providers”, so an unresolved AdSense policy problem follows you into this application.
The ad layout rules that cap your RPM
This is the section most applicants skim, and the one that shapes revenue. Freestar sets limits on how aggressively a page can be monetised, and they bind every day you stay on the network.
- Density. “Ad density must not be higher than 30%.”
- Count in view. “No more than 5 ads can be in view at any given time on desktop, 3 on mobile.”
- Placement. “Ads cannot block content from users.” “Ads cannot be stacked, neither vertical or horizontally.” “No overlapping ads.”
- Behaviour. No layouts that “artificially initiate clicks or impressions”, and “No auto playing ads with sound.”
The refresh rule is the one that most changes the maths: “Ad refresh rate must be set at 30 seconds or more,” and “The refreshing of non-viewable ads is not tolerated.” On long-form pages with long dwell time, refresh is a large share of impressions, so this rule limits how much you gain from engagement alone. Our guide to RPM vs CPM explains why fewer, viewable impressions can still lift what matters.
The penalty clause is plain: Freestar “holds the right to not longer monetize the site” if you break these guidelines after approval. Treat the list as permanent operating rules, not an application checklist.
Where sellers.json and ads.txt fit
People searching for Freestar sellers.json usually want to confirm the network is a legitimate seller of their inventory, or to set up the matching ads.txt lines. The requirements page does not mention either file, so do not expect to find the entries there.
The two files work as a pair. Your ads.txt lists the companies authorised to sell your inventory; an ad platform’s sellers.json lists the publishers and intermediaries it represents. Buyers cross-check one against the other. Once you are approved, Freestar supplies the lines for your file during onboarding. Our guide to ads.txt covers how to install them and check for errors.
One limitation to state clearly. The page gives rules, not approval odds. It does not say how strictly the volume norm is applied, how long review takes, or what share of applicants pass, and we will not guess. If you sit near the line, compare the published bars for Mediavine and Raptive, and see the monetization hub for the wider set of models.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Freestar requirements for traffic?
Half your traffic must be organic, and half must come from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and/or Australia. Freestar says its publishers typically average at least a million pageviews a month.
Is there a strict minimum pageview count?
The requirements page does not state one. It describes a typical figure of at least a million monthly pageviews, which is a norm rather than a published cut-off.
What ad limits does Freestar set?
Ad density no higher than 30%, no more than 5 ads in view on desktop and 3 on mobile, refresh at 30 seconds or more, and one video ad playing at a time.
Where do I find Freestar’s sellers.json details?
Not on the requirements page, which does not mention sellers.json or ads.txt. Freestar provides your ads.txt lines during onboarding.
The takeaway Check your organic and geography split in GA4 before applying, make sure the site is long-form and moderated, and plan for the density, count and refresh limits as permanent rules.
