The most used ad platforms and pixels
We track 91 ad platforms and pixels. The most used is Google Ads, found at 451,704 companies as of October 2026, ahead of Meta Pixel (379,995) and Microsoft Ads (114,542).
An ad pixel on a website is a strong sign the company buys ads on that platform: it exists to report conversions back. Google Ads and the Meta Pixel are the most common, followed by LinkedIn's Insight Tag for B2B, Microsoft Ads, TikTok, Reddit, X and Pinterest. Newer platforms such as ChatGPT Ads appear here as soon as advertisers install their pixel.
The same section includes ad tech used by publishers that sell ads (Google Ad Manager, Magnite), so a company listed there may be selling ad space rather than buying it.
Ad platforms and pixels ranked by companies using them
“Share” is each tool's part of all 1,624,852 matches in this category; a company that uses two tools counts for both.
| # | Tool | Companies | Share | Last 30 days | Most popular with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 451,704 | 28% | +98−103 | 1,001–5,000 employees (1.5×) | |
| 2 | 379,995 | 23% | +70−33 | Retail (1.5×) | |
| 3 | 114,542 | 7.0% | +15−19 | Automotive (2.7×) | |
| 4 | 110,460 | 6.8% | +37−44 | Software (2.1×) | |
| 5 | 44,645 | 2.7% | +23−9 | Apparel & Fashion (8.3×) | |
| 6 | 41,301 | 2.5% | +9−3 | Newspapers (32×) | |
| 7 | 33,236 | 2.0% | +7−5 | Newspapers (21×) | |
| 8 | 29,982 | 1.8% | +11−10 | Furniture (7.1×) | |
| 9 | 23,365 | 1.4% | +9−10 | 1–10 employees (2.2×) | |
| 10 | 20,400 | 1.3% | +4 | Newspapers (28×) | |
| 11 | 17,124 | 1.1% | +5−4 | Automotive (5.4×) | |
| 12 | 16,563 | 1.0% | +10−9 | Software (2.1×) | |
| 13 | 16,458 | 1.0% | +4 | Newspapers (28×) | |
| 14 | 15,761 | 0.97% | +16−11 | Automotive (3.8×) | |
| 15 | 15,495 | 0.95% | +5−2 | Newspapers (43×) | |
| 16 | 14,906 | 0.92% | +2 | Newspapers (29×) | |
| 17 | 14,214 | 0.87% | +13−8 | Newspapers (29×) | |
| 18 | 12,799 | 0.79% | +9−7 | Newspapers (78×) | |
| 19 | 11,849 | 0.73% | +11−7 | Newspapers (82×) | |
| 20 |  Amazon Advertising | 11,308 | 0.70% | +3 | Newspapers (53×) |
| 21 | 11,181 | 0.69% | +7−7 | Newspapers (81×) | |
| 22 |  Amazon Publisher Services | 10,164 | 0.63% | +8−7 | Newspapers (80×) |
| 23 | 10,055 | 0.62% | +4−8 | Newspapers (42×) | |
| 24 | 9,909 | 0.61% | +7−7 | Newspapers (71×) | |
| 25 | 9,610 | 0.59% | +4−3 | Apparel & Fashion (7.5×) | |
| 26 | 9,451 | 0.58% | – | Newspapers (52×) | |
| 27 | 9,440 | 0.58% | – | Newspapers (76×) | |
| 28 | 9,313 | 0.57% | +2 | Newspapers (56×) | |
| 29 | 8,644 | 0.53% | +9−7 | Newspapers (76×) | |
| 30 | 8,176 | 0.50% | +8−7 | Newspapers (73×) | |
| 31 | 8,054 | 0.50% | +10−5 | Newspapers (71×) | |
| 32 | 7,890 | 0.49% | +8−7 | Newspapers (76×) | |
| 33 | 7,684 | 0.47% | +4 | Newspapers (20×) | |
| 34 | 7,666 | 0.47% | +2 | Banking (5.8×) | |
| 35 | 7,224 | 0.44% | +2−1 | Veterinary (23×) | |
| 36 | 7,203 | 0.44% | – | Newspapers (89×) | |
| 37 | 7,071 | 0.44% | +7−7 | Newspapers (76×) | |
| 38 | 6,536 | 0.40% | +1 | Newspapers (84×) | |
| 39 | 5,691 | 0.35% | +1 | Newspapers (116×) | |
| 40 | 5,365 | 0.33% | +1 | Newspapers (98×) | |
| 41 | 5,236 | 0.32% | – | Newspapers (103×) | |
| 42 | 4,757 | 0.29% | −2 | Construction (3.5×) | |
| 43 | 4,710 | 0.29% | +3−1 | Newspapers (44×) | |
| 44 | 4,645 | 0.29% | – | Newspapers (123×) | |
| 45 | 4,509 | 0.28% | +3−2 | Apparel & Fashion (14×) | |
| 46 | 4,401 | 0.27% | +7−1 | Newspapers (19×) | |
| 47 | 4,376 | 0.27% | +4−2 | Newspapers (38×) | |
| 48 | 3,902 | 0.24% | +1 | Newspapers (136×) | |
| 49 | 2,842 | 0.17% | +6−3 | Higher Education (7.7×) | |
| 50 | 2,456 | 0.15% | – | Newspapers (103×) | |
| 51 | 1,924 | 0.12% | – | Automotive (11×) | |
| 52 | 1,843 | 0.11% | −2 | E-learning (4.5×) | |
| 53 | 1,638 | 0.10% | +1 | Cosmetics (21×) | |
| 54 | 1,267 | <0.1% | +1 | Newspapers (150×) | |
| 55 | 1,063 | <0.1% | – | Hospitality (5.2×) | |
| 56 | 977 | <0.1% | – | Health, Wellness and Fitness (2.7×) | |
| 57 | 834 | <0.1% | – | Consumer Services (13×) | |
| 58 | 708 | <0.1% | – | Hospitality (2.6×) | |
| 59 | 670 | <0.1% | – | 1–10 employees (12×) | |
| 60 | 668 | <0.1% | +1 | Apparel & Fashion (12×) | |
| 61 | 634 | <0.1% | – | Online Media (29×) | |
| 62 | 556 | <0.1% | – | Newspapers (240×) | |
| 63 | 546 | <0.1% | – | Hospitality (13×) | |
| 64 | 535 | <0.1% | – | Newspapers (154×) | |
| 65 | 494 | <0.1% | – | Newspapers (128×) | |
| 66 | 413 | <0.1% | – | 1–10 employees (7.8×) | |
| 67 | 396 | <0.1% | – | Economics of Banking (905×) | |
| 68 | 382 | <0.1% | – | 1–10 employees (12×) | |
| 69 | 381 | <0.1% | – | Newspapers (99×) | |
| 70 |  Amazon Associates | 356 | <0.1% | – | 1–10 employees (7.6×) |
| 71 |  Smarter Click | 351 | <0.1% | – | Apparel & Fashion (20×) |
| 72 | 343 | <0.1% | −4 | Software (7.4×) | |
| 73 | 340 | <0.1% | +1 | 1–10 employees (9.5×) | |
| 74 | 325 | <0.1% | – | Health, Wellness and Fitness (4.6×) | |
| 75 | 304 | <0.1% | – | Retail (3.8×) | |
| 76 | 303 | <0.1% | – | Newspapers (109×) | |
| 77 | 299 | <0.1% | – | 1,001–5,000 employees (5.4×) | |
| 78 | 294 | <0.1% | – | Apparel & Fashion (39×) | |
| 79 | 289 | <0.1% | – | 1–10 employees (18×) | |
| 80 | 208 | <0.1% | +1 | 51–200 employees (1.7×) | |
| 81 | 200 | <0.1% | – | Apparel & Fashion (25×) | |
| 82 | 182 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 83 | 143 | <0.1% | – | Apparel & Fashion (28×) | |
| 84 | 139 | <0.1% | – | Software (11×) | |
| 85 | 132 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 86 | 127 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 87 |  MainAd | 111 | <0.1% | – | 51–200 employees (1.4×) |
| 88 | 82 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 89 | 67 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 90 | 48 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 91 | 12 | <0.1% | – | – |
“Most popular with” is the industry or company size where the tool is most over-represented compared with all companies we've scanned. Starts and stops compare two scans done the same way.
Who's gaining and losing customers
- Meta Pixel: 70 started, 33 stopped in the last 30 days
- TikTok Pixel: 23 started, 9 stopped in the last 30 days
- Google Ad Manager: 9 started, 3 stopped in the last 30 days
- Adform: 7 started, 1 stopped in the last 30 days
- Reddit Ads: 16 started, 11 stopped in the last 30 days
- StackAdapt: 13 started, 8 stopped in the last 30 days
How to compare ad platforms and pixels
- Where your buyers spend time: LinkedIn for B2B roles, Meta and TikTok for consumers, search for high intent.
- Conversion tracking: browser pixels versus server-side conversion APIs.
- Consent requirements in the markets you advertise in.
How we find ad platforms and pixels
Pixels load in the browser, usually through a tag manager, so we find them in page scripts, inside Google Tag Manager containers and in the requests a real browser makes. Publishers' ad systems also show up in ads.txt files.
Every company on a tool's page links to the record behind the match. DNS is rechecked weekly and websites monthly, so tools a company stops using drop off the list.
Ads & Pixels FAQ
What are the most popular ad platforms and pixels?
As of October 2026, the most popular ad platforms and pixels by number of companies using them are Google Ads (451,704 companies), Meta Pixel (379,995 companies) and Microsoft Ads (114,542 companies), according to runsonwhat. Google Ads alone accounts for 28% of the 1,624,852 Ads & Pixels matches runsonwhat has, and the top three together for 58%. 91 ad platforms and pixels have at least one confirmed customer.
Google Ads vs Meta Pixel: which is more popular?
Google Ads is more popular: 451,704 companies show public evidence of Google Ads, against 379,995 for Meta Pixel, according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Microsoft Ads is third with 114,542.
Which ad platforms and pixels do small businesses use most?
Among companies with up to 50 employees, the most used ad platforms and pixels are Google Ads (193,352 companies), Meta Pixel (179,610 companies) and Microsoft Ads (45,088 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). The counts cover companies with a known headcount; see each tool's page for the full size breakdown.
Which ad platforms and pixels do large companies use most?
Among companies with more than 1,000 employees, the most used ad platforms and pixels are Google Ads (22,523 companies), Meta Pixel (17,457 companies) and LinkedIn Insight Tag (7,488 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Large companies often run more than one tool in a category, so the same company can count for several.
Which ad platforms and pixels are most popular in the United States?
In the United States, the most used ad platforms and pixels are Google Ads (130,988 companies), Meta Pixel (104,034 companies) and LinkedIn Insight Tag (35,544 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). Google Ads has 27% of the Ads & Pixels matches among companies based in the United States.
Which ad platforms and pixels are most popular in the United Kingdom?
In the United Kingdom, the most used ad platforms and pixels are Google Ads (25,836 companies), Meta Pixel (19,557 companies) and Microsoft Ads (9,684 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). Google Ads has 30% of the Ads & Pixels matches among companies based in the United Kingdom.
Which ad platforms and pixels do IT services companies use?
IT services is the industry with the most Ads & Pixels matches, and its companies use Google Ads (26,794 companies), Meta Pixel (17,846 companies) and LinkedIn Insight Tag (10,727 companies) most, according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Each tool's page breaks its customers down by industry, so you can check where a tool over-indexes.
Which ad platforms and pixels are companies adopting right now?
In the 30 days to October 2026, the most new adoptions runsonwhat recorded were for Google Ads (98 companies), Meta Pixel (70 companies) and LinkedIn Insight Tag (37 companies). A start is counted when a recheck finds a tool that the previous check of the same company, done the same way, did not.
Which ad platforms and pixels are losing customers?
In the 30 days to October 2026, more companies stopped than started using LinkedIn Insight Tag (44 stopped, 37 started), Google Ads (103 stopped, 98 started) and Microsoft Ads (19 stopped, 15 started), according to runsonwhat's rechecks. Short-term moves are small next to each tool's total, so read them as signals rather than trends.
How does runsonwhat rank ad platforms and pixels?
runsonwhat counts the companies where a public record shows each tool in use and ranks by that count. Pixels load in the browser, usually through a tag manager, so we find them in page scripts, inside Google Tag Manager containers and in the requests a real browser makes. Publishers' ad systems also show up in ads.txt files. A company counts only when a direct record backs it up. The full method is at https://www.runsonwhat.com/methodology.