EthicalAds
EthicalAds is a privacy-focused, bootstrapped advertising network that connects technology advertisers with a curated set of developer-focused publisher sites using AI-driven contextual targeting instead of cookies or behavioral tracking.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What EthicalAds does
EthicalAds is a developer-focused advertising network operated as a division of Read the Docs, Inc., founded in Portland, Oregon around 2017 and bootstrapped by Eric Holscher and David Fischer without external funding. The network connects technology advertisers seeking to reach software developers with a curated set of more than 100 developer-focused publisher sites, including high-profile open source projects such as Read the Docs, the Python Software Foundation, ESLint, and Flask. EthicalAds does not use cookies, tracking pixels, behavioral data, or third-party scripts; ad targeting is entirely content-based, making the network 100% GDPR- and CCPA-compliant without cookie consent banners and approved under the Acceptable Ads standard so that ads pass through many ad blockers.
The platform is built around two open-source components, ethical-ad-server (Django-based) and ethical-ad-client (JavaScript), both publicly available on GitHub. Its proprietary AI/ML stack classifies page content into developer topics (AI/ML, DevOps, Security/Privacy, Frontend, Backend) using language-model embeddings, pgvector for similarity search, and centroid-based topic modeling, then matches advertiser landing pages to semantically similar publisher pages for niche targeting. The company serves 35 million+ developer impressions per month, has delivered 750M+ impressions and 2,900+ unique ads since 2020, and runs on a self-serve advertiser platform (server.ethicalads.io) with a $1,000 campaign minimum and CPM pricing between $3.00 and $7.50 depending on geography and targeting. Publishers receive a 70% revenue share (typical ~$2.50 CPM) with monthly payouts, and the network grew to 210 active publishers generating $161.8k in publisher payouts in Q1 2026. The go-to-market combines self-serve onboarding with inside-sales outreach by ad specialists, agency billing support, and community-led discovery through the open-source ecosystem.
Revenue is generated entirely through CPM-based advertising, with the company retaining roughly 30% of advertiser spend after the publisher payout. Geographic pricing explicitly covers North America (US, Canada), the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe (Germany, France), and selected Asia Pacific (India) and Eastern Europe (Poland) markets. Key customers span enterprise technology buyers (MongoDB, Snyk, DigitalOcean, Algolia, Lambda, CheckMK, daily.dev) alongside developer-focused agencies and training companies (Catchy, SuperOrbital, Tidelift). Recent product launches include a larger Jumbotron ad format (January 2026), LLM ad integration for AI publishers (April 2026), embedding-driven ad selection, and an AWS infrastructure migration.
EthicalAds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EthicalAds
- Legal name
- Read the Docs, Inc.
- Website
- https://ethicalads.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- EthicalAds is a privacy-focused, bootstrapped advertising network that connects technology advertisers with a curated set of developer-focused publisher sites using AI-driven contextual targeting instead of cookies or behavioral tracking.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EthicalAds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Advertising Network
- NAICS
- Media Buying Agencies (54183)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Advertising & Brand Safety (Ad Review, Policy Enforcement) (BPAAALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ethical Data Sourcing, Consent & Data Provenance (HDAAAMAI)
Keywords
Where EthicalAds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
EthicalAds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising impressions (CPM): Revenue generated from cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) advertising shown on publisher sites. Advertisers pay based on topic and geography targeting. Prices vary from $3.00 to $7.50 CPM depending on targeting parameters.
- Publisher revenue share: Publishers receive 70% revenue share of what EthicalAds charges advertisers. Publishers are paid monthly with $50 minimum payout via PayPal, OpenCollective, GitHub Sponsors, or bank transfer (Stripe Connect).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Run of Network targeting - All developers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland - All developers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom niche targeting - Run of Network |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Security/Privacy topic targeting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | AI/Machine Learning topic targeting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | DevOps topic targeting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Frontend web/JavaScript topic targeting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Backend web development topic targeting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Larger ad format (Jumbotron) |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Publisher CPM rates |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
EthicalAds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EthicalAds is a developer-focused digital advertising network that sells CPM-priced ad impressions on behalf of advertisers and pays a 70% revenue share to publishers. The network serves over 35 million monthly developer impressions across 100+ hand-picked publisher sites using AI-powered contextual targeting (ML embeddings) rather than user tracking, cookies, or behavioral data. Revenue is generated entirely from CPM advertising billed to advertisers, with publishers receiving payouts monthly via PayPal, OpenCollective, GitHub Sponsors, or Stripe Connect at a $50 minimum.
Product overview
EthicalAds is a developer-focused ad network built as a platform with multiple integrated components. The core product is the EthicalAds ad network platform (ethical-ad-server), an open source ad server that serves ads using AI-powered contextual targeting. This is complemented by the ethical-ad-client, an open source JavaScript snippet that publishers embed on their sites. The platform offers standard text/image ad formats as well as a newer larger ad format (Jumbotron, launched January 2026). Key targeting capabilities include niche targeting using embeddings and topic-based targeting for developer verticals (AI/ML, DevOps, Frontend, Backend, Security). Supporting tools include campaign and publisher revenue calculators, transparent reporting with API access, and a niche targeting demo tool. All software is open source and the network focuses on privacy-respecting advertising without user tracking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- EthicalAds Developer Ad Network A two-sided developer-focused ad network that sells CPM-priced ad impressions to advertisers and pays a 70% revenue share to publishers. It serves over 35 million monthly developer impressions across 100+ hand-picked publisher sites using AI-powered contextual targeting rather than user tracking, cookies, or behavioral data.
- Larger Ad Format (Jumbotron) A larger, opt-in ad format offering advertisers up to 240 characters of text plus an optional 160x60 pixel single-color logo. Billed at 2x standard CPM rates and offering publishers double the revenue per impression of standard formats.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~25% better ad performance with niche targeting using embeddings vs standard topic targeting
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use EthicalAds
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
EthicalAds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
EthicalAds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Python Software FoundationflagshipPartnership to promote open source sponsorship. PSF uses EthicalAds to power their sponsor placements and monetize developer audience while supporting the Python open source ecosystem.
- StripecorePayment processor for advertiser billing and publisher payouts. Handles credit card and bank transfer payments. Publishers can receive payouts via Stripe Connect.
- Acceptable AdscoreEthicalAds is on the Acceptable Ads list, allowing ads to be shown through many ad blockers. Part of the acceptable ads standard compliance program.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
EthicalAds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
EthicalAds social profiles
Digital presenceEthicalAds compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
EthicalAds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EthicalAds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
EthicalAds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EthicalAds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EthicalAds
What does EthicalAds do?
EthicalAds is a developer-focused digital advertising network that sells CPM-priced ad impressions on behalf of advertisers and pays a 70% revenue share to publishers. The network serves over 35 million monthly developer impressions across 100+ hand-picked publisher sites using AI-powered contextual targeting (ML embeddings) rather than user tracking, cookies, or behavioral data. Revenue is generated entirely from CPM advertising billed to advertisers, with publishers receiving payouts monthly via PayPal, OpenCollective, GitHub Sponsors, or Stripe Connect at a $50 minimum.
Is EthicalAds a public or private company?
EthicalAds is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was EthicalAds founded?
EthicalAds was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is EthicalAds based?
EthicalAds is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does EthicalAds make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising impressions (CPM) is the primary driver. The others are publisher revenue share.
Does EthicalAds have an API?
Yes. EthicalAds offers a reporting API for complex integrations. For larger enterprise clients, they can provide daily data reports directly to datalakes (S3, Azure) or data warehouses as daily parquet or CSV files. Advertisers can also manage ads and access live reports programmatically. The ad client also provides an API for single-page apps to pass page-specific keywords for targeting. Developer documentation is at ethical-ad-client.readthedocs.io.
What industry is EthicalAds in?
EthicalAds's product category is Digital Advertising Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAAALAD, Digital Advertising & Brand Safety (Ad Review, Policy Enforcement), with a secondary code of HDAAAMAI, Ethical Data Sourcing, Consent & Data Provenance. Its NAICS code is 54183 and its SIC code is 7310.