Outbrain vs Taboola
Outbrain vs Taboola, compared side by side on 19 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Outbrain is on 63/100 and Taboola on 66/100.
Where each one leads
Outbrain
- funding raised: $394M against $160M
Taboola
- agent readiness: 52/100 against 38/100
- headcount: 2,029 against 371
- headcount growth: +5.7% against -29.7%
- LinkedIn following: 176,960 against 87,340
At a glance
| Measure | Outbrain | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A leading technology platform that drives business results by engaging people across the open internet. | Taboola is a content discovery and native advertising platform that powers recommendations on premium publisher websites, reaching over 600 million daily active users. |
| Category | Marketing, Content, Content Marketing, Content Discovery Platform | Marketing, Content, Content Generation, Content Discovery Platform |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2B |
| Offering | Software | Software |
| Founded | 2006 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | New York, United States | New York, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Outbrain | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 371 | 2,029 |
| Headcount growthLast 12 months | -29.7% | +5.7% |
| Total funding | $394M | $160M |
| Latest round | Pre-IPO | Series E |
| LinkedIn followers | 87,340 | 176,960 |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Outbrain | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 63/100 | 66/100 |
| Traction | 60/100 | 60/100 |
| Team | 90/100 | 50/100 |
| Community | 8/100 | Not published |
| Search visibility | 30/100 | 26/100 |
| Quality | 65/100 | 78/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | F (38/100) | D (52/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 87/100 | 87/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Outbrain | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| CMS | Not detected | WordPress |
| Frameworks | Not detected | Bootstrap |
| Analytics | Google Tag Manager | Not detected |
What users say
| Measure | Outbrain | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| Reddit sentimentThreads we track | Not published | 1 positive, 4 negative across 6 threads |
“To everyone saying Native Ads (Taboola, Outbrain etc.) only buys you s**t traffic. I ran a small experiment because I keep seeing the same claim: “Taboola is just low-quality traffic.” Yes, the budget here is very small. I know. This is not”r/nativeadsgurus
Outbrain vs Taboola: common questions
Which is better, Outbrain or Taboola?
On our 0-100 score Taboola rates higher (66/100 against 63/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 19 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Outbrain and Taboola compare on the numbers?
Outbrain leads on funding raised ($394M against $160M). Taboola leads on agent readiness (52/100 against 38/100), headcount (2,029 against 371), headcount growth (+5.7% against -29.7%), LinkedIn following (176,960 against 87,340).
What do real users say about Outbrain and Taboola?
Taboola: 1 positive and 4 negative mentions across 6 Reddit threads we track, mostly in r/nativeadsgurus.
Read the full Outbrain review and pricing or the Taboola review and pricing. You can also browse other Outbrain alternatives we track.