Start.io vs Taboola
Start.io vs Taboola, compared side by side on 21 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: Start.io is on 57/100 and Taboola on 66/100.
Where each one leads
Start.io
Leads on none of the measures we hold for both companies.
Taboola
- our overall score: 66/100 against 57/100
- domain rating: 87/100 against 75/100
- headcount: 2,029 against 154
- headcount growth: +5.7% against +2.9%
- funding raised: $160M against $4.3M
- LinkedIn following: 176,960 against 35,567
At a glance
| Measure | Start.io | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Start.io is a sell-side omnichannel advertising platform powered by real-time mobile audiences, delivering hundreds of millions of ads daily. | Taboola is a content discovery and native advertising platform that powers recommendations on premium publisher websites, reaching over 600 million daily active users. |
| Category | Mobile Marketing, Marketing, Advanced Targeting, Consumer Analytics | Marketing, Content, Content Generation, Content Discovery Platform |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2B |
| Offering | Software | Software |
| Founded | 2010 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel | New York, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Start.io | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 154 | 2,029 |
| Headcount growthLast 12 months | +2.9% | +5.7% |
| Total funding | $4.3M | $160M |
| Latest round | Series A | Series E |
| LinkedIn followers | 35,567 | 176,960 |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Start.io | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 57/100 | 66/100 |
| Traction | 53/100 | 60/100 |
| Team | 70/100 | 50/100 |
| Community | 8/100 | Not published |
| Search visibility | 33/100 | 26/100 |
| Quality | 58/100 | 78/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | D (50/100) | D (52/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 75/100 | 87/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Start.io | Taboola |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self Managed | Not detected |
| CMS | WordPress | WordPress |
| Frameworks | Jquery | Bootstrap |
| Analytics | Google Tag Manager | Not detected |
What users say
| Measure | Start.io | 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
Start.io vs Taboola: common questions
Which is better, Start.io or Taboola?
On our 0-100 score Taboola rates higher (66/100 against 57/100). 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 21 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Start.io and Taboola compare on the numbers?
Taboola leads on our overall score (66/100 against 57/100), domain rating (87/100 against 75/100), headcount (2,029 against 154), headcount growth (+5.7% against +2.9%), funding raised ($160M against $4.3M), LinkedIn following (176,960 against 35,567).
What do real users say about Start.io and Taboola?
Taboola: 1 positive and 4 negative mentions across 6 Reddit threads we track, mostly in r/nativeadsgurus.
Read the full Start.io review and pricing or the Taboola review and pricing. You can also browse other Start.io alternatives we track.