Should You Choose Google Ad Manager or GAM 360?
A great question! Let’s break down the key differences between Google Ad Manager (GAM) and Google Ad Manager 360 (GAM 360) so you can see which suits your needs.
🚀 What is GAM (Google Ad Manager)?
- Free version of Google’s ad serving platform.
- Designed for small to medium publishers.
- Basic features for managing direct, programmatic, and AdSense/Ad Exchange demand.
🌟 What is GAM 360 (Google Ad Manager 360)?
- Paid / premium version (formerly called DoubleClick for Publishers Premium).
- Intended for large publishers, enterprises, and media companies.
- Comes with advanced tools, dedicated support, and custom integrations.
⚡ Key Differences:
| Feature | GAM (Free) | GAM 360 (Premium) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid (subscription/license fee, custom pricing by Google) |
| Impression limit | ~90 million ad impressions per month (varies slightly by region) | Unlimited impressions |
| Support | Self-serve / community forums | Dedicated Google account manager and support |
| Ad Exchange access | Open access | Priority access, private marketplace deals |
| Advanced reporting | Basic reports | Advanced reporting, data export (BigQuery integration) |
| Sales management (direct sales) | Basic | Advanced features (e.g. proposals, workflows) |
| Audience segmentation / data management | Limited | Full DFP audience features, audience segmentation, first-party data management |
| Service Level Agreement (SLA) | None | SLA with uptime guarantees |
| Customizations / API limits | Limited API quota | Higher API quota, more customization options |
| Programmatic Direct / Guaranteed | Limited | Full access with advanced features |
💡 When to choose which?
✅ Use GAM (Free) if:
- Your monthly impressions are under ~90 million.
- You’re a small or medium publisher.
- You don’t need advanced audience, sales, or reporting tools.
✅ Use GAM 360 if:
- You’re an enterprise publisher with complex sales and ad operations.
- You need direct deals, PMP, and programmatic guaranteed at scale.
- You require dedicated support and SLAs.
- You want to integrate with advanced tools (BigQuery, CRM, custom data).
