distribution.dev and the alternatives

Where developer ad budgets usually go, what each option does well, and when one of them is a better pick than us.

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At a glance

Four ways to reach developers

Grouped by type, because most teams compare categories before they compare vendors.

	distribution.dev	Developer ad networks	Sponsorship marketplaces	LinkedIn and Google ads
Developer sites and docs
Developer newsletters
AI chat and coding agents (early access)
Only developer audiences
Planned with you by a person

YesSome providers or formatsNo

Based on each company's public website. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.

One by one

The alternatives, fairly

What each one is, when to choose it, and when distribution.dev fits better.

Developer ad network

A long-running network of 350+ developer and design sites, with one small ad per page. Part of BuySellAds, which also sells newsletters and podcasts.

Choose it when: You want a single display unit across established developer and design sites.
Choose us when: You want AI chats and coding agents in the same plan as developer sites, with developers as the only audience.

carbonads.net

Developer ad network

A privacy-first network focused on developer documentation and open source sites, with public prices and a stated minimum.

Choose it when: Docs and open source sites are your whole plan and you want to buy without a call.
Choose us when: You want docs plus communities, newsletters and AI placements, planned with a person.

ethicalads.io

Sponsorship marketplace

Fully managed campaigns for tech brands and agencies across many publishers and newsletters, including business, AI and consumer audiences. No public prices.

Choose it when: You want premium sponsorships beyond developers, such as business or consumer newsletters.
Choose us when: Developers are the audience and you want placements in the AI chats and coding agents they build with.

buysellads.com

Newsletters, bought direct

Single-publisher sponsorship

Booking a slot with one newsletter, such as TLDR, through its own ad team or a newsletter marketplace.

Choose it when: One newsletter's readers are exactly who you need and you want that publisher's own production.
Choose us when: You want several surfaces on one order, one report and one invoice.

advertise.tldr.tech

LinkedIn Ads

Social ads

Self-serve ads in the LinkedIn feed and inbox, targeted by job title, company and skills.

Choose it when: You sell to buyers and managers by title or company, not to the engineers who use the tool.
Choose us when: You want developers in the places they read and build, next to the work itself.

business.linkedin.com

Google Ads

Search and display ads

Self-serve search and display ads on Google and partner sites, bought by keyword and audience in an auction.

Choose it when: People already search for your category by name and you want to catch that intent.
Choose us when: Developers don't know your category yet, or now ask an AI assistant instead of searching.

ads.google.com

distribution.dev

Developer ad network, sites to agents

One campaign across developer sites, docs, newsletters, AI chat and coding agents. Every ad is labeled, and every placement is named in your plan and report.

Choose us when: Developers are the audience and you want one plan from reading to building.
Not a fit when: You need consumer audiences, podcasts or video.

How it works

FAQ

Comparison questions

What teams ask when they weigh us against the others.

All questions

Can I run distribution.dev alongside another network?

Yes. Your report names every placement, so you can see where results came from.

Who runs distribution.dev?

It's built by daily.dev and DEV and runs on daily.dev's ad technology. About us.

Why do some rows say “some providers”?

Categories mix several companies. Where one company in a group offers something and another doesn't, we mark it as partly rather than pick the most flattering example.

How often is this page checked?

Before every major update to the site, and whenever a company tells us something changed.

Still comparing? We'll show you a plan side by side.

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