Trade Desk vs DV360: DSP Comparison & Features 2025

October 20, 2025
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Display & Video 360 (DV360) and The Trade Desk (TTD) are major players in programmatic advertising, each offering distinct capabilities tailored to different campaign strategies. 

Both platforms offer robust tools for targeting, optimization, and reporting, but they cater to different advertiser needs depending on factors like data control, inventory access, and cross-channel capabilities.

This guide dives into the key differences between DV360 and The Trade Desk, helping advertisers choose the best platform for their programmatic advertising goals.

           
               
                   
                       
                           
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Overview: Distinguishing DV360 and The Trade Desk

DV360 serves as a comprehensive demand-side platform, enabling advertisers to execute and manage programmatic ad campaigns.

DV360, short for Display & Video 360, is Google’s all-in-one programmatic advertising platform, designed for managing digital media buys across multiple channels, including display, video, connected TV, and audio.

It integrates seamlessly with Google’s broader marketing ecosystem, providing advertisers with advanced targeting options, real-time bidding (RTB), and dynamic creative optimization. 

DV360 is particularly well-suited for advertisers looking to leverage Google's vast data and media network.

The Trade Desk is a platform that enables digital ad buying across multiple formats and devices.

The Trade Desk (TTD) is a leading programmatic advertising platform that offers extensive reach across multiple ad exchanges and channels, including display, video, connected TV, mobile, and audio.

Known for its robust data integration capabilities, TTD allows advertisers to leverage both first and third-party data for advanced audience targeting and segmentation. It offers a transparent, customizable bidding process and detailed reporting, making it ideal for advertisers looking for more control over their media buys. 

The Trade Desk is a preferred choice for agencies and enterprises managing large-scale, multi-channel campaigns.

Let’s take a closer look at the key differences between DV360 and The Trade Desk.

1. Targeting and Audience Data Capabilities

DV360 offers a variety of targeting options based on first-party data.

DV360 offers some of the most advanced targeting options in programmatic advertising.

The platform leverages Google’s vast ecosystem of first-party data, including search, YouTube, and other Google-owned properties, for highly granular audience targeting. It offers extensive access to Google’s own data for creating custom affinity audiences, in-market segments, and dynamic remarketing. 

DV360 integrates with both first-party and third-party data sources, but its strength lies in the seamless connection with Google’s vast user base and data-rich environment, giving advertisers a significant advantage for targeting within Google’s ecosystem.

The Trade Desk offers broader reach across the open internet.

The Trade Desk offers more flexibility with data integration, allowing advertisers to use a wide variety of third-party data providers and build highly customized audience segments. 

Unlike DV360, TTD is not confined to a single ecosystem, offering more independence in leveraging data from multiple sources across the open internet. 

The platform supports lookalike modeling, behavioral targeting, and allows advertisers to combine different data sets for deeper audience insights, making it a strong choice for campaigns that require more diverse data inputs and broader targeting options beyond Google’s environment.

Additionally, The Trade Desk’s Unified ID 2.0 initiative offers a privacy-focused approach to audience targeting, positioning it well for future challenges in digital advertising.

2. Creative Capabilities and Formats

Google DV360 offers a wide range of ad formats.

DV360 provides a comprehensive set of creative tools, supporting rich media, video, and interactive formats. 

The platform’s integration with Google Web Designer allows advertisers to build and manage high-quality ad creatives easily. Additionally, DV360 supports Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO), which personalizes ads in real-time based on user data such as location, behavior, and device.

Overall, DV360 is well-suited for advertisers looking to leverage cross-channel creative management, with tools to handle both standard and custom creatives, ensuring consistency across multiple formats and channels.

The Trade Desk also supports a broad array of creative formats, including display, video, connected TV, and audio ads. 

While it doesn’t have a proprietary dynamic creative tool like DV360’s DCO, it allows for flexible creative management and integration with third-party creative platforms for personalized and responsive ad units. The Trade Desk offers custom creative capabilities, but much of the dynamic optimization must be handled externally or through partner integrations. 

It excels in offering transparency and control over how creatives are served across various channels and inventory sources.

3. Pricing and Fee Structure

DV360 utilizes a clear fee structure, with charges for platform access and advanced ad formats. 

Advertisers can choose between a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) value model or a total media cost markup. 

  • The CPM model offers direct control over media spend, ideal for campaigns where cost efficiency is a priority. 
  • In contrast, the total media cost markup bundles all expenses, including fees, offering simplicity in budgeting for more comprehensive campaign management.

DV360 has additional costs for data targeting using third-party providers. This is an extra CPM that gets added to the base media CPM. Depending on the complexity of the campaign (e.g., using dynamic creative or advanced measurement tools), Google may charge additional technology fees.

The Trade Desk also typically charges on a Cost Per Mille (CPM) basis, which means advertisers pay for every 1,000 impressions served.

Overall, The Trade Desk is known for its transparent fee structure. 

The platform fee is often around 20% of media spend. This fee covers access to the platform, reporting, and optimization tools. Additional costs include: 

  • The Trade Desk charges extra fees for many features like lookalike modeling and cross-device targeting. Some are enabled by default, so you have to opt-out to avoid charges.
  • If you use third-party data for audience targeting, that can add additional costs. These are typically paid as Data CPMs layered on top of the media CPM.
  • There may be costs for creative development or dynamic creative optimization if using TTD’s additional services.

It’s important to note that The Trade Desk has big minimum spends, ranging from $300k/month to $1m/month in media. This makes the platform less accessible for smaller advertisers.

                                                                               
AspectThe Trade Desk (TTD)DV360
Pricing TransparencyClear separation of media and feesFees are bundled with media spend
Platform Fee~20% of media spendBundled (estimated ~15-20%)
Third-Party Data CostsExtra CPM added for data integrationsExtra CPM added for data integrations
Creative CostsCreative services can incur extra feesDynamic creative features may cost more

4. Analytics and Reporting

Both DV360 and The Trade Desk offer strong features, but they cater to different needs and strategies depending on the scope and focus of the marketer.

Instant Analytics and Optimization for Programmatic Campaigns
Improvado’s AI Agent delivers real-time insights, visualizations, and benchmarks for your DV360 and The Trade Desk campaigns—right when you need them. Instantly analyze performance, collaborate across teams, and optimize strategies with natural language queries and seamless integration with your marketing stack, all from a single chat interface.

Display & Video 360 analytics capabilities:

  • Integration with Google Analytics 360: One of the major advantages of DV360 is its seamless integration with Google Analytics 360. This allows advertisers to access comprehensive cross-channel and attribution reporting. Marketers can view how display, video, and search campaigns are performing holistically across the Google ecosystem.
  • Attribution and Conversion Tracking: DV360 offers robust multi-touch attribution models and advanced conversion tracking. 
  • Audience Insights: With DV360, users get access to Google’s proprietary data, which includes behavioral, demographic, and intent signals. These insights are deeply integrated into Google’s own ecosystem, making it easier to track audience behavior across the web, YouTube, and other Google properties.
  • Real-Time Reporting: Similar to TTD, DV360 provides real-time reporting. However, its integration with Google’s other platforms like YouTube and Search gives DV360 a unique advantage when measuring cross-channel campaigns that include Google’s vast properties.
  • Visualizations and Dashboards: DV360 offers customizable dashboards with data visualizations. Reports can be shared easily with stakeholders and clients, integrating Google Data Studio for advanced data visualizations.

The Trade Desk offers similarly robust analytics:

  • Customizable Reporting: TTD offers highly customizable reporting dashboards, allowing users to create reports tailored to specific campaign KPIs. Marketers can adjust the parameters, set different time ranges, and add various data filters.
  • Real-Time Data: The platform provides real-time data reporting, allowing marketers to make quicker decisions based on how the campaign is performing at any given moment.
  • Cross-Channel Reporting: The Trade Desk provides cross-channel analytics, giving marketers a comprehensive view of campaigns across multiple platforms and media types, including display, video, audio, and even connected TV (CTV).
  • Data Transparency: TTD is known for its transparency, allowing marketers to dig deep into performance data, including impressions, viewability, and engagement metrics. This helps in understanding specific inventory sources.
  • Third-Party Data Integration: TTD integrates with a wide range of third-party data sources, enabling richer insights into audience behavior and targeting efficiency. Marketers can layer in these insights for more granular reporting and optimization.

5. Flexibility and Integration

DV360’s strength lies in its integration within Google’s suite of tools, creating a streamlined workflow for advertisers already using Google products. Data sharing across Google Analytics, Campaign Manager, and other tools simplifies campaign management and reporting.

The Trade Desk offers greater flexibility, working seamlessly with a wide range of third-party data providers and media platforms. This flexibility makes it an excellent choice for advertisers looking to diversify media spend across multiple channels beyond Google’s ecosystem.

Google DV360 vs. The Trade Desk: Comparative Table

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
AspectThe Trade Desk (TTD)DV360 (Google Display & Video 360)
Pricing ModelCPM-based with ~20% platform fee, transparent pricingCPM-based, fees bundled with media spend, less transparent
Third-Party Data IntegrationExtensive integration with multiple third-party data providersLimited compared to TTD, but enriched with Google’s proprietary data
Creative ServicesAdditional costs for dynamic creative servicesDynamic creative tools available, may incur extra costs
Cross-Channel ReachStrong for non-Google media, including CTV, audio, displayBest for Google’s ecosystem, including YouTube, GDN, and Search
Audience TargetingIntegrates with a wide variety of third-party data sources for advanced targetingGoogle’s first-party data, behavioral and intent targeting based on Google Search, YouTube, and GDN
Customizable ReportingHighly customizable dashboards and reportsCustomizable reports integrated with Google Data Studio
Real-Time DataYes, real-time performance data across all channelsYes, real-time data, especially across Google-owned properties
Attribution & Conversion TrackingLimited multi-touch attribution compared to DV360Strong multi-touch attribution and conversion tracking integrated with Google Analytics and Ads
Data TransparencyHigh transparency on media costs, inventory, and performanceLess granular on cost transparency but deep insights within the Google ecosystem
InventoryAccess to non-Google inventory, including premium publishers, CTV, audio, and nativeStrong access to Google’s inventory: YouTube, Google Display Network, and Search
Best forMarketers seeking transparency, advanced third-party data integrations, and cross-channel advertising across non-Google inventoryMarketers leveraging Google’s ecosystem (YouTube, GDN, Search) who need strong attribution, advanced analytics, and cross-channel reporting within the Google suite
Key StrengthsTransparent pricing, strong cross-channel capabilities, advanced data targeting, customizable reportingGoogle ecosystem integration, robust attribution models, seamless connection to YouTube and Google Ads, advanced audience insights
LimitationsLacks direct integration with Google properties, attribution models not as advanced as DV360’sLess transparency on platform fees, limited access to non-Google inventory, fewer third-party data integration options

Choosing the Right Platform

Both DV360 and The Trade Desk offer powerful solutions for programmatic advertising, but each suits different strategies. 

DV360 is ideal for advertisers who benefit from Google’s ecosystem, providing ease of integration and strong creative tools. 

The Trade Desk excels in flexibility, premium inventory access, and detailed reporting, making it a strong choice for larger campaigns with diverse audience reach across the open internet.

Regardless of the platform you choose, successful campaigns depend on flawless execution, a deep understanding of audience targeting, and continuous optimization to navigate the complexities of modern digital advertising.

Ensure Campaign Compliance and Data Integrity Across DV360 & The Trade Desk
Improvado Data Governance provides real-time monitoring and automated rule enforcement for campaign setup, data quality, and brand compliance on DV360, The Trade Desk, and other platforms. Gain peace of mind with proactive error detection, a live compliance dashboard, and AI-powered governance—empowering you to optimize ROI and maintain flawless execution throughout the campaign lifecycle.

For better control over campaign execution and greater optimization capabilities, integrate Marketing Data Governance.

Marketing Data Governance is an AI-powered solution for campaign, data, and performance compliance monitoring.
Marketing Data Governance budget pacing dashboard

It is a powerful solution for campaign, brand and data compliance, governing campaigns on Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and many other advertising platforms.

Marketing Data Governance assists at all stages of the campaign lifecycle:

  • Pre-launch: Marketing Data Governance validates campaign setup, including targeting parameters, creative elements, budgets, and brand safety.
  • In-flight: Marketing Data Governance monitors whether campaigns meet your performance expectations and benchmarks. For example, the platform monitors and notifies you when the average cost per click exceeds the benchmark, CTR drops, or line items exceed a certain number of clicks.
  • Post-campaign: Marketing Data Governance validates the reliability of campaign data, including UTM naming conventions and data extraction statuses, and identifies any irregularities that could skew analytics results. 

The platform alerts on any anomalies and rule breaks and displays the overall state of campaign governance on a clear dashboard for further review and analysis.

Get a demo of Marketing Data Governance and see how it can help you thrive in the highly competitive digital advertising space by continuously optimizing ROAS.

FAQ

How does DV360 compare to Google Ads for campaign management?

DV360 is superior for extensive programmatic display and video campaigns utilizing diverse inventory sources. Google Ads is more appropriate for search-focused and straightforward display campaigns within Google's inventory. Select DV360 for advanced targeting, data integration, and broader cross-channel reach beyond Google's ecosystem.

How can we evaluate The Trade Desk's digital and programmatic advertising capabilities?

Evaluate The Trade Desk by analyzing its platform’s reach, targeting capabilities, data integration, transparency in reporting, cross-channel campaign optimization, and measurable ROI. Compare these features with competitors to assess its effectiveness and value for your specific advertising goals.

What is DV360 (Display & Video 360)?

DV360 (Display & Video 360) is Google's programmatic advertising platform designed to assist marketers in planning, purchasing, and optimizing digital display and video advertisements across various channels from a single location. It leverages data-driven targeting and real-time bidding functionalities to enhance campaign performance.

What type of platform is DV360?

DV360 (Display & Video 360) is a Demand-Side Platform (DSP), not a Supply-Side Platform (SSP). It allows advertisers to programmatically buy digital ad space across various exchanges and SSPs in real-time, offering integrated tools for data management, creative optimization, and campaign management.

What is Google Display and Video 360?

Google Display and Video 360 is a programmatic advertising platform that assists marketers in planning, purchasing, and optimizing digital advertisements across various channels like display, video, TV, and audio from a single platform. It leverages data-driven targeting and automated bidding strategies to enhance campaign effectiveness.

What is The Trade Desk and is it a demand-side platform (DSP)?

The Trade Desk is a demand-side platform (DSP) in the martech industry. DSPs enable advertisers to buy and manage digital ad inventory across multiple channels using data-driven targeting and real-time bidding, helping marketers optimize campaigns with advanced analytics and audience segmentation.

What is Display & Video 360?

Display & Video 360 is a Google platform designed to assist marketers in planning, purchasing, and enhancing digital ad campaigns on websites, apps, and videos to achieve superior targeting and performance.

What is the main difference between CM360 and DV360?

CM360 (Campaign Manager 360) is a campaign management and ad serving platform for tracking and reporting on digital ads, whereas DV360 (Display & Video 360) is a demand-side platform for programmatic media buying and audience targeting across various channels.
⚡️ Pro tip

"While Improvado doesn't directly adjust audience settings, it supports audience expansion by providing the tools you need to analyze and refine performance across platforms:

1

Consistent UTMs: Larger audiences often span multiple platforms. Improvado ensures consistent UTM monitoring, enabling you to gather detailed performance data from Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and beyond.

2

Cross-platform data integration: With larger audiences spread across platforms, consolidating performance metrics becomes essential. Improvado unifies this data and makes it easier to spot trends and opportunities.

3

Actionable insights: Improvado analyzes your campaigns, identifying the most effective combinations of audience, banner, message, offer, and landing page. These insights help you build high-performing, lead-generating combinations.

With Improvado, you can streamline audience testing, refine your messaging, and identify the combinations that generate the best results. Once you've found your "winning formula," you can scale confidently and repeat the process to discover new high-performing formulas."

VP of Product at Improvado
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