Popunder Ads: How They Work, What They Cost and Where to Buy (2026)

TL;DR: Popunder ads open the advertiser’s landing page in a new window behind or beside the page the visitor is using, so the offer is seen when they finish what they were doing. Popunders are bought per 1,000 views (CPM), can be targeted by country, device, operating system and browser, and are cheap compared with search or social ads. They work best for offers with a quick first step, such as app installs, software downloads, games and deals. The trade-offs are lower intent than search traffic and a real risk of paying for bots, so only buy from networks that filter traffic before they bill you.

ShrtFly runs its own self-serve popunder network, so this guide uses numbers from our own advertiser dashboard where they help. We’ll say clearly when a number is ours and when it is general.

What Is a Popunder Ad?

A popunder is a full landing page that opens in a separate browser window or tab when a visitor clicks on the page they are using. Unlike a pop-up, it doesn’t cover the content the visitor came for. It waits behind or beside it and is seen when the visitor closes or switches windows.

Because the advertiser’s whole page is shown, not a small banner, popunders behave more like a page visit than a display impression. That is why they are sold per 1,000 views (CPM) rather than per click.

Popunder vs pop-up vs push ads

How Popunder Traffic Works on a Real Network

On ShrtFly the flow is simple. A publisher shares a short link on Telegram, YouTube, a forum or a website. A visitor opens it and lands on our link page. When they click to continue to their destination, your landing page opens in a new window. Before that view is counted, it passes bot, proxy, VPN and repeat-visit checks.

Filtering matters more than anything else in this format. Last month our filters blocked 49.5% of visit attempts (bots, VPN and proxy traffic, repeat visits from the same IP and suspicious behaviour) before they reached an advertiser, and blocked visits are never billed. Any popunder network that can’t explain how it filters traffic is one to avoid.

What Popunder Ads Cost

Popunders are priced per 1,000 views. Every network sets a minimum CPM for each country and device, and you bid at or above it. Higher bids win more of the available traffic in that country.

• On ShrtFly: the lowest minimum CPM is $1.00 (worldwide), you can fund your wallet from $1, there is no contract, and unused budget returns to your wallet when a campaign ends. The exact minimum for your country mix is shown live in the campaign form.
• In general: Tier-1 countries such as the US and UK cost far more per view than high-volume markets in South America and Southeast Asia, because more advertisers compete for them.

A quick way to estimate your test budget: decide how many views you need to judge an offer (for example 20,000), multiply by your CPM and divide by 1,000. At a $1 CPM, 20,000 views cost $20.

Which Offers Work With Popunder Traffic

Popunder visitors are already clicking and are often on mobile, but they didn’t search for your product. Offers with a simple, quick first step convert best:

• Mobile apps and VPNs: installs and trials, especially on Android.
• Software and utilities: downloads, browsers, converters, cleaners.
• Games: browser, mobile and PC game sign-ups.
• Sweepstakes and giveaways: simple one-step entries.
• E-commerce and deals: coupons, flash sales, marketplaces.
• Streaming and content: video, music and news sign-ups.
• Crypto and finance: exchanges and wallets, where legal in the target country.

Long sales pages, high-ticket B2B products and anything that needs a lot of trust before the first step usually perform poorly.

Who You Reach on ShrtFly

Every network’s audience is different, so check it before you plan. Here is ShrtFly’s, from the last 30 days of valid views at the time of writing (November 2026; the live numbers on the advertiser page update every 6 hours):

In plain terms: this traffic suits offers that work in Brazil and Southeast Asia, especially on Android. If you only want US traffic, expect small volume on our network and test before you scale.

How to Buy Popunder Traffic (Step by Step)

1. Create an advertiser account. On ShrtFly you only need an email.
2. Fund your wallet. Start small (from $1) while you test.
3. Set up the campaign. Add your landing page, choose countries, desktop or mobile (with a separate bid for each), operating systems, browsers, a schedule, a frequency cap and daily and total budget caps.
4. Bid at or above the minimum CPM for your country mix. Campaigns go live after a quick review of the landing page.
5. Track and adjust. Watch views, spend and per-country results live. Cut countries and devices that don’t convert, then raise bids on the ones that do.

What gets rejected: malware, phishing, fake system alerts, anything illegal in the target country, and pages that trick the visitor. Adult offers run only on a separate adult audience.

Tips for a Profitable First Campaign

• Use a fast, mobile-first landing page. Popunder visitors leave quickly if the page is slow.
• Make the first step obvious. One headline, one button.
• Set a frequency cap so the same visitor doesn’t see your page over and over.
• Split desktop and mobile into separate bids; they convert differently.
• Track conversions on your side (postback or analytics) and compare cost per conversion, not just cost per view.
• Start narrow, with two or three countries, then expand.

FAQ

Are popunder ads legal? Yes. Popunders are a standard ad format. What matters is the content: networks reject malware, phishing, fake alerts and misleading pages.

Do popunder ads work on mobile? Yes. On mobile the landing page opens in a new tab. On ShrtFly, 70% of popunder views come from mobile devices.

What is the difference between popunder and push ads? A popunder shows your full landing page in a new window. A push ad is a short notification sent to people who opted in to alerts and is usually paid per click.

How much should I budget for a test? Enough views to judge the offer. At a $1 CPM, 20,000 views cost about $20; Tier-1 countries cost more.

How do I know the views are real? Choose a network that filters bots, proxies and repeat visits before billing and shows stats per country. On ShrtFly, blocked visits are never billed.

Summing Up

Popunder ads are one of the cheapest ways to put a full landing page in front of a large audience, as long as your offer has a quick first step and your network filters traffic properly. Start with a small budget, a narrow set of countries and a fast mobile page, then scale what converts. If you want to test it, create a ShrtFly advertiser account and launch a campaign from $1.