Google Display Network VS Streaming Audio

Google Display Network averages $0.75 CPC and $3.50 CPM. Streaming Audio is bought on CPM only, averaging $18.00. Side-by-side cost and performance breakdown for 2026.

Decision helper

Which should I actually pick?

Answer three quick questions and we'll score Google Display Network vs Streaming Audio against your budget, goal, and industry.

Scores blend budget fit (25%), industry benchmark rank (25%), and goal alignment (50%). See the underlying data ↓

Quick Comparison

Google Display Network

Display advertising across Google's network of partner sites

CPC
$0.75
CPM
$3.50
Lower Cost
Best For:
Brand awareness Remarketing Visual products
Pricing: low

Streaming Audio

Spotify, Pandora, and other audio streaming platforms

CPC
CPM only
CPM
$18.00
Best For:
Commuters Podcast listeners Music fans
Pricing: medium

Google Display Network vs Streaming Audio, at a glance

The metrics where both platforms publish data. Lower is better for cost metrics.

Google Display Network is 81% cheaper per thousand impressions

Note: Streaming Audio publishes no CPC benchmark.

When to Use Each Platform

Choose Google Display Network If:

  • You're targeting brand awareness
  • You're targeting remarketing
  • You're targeting visual products
  • You want lower cost per thousand impressions ($3.50 vs $18.00)

Choose Streaming Audio If:

  • You're targeting commuters
  • You're targeting podcast listeners
  • You're targeting music fans

Under the hood

The auction, the creative, the budget floor — the three things you actually need to know before picking a platform.

Google Display Network
How it bills

GDN buys impressions across 2M+ publisher sites via a real-time auction. You can bid CPC or CPM depending on the campaign goal. CPCs are 4–7x lower than search, but conversion rates are also lower — it's a top-of-funnel channel, not a decision-point channel.

Creative at a glance

Responsive Display Ads: 15 images (1200×628 landscape, 1200×1200 square, 1200×1500 portrait), 5 logos, 5 short headlines (30ch), 5 long headlines (90ch), 5 descriptions (90ch). Google auto-assembles.

Min. spend for signal

$30–75/day gets a display campaign to statistical signal, though retargeting audiences reach signal faster and are the recommended entry point for smaller budgets.

Streaming Audio
How it bills

Spotify, Pandora, iHeart, and podcast networks sell audio ads on CPM. Rates run $15–25 depending on demographic targeting depth. Podcast host-read ads bill differently (flat fee per episode + CPM top-up), but programmatic streaming audio is standard CPM.

Creative at a glance

15s or 30s audio, .mp3 or .wav, 128kbps+ recommended, with a companion display banner (300×250) for the app UI. Sound design matters more than script — this is background-attention media.

Min. spend for signal

$2K–5K/month gets meaningful reach on Spotify's self-serve platform. Podcast-network buys typically start at $10K/month for host-read integration.

Calculate Your Costs

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Conversion Rate Calculator

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Break-Even ROAS

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Data last updated: July 1, 2026