What Is Push Traffic and Is It Still Relevant in 2026?

Push networks have held their place as one of the most accessible sources in affiliate marketing for many years. Media buyers are drawn to their technical simplicity and predictability: there’s no need to fight daily account bans, moderation easily approves creatives with aggressive approaches, before-and-after formats, or bonus promises.

However, despite all the advantages of this source, working with push traffic has become more challenging over the past two years. Due to Google updates and the built-in unsubscribe button in Chrome, subscriber bases have dropped, and many platforms have seen a rise in bot traffic. If you run traffic without a tracker and don’t blacklist bot-heavy sources, you won’t be able to turn a profit.

In this article, we break down the specifics of working with push traffic in 2026, highlight the verticals that still work, and explain how to properly set up and optimize your campaigns.

How Push Traffic Used to Work and What’s Changed

A few years ago, subscription bases were collected in massive volumes by any means available. Webmasters installed collection scripts on sites like torrents and pirate movie theaters, or drove cheap clickunder traffic to special landing pages.

Users were blocked from accessing the site until they clicked “Allow”—supposedly to confirm their age or to download a file. People clicked without thinking, ended up in the database, and then received dozens of notifications daily, often not even realizing how to unsubscribe.

Over the past two years, the situation has changed due to two Google updates:

• Unsubscribe button in Chrome. The browser added the ability to unsubscribe directly from the push notification pop-up. Users no longer need to search for site settings, so inactive audiences quickly drop out of the databases.
• Google Spam Update. The search engine started banning domains that use hidden subscription forms or send alarming notifications. Both webmaster sites and push network domains have been penalized and dropped from search results.

“Google has become much more active in fighting spam mailings and flags domains that send alarming or misleading notifications. The browser forcibly unsubscribes users if they don’t click on pushes for several days, or mass-cleans publisher databases that collect subscriptions on aggressive landings.” — Pavel Fedorov, account manager at RollerAds.

Because of these sanctions, traffic volumes in the market have decreased, and the share of bots on unverified platforms has increased.

“By our estimates, about 80% of push network traffic is bots and only 20% is real users. AI-based bots have become smarter: they can mimic real user behavior and even generate conversions, causing affiliates to burn their budgets.” — Slinck, author of the Telegram channel “Skhematoses” and owner of the affiliate network slinck.partners.

Nevertheless, the format continues to bring profit to those who know how to clean up sources and filter out bot traffic.

“The format is alive, but volumes have decreased and competition has grown. It’s become harder to collect databases on prelanders and scale up. However, just like before, you can still launch and run campaigns solo with spends of several thousand dollars per day and good ROI. The main thing is to understand how source filtering works in networks.” — Mikhail Svinarev, co-owner of the defo.cc forum.

How Push Notifications Work

There are three push notification formats used in affiliate marketing: classic, In-Page, and mobile. Each has a different operating principle and device requirements.

The ad itself consists of an icon, image, headline, text, and a link to the offer. The difference between formats is where exactly the message pops up and on which devices it works.

Classic Push

Displayed on desktops and Android devices. For a user to start receiving these notifications, they need to visit a website and click “Allow” in the pop-up window. After subscribing, messages arrive even if the browser is closed.

The main issue with this format is that it doesn’t work on iOS, since Safari blocks web push notifications.

In-Page Push

This format was created to reach the Apple audience. Visually, it’s a banner styled as a system notification that pops up directly over the website page while the user is on it.

Here, the user doesn’t need to confirm a subscription, so the ad appears on iPhones and any other devices.

Mobile Push

These messages are sent not by the browser, but by an app (PWA or WebView) that the user has installed on their phone.

In gambling and betting, this tool is used to bring players back. After installation, users receive notifications with reminders about bonuses, free spins, or matches to push them toward repeat deposits.

Advantages of Push Traffic

The main advantage of push is that networks almost never ban accounts. If a moderator rejects a creative, you simply change the image or headline and resubmit the ad for review. No lost accounts or wasted budgets.

Working with push networks has other benefits as well:

• Fast launch with no resources needed. You don’t need anti-detect browsers or farmed accounts. Campaigns are set up directly in the network dashboard: just upload your creative, set targeting, and insert the tracker link.
• Lenient moderation. Unlike Facebook Ads or contextual advertising, push networks easily approve aggressive teasers, bonus promises, before-and-after approaches, and 18+ images.
• Low click price for tests. In Tier-2 and Tier-3 countries, clicks cost pennies, so you can test dozens of creatives and prelanders with a minimal budget.
• Simple funnel. You don’t have to pay for PWA or WebView app rentals, integrate SDKs, or set up cloaking. The funnel consists of three simple steps: push, prelander, and offer.
• Targeting by subscription freshness. Some networks allow you to show ads only to new audiences. Users from fresh databases (up to 3 days since subscription) are not yet overwhelmed with ads, so they are more likely to click and go to the offer.

Which verticals work with push traffic

Push traffic is not suitable for white e-commerce, bank cards, or B2B services. Push networks do not offer the usual targeting by age, gender, or interests, so ads are shown to the entire database. Because of this, offers with complex funnels only generate non-targeted clicks. This source works best for offers aimed at a broad audience with a simple target action.

Gambling and Betting

Creatives use bonus promises, free spins for registration, and sports event announcements. Traffic converts best through In-Page Push and mobile push notifications.

When working with classic web push, you must use a pre-lander — for example, a wheel of fortune or an interactive mini-game. Without a pre-lander, the user lands directly on the registration form and closes the site, so there will be no deposits in such a funnel.

Nutra

Push networks are often used to promote weight loss, joint, potency, and parasite products. The main advantage of this source for nutra is weak moderation. 

Unlike Facebook Ads or Google Ads, push networks easily approve teasers with disease symptoms, before-and-after comparisons, and aggressive pre-landers with doctor stories or news articles.

Dating

Ads are disguised as missed calls or messenger messages: a girl’s photo is used as the icon, and the text says “Anna sent you a photo” or “You have 1 new message.”

This approach works best on mobile devices via In-Page Push. The user is then sent to a pre-lander with a short questionnaire or directly to a registration form where only a login and email are required.

Utilities

Push notifications are made to look like smartphone system alerts: “Memory full,” “Virus detected,” or “Connection not secure.”

The user mistakes the notification for an OS warning and goes to the download page for a cleaner, booster, or antivirus.

Sweepstakes

Giveaways of smartphones, gadgets, or gift cards. The user clicks the push, answers a couple of questions or spins a wheel on the pre-lander, and leaves their contact details to participate in the promotion.

Where to buy push traffic

The choice of ad network depends on the vertical, promo format, and moderation requirements. Each platform has its own audience volumes, campaign optimization tools, and rules for working with gray offers.

PropellerAds

One of the largest networks on the market with its own anti-fraud system. In campaign settings, you can enable auto-optimization (Target CPA or SmartCPC): you set the desired price per registration or deposit, and the algorithm automatically adjusts bids and disables placements that drain the budget without conversions.

Advantages:

• Huge traffic volumes across all GEOs and precise targeting options — by OS versions, providers, and subscription freshness;
• Audience segmentation by activity level (High, Medium, Low): fresh subscriptions deliver higher CTR but are more expensive;
• Automatic campaign optimization for target conversion cost.

Disadvantages:

• Strict moderation — 18+ content, aggressive nutra, and medical teasers showing symptoms are prohibited.

RichAds

A network with convenient source quality segmentation (Premium, Standard, New, Remnant). Only verified sites are included in the Premium category, allowing you to test your funnel on converting traffic right away without wasting budget on junk sites.

Advantages:

• Microbidding allows you to adjust bids for specific Sub IDs without blacklisting sources;
• Built-in auto-rules and direct integration with Keitaro and Binom trackers;
• The Premium category provides stable conversions without unnecessary budget spent on tests.

Disadvantages:

• Strict 18+ content is prohibited (only dating without nudity is allowed).

Push.House

A network with a minimum deposit of $50 and the ability to buy traffic not only from its own base but also from external partner networks (feeds). Suitable for gray verticals, as moderators do not block campaigns for aggressive teasers and pre-landers.

Advantages:

• Accessible entry from $50 and lenient review of gray promo materials;
• Separate databases for 18+ traffic;
• Detailed targeting by subscription age in days.

Disadvantages:

• External feeds may generate non-targeted clicks, so sources require regular filtering via blacklists in the tracker.

EvaDav

Multi-format platform where mainstream and 18+ traffic bases are separated within the dashboard. The platform supports buying traffic from external feeds, working with CPC and CPM, and automatic campaign optimization.

Advantages:

• Clear separation of mainstream and adult in campaign settings, built-in creative split testing, and microbidding support;
• Large audience volumes in LATAM, Asia, and Tier-3 countries.

Disadvantages:

• The platform buys traffic from external feeds, so campaigns require regular blacklist cleaning via the tracker.

Galaksion

The network collects push subscriptions only directly from its own sites and does not buy traffic from other networks. Thanks to this, there are almost no bots on the platform, and the traffic delivers stable conversions in iGaming, nutra, and utilities.

Advantages:

• Clean traffic due to working without intermediaries and resellers;
• CPA Goal payment model and the option to get ready-made creatives from a personal manager;
• Minimum deposit — $50.

Disadvantages:

• Complete ban on 18+ content and strict pre-landers;
• The database volume is smaller than major networks like PropellerAds.

TacoLoco

A specialized network for the 18+ segment, where the subscriber base is collected from adult tubes and niche sites. The platform has minimal restrictions on promo materials and fast moderation.

Advantages:

• Loyal moderation — no bans for explicit creatives and teasers;
• Low click cost compared to mainstream networks;
• Fast campaign launch without long reviews.

Disadvantages:

• No smart buying automation: Unlike PropellerAds or RichAds, there is no smart algorithm here that automatically optimizes impressions for a set conversion cost. You have to set bids, microbids, and blacklist sources manually or via tracker auto-rules.

Network	Min. deposit	Payment methods	Targeting options	Adult (18+)
PropellerAds	$100	Cards, Wire, PayPal, Skrill, UnionPay, Pix, Crypto	GEO, OS, browsers, providers, connection type, audience activity, Target CPA	Prohibited
RichAds	$150	Cards, Wire, Capitalist, Crypto, Paxum	GEO, devices, OS, providers, languages, microbidding, source categories	Prohibited (mainstream dating allowed)
Push.House	$50	Capitalist, Crypto, cards, Payeer, WebMoney	GEO, OS, devices, subscription age, languages, providers, feed IDs	Allowed (separate 18+ databases available)
EvaDav	$100	Cards, Wire, Capitalist, Crypto, Paxum, Skrill	GEO, OS, browsers, languages, devices, providers, subscription age	Allowed (separate databases)
Galaksion	$50	Cards, Wire, Paxum, Capitalist	GEO, city, OS, browsers, devices, languages, impression limits, CPA Goal	Prohibited
TacoLoco	$100	Cards, Capitalist, Paxum, Crypto, WebMoney	GEO, OS, devices, providers, browsers, languages	Allowed (own LosPollos base, tubes and adult sites)

How to Properly Test and Optimize Push Campaigns

Unlike Facebook Ads, where algorithms find the audience for you, in push networks, the media buyer has full control over budget spending. If you launch a campaign without setting up a tracker and segmentation in advance, you won’t get clear conversion statistics.

Launch only via tracker and set up postbacks

You can’t run push traffic directly through an affiliate program link. The network will serve impressions across thousands of different sites, but without a tracker, you won’t see which site brought conversions and which just wasted your budget.

Before launching, you must connect your campaign to Keitaro or Binom. Add a source macro to the offer link, for example, {zone_id} or {site_id}, depending on the requirements of the specific network. 

After that, set up postback transmission from the affiliate program so that conversions, lead cost, and final ROI for each site are displayed in the tracker statistics.

Campaign segmentation before launch

You must split traffic into several separate campaigns. To get clean analytics and avoid overpaying during tests, set the targeting parameters separately from the start:

• Device split. Desktop and mobile traffic should always be separated. They have different click costs, different CTRs, and completely different user behavior on the pre-lander;
• Subscription age. In network settings, the database is divided by freshness. Fresh subscriptions (up to 3–7 days) show high CTR and convert well, but the traffic is more expensive. Older bases (from 30 days) are cheaper, but the audience is burned out and converts poorly. For testing, it’s better to choose subscriptions up to 14 days old;
• Testing different combinations. You should upload 5 to 10 promo variants with different icons, headlines, and creatives into the campaign to hook the audience and get a high CTR at the auction.

Optimization and working with blacklists

Once the campaign gets its first clicks and data, you can move on to analytics in the tracker. The main goal is to cut off non-converting sources and save the budget.

• Building a blacklist. If a specific site spends an amount equal to 1.5–2 payouts per offer (for example, $30–40 with a $20 payout) but brings no conversions, add this ID to the campaign’s blacklist. There’s no point in buying more clicks from it;
• Creating a whitelist. Sources that consistently bring profit should be moved to a separate campaign with a higher bid. This lets you get the maximum traffic volume from them without competition;
• Bid adjustment via microbidding. If a source brings conversions but the lead cost is negative, don’t blacklist it right away. In networks like RichAds or EvaDav, you can lower the bid by 20–30% for a specific Sub ID. This will reduce traffic costs and make the source profitable without losing conversions.

Creative burnout

Push creatives burn out in 2–4 days. When the audience gets used to the teaser and stops clicking the ad, the creative’s CTR drops. In push networks, a drop in CTR automatically lowers your auction position, causing the campaign to stop getting impressions.

To keep traffic volume steady, you need to check your stats daily. Disable creatives with low CTR and immediately replace them with fresh promos—new icons, different headline angles, and banners.

Case Studies

In-Page for Dating in India

Let’s break down the launch of a dating smartlink (CPL) in India on Push.House using the In-Page Push format. The buyer targeted mobile Android traffic in major cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, etc.).

Three separate campaigns were launched for testing:

• Whitelist campaign delivered about 50% ROI and stable positive results;
• Campaign with site filtering brought the main volume of leads with around 42% ROI;
• Campaign without filtering ended up in the red (-27%) despite high CTR—junk sites and a non-converting pre-lander were the issue.

To avoid manual site filtering, auto-rules were set in the network dashboard. If a site spent $0.1 without a lead, the algorithm automatically blacklists it. Sites with conversions are moved to the whitelist for separate scaling.

In-Page on Android in Tier-3 works well for CPL dating, but you’ll only get positive ROI with strict auto-filtering of sources from the very first cents spent.

Push Traffic for Antivirus Offers

Another example is testing CPA Goal auto-optimization in RollerAds for a mobile antivirus offer. To avoid burning the budget on an expensive CPS ($90), a micro-conversion (CPL $1) was used as the main event—tied to reaching the order page. Traffic was tracked via Binom.

The setup used two network tools:

• CPA Goal algorithm. The system automatically adjusted bids to hit the $1 per lead target and disabled non-converting sites;
• Creative auto-generation. The platform assembled promo materials and rotated high-CTR variants automatically.

As a result, lead cost stayed within $1, and net profit exceeded $1,000 at 49% ROI.

When working with expensive target actions (CPS, FTD), optimization is built around an intermediate step, such as CPL or pre-lander clicks. This gives network algorithms enough data to filter sites effectively.

Conclusion

Push traffic in 2026 is still profitable, but you can’t run campaigns without solid analytics anymore. Relying on cheap clicks alone won’t get you into the black.

For successful campaigns, stick to the basics: always use a tracker, split traffic during testing, cut non-converting sites with auto-rules or micro-bidding, and refresh burned-out creatives on time. If you control spend from the very first cents and build a clear funnel for your GEO, the source will keep delivering stable leads.