Short answer: Most publishers use both. Keep your best few bidders in the browser, where they match more users, and move the rest to Prebid Server to keep pages fast.
The trade-off
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| Client-side (Prebid.js) | Server-side (Prebid Server) | |
|---|---|---|
| Page speed | Each bidder adds requests in the browser | One request from the browser |
| Cookie matching | Better, so bids are often higher | Weaker, unless user syncs are set up well |
| Number of bidders | Best kept small | Can handle many |
| Setup | Easier to start | Needs hosting or a provider |
A practical setup
- Keep 3 to 5 top-earning bidders client-side.
- Move bidders with low win rates or slow responses to Prebid Server.
- Set user syncs so server-side bidders can recognise users.
- Compare revenue per page view before and after each move.
Read server-side header bidding explained, tune the timeout and see where Prebid is heading.
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