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Demand-side platform (DSP)

The Trade Desk

A demand-side platform for buying programmatic media across the open internet; its current platform is called Kokai.

Platformthetradedesk.comUnited States; serves advertisers and agencies internationallyReviewed October 2026
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The Trade Desk is a publicly listed company whose platform lets advertisers and agencies buy display, video, audio and connected-TV inventory programmatically. Its annual report says the platform fee is generally a percentage of a client's total spend on the platform. Kokai is the media-buying platform it launched with AI-driven features.

Where it shines

  • Publicly listed, so its fee model and gross spend are reported in its annual 10-K filing.
  • Publishes API documentation for its Kokai platform.

Check before signing

  • The platform fee is a percentage of spend and the rate is not published.
  • Results quoted for Kokai come from the vendor's own campaign data.

What it offers

Objectives
Brand awarenessConversion (sales and e-commerce)
Disciplines
Digital advertising
Markets
Global
Technical details
Category
Advertising platform (buying, DSP, ad management)
Deployment
Cloud (SaaS)
Pricing model
Usage-based

Something is listed only when it can be checked. A connection we could not confirm is left off, and Find your stack then credits a public API at half weight.

Our six checks1 of 6 met
Medium confidence
  • TransparencyNot met

    The fee model (a percentage of spend) is stated in the annual report, but no rate is published.

  • InterfacesMet

    The vendor publishes API documentation for Kokai on its partner portal.

  • DeliveryNot assessed

    Performance figures on the vendor's site are its own campaign results, not independent tests.

  • ConsentNot assessed

    Not assessed from the sources read for this listing.

  • DataNot assessed

    Data terms were not reviewed.

  • Commercial termsNot assessed

    Contract terms are not published.

Not assessed is not a failure — it means we have not checked yet. Methodology

EvidenceSources: 3

Sources

  1. The Trade Desk, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 2026To re-check
  2. The Trade Desk launches Kokai, a new media buying platform — The Trade Desk, accessed 2026-10To re-check
  3. Kokai (API documentation) — The Trade Desk partner portal, accessed 2026-10To re-check
Every attribute27 recorded · 23 not yet

The same attributes, measured by the same rules, for every listing. "Not recorded" means we have not checked yet — never a "no". Spot something missing or wrong? Suggest an edit.

Identity

Type
Platform
Categories
Advertising platform (buying, DSP, ad management)
Founded
Not recorded
Headquarters
Not recorded
Ownership
Publicly listed
Parent company
Not applicable
Stock ticker
NASDAQ: TTD
Open source
No
Added by
IMC Institute team

Fit

Objectives
Brand awareness, Conversion (sales and e-commerce)
Disciplines
Digital advertising
Number of disciplines
1
Suits
Brand manager, Performance marketer
Company sizes
Not recorded
Industries
Not recorded
Markets
Global
Reach
100/100
Interface languages
Not recorded
Support languages
Not recorded

Capabilities

Features
Not recorded
Public API
Not recorded
Webhooks
Not recorded
Full data export
Not recorded
AI features
Not recorded
Connects to
Not recorded
Number of connectors
Not recorded
Deployment
Cloud (SaaS)
Can run on your own servers
No
Availability
Generally available

Commercial

Pricing models
Usage-based
Free tier
No
Starting price
On request
Published contract terms
Not recorded

Trust

Transparency
Not met
Interfaces
Met
Delivery
Not recorded
Consent
Not recorded
Data
Not recorded
Commercial terms
Not recorded
Checks met
1
Attestations
Not recorded
Data residency
Not recorded
Accessibility statement
Not recorded
Public status page
Not recorded
Security page
Not recorded
How much we've checked
Medium
Sources
3
Last reviewed
October 2026

Recognition

Analyst recognitions
0

The community

"Looks right" confirmations
0
Community experiences
0
Community rating
Not applicable

Experiences and ratings

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Experiences are read by a moderator before they appear, are shown beside the facts, and never feed a score or a ranking. You may not share an experience of a product you work for, sell, compete with or are paid to promote.

Profile shape
DisciplinesReachConnectorsFeaturesPrice clarityCriteria shownThe Trade Desk
Disciplines
17
Reach
100
Connectors
0
Features
0
Price clarity
100
Criteria shown
17

Breadth measures from recorded facts — not a quality score.

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