ShowHeroes vs Refinery89: Features, Revenue Share & Publisher Reviews
2026-05-19 · 5 min read · 64 replies · terms verified 2026-09-01
Publishers evaluating Google MCM partners often compare ShowHeroes and Refinery89. This page lays out what each partner publishes about its MCM model, AdX onboarding time, revenue share, requirements and payouts, alongside the vote scores and written reviews left by publishers here. On current publisher votes ShowHeroes sits at 50% and Refinery89 at 35%. All commercial figures are taken from each partner's own site and were last verified 2026-09-01.
ShowHeroes vs Refinery89: publisher sentiment
Scores out of 100 derived from member votes. They measure sentiment among our members only, not performance on your inventory. Methodology
Publisher vote score
Published onboarding speed (relative)
MCM Manage Account documentation clarity
Payment reliability (review sentiment)
Support responsiveness (review sentiment)
Side by side
Commercial figures as published by each partner, last checked 2026-09-01.
| Criteria | ShowHeroes | Refinery89 |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher vote score | 50% | 35% |
| Publisher review rating | 3/5 (109) | 2.5/5 (300) |
| MCM model | Managed Inventory | Managed Inventory |
| Published AdX onboarding time | 2-4 weeks | 2-4 weeks |
| Traffic requirement | 50,000+ pageviews/mo | 50,000+ pageviews/mo |
| Revenue share | 60-70% | 60-70% |
| Payment terms | NET-60 | NET-60 |
| Payment methods | Bank transfer, PayPal | Bank transfer, PayPal, Payoneer |
| Support | Email ticketing only | Email ticketing only |
| Countries supported | Global | Americas only |
ShowHeroes: pros & cons
- + Fully managed setup: the partner handles ad ops, wrappers and demand for you
- + Works with long-tail inventory that larger partners often decline
- + Clear, published eligibility criteria before you apply
- − Manage Inventory means the partner, not you, owns the Google Ad Manager network and reporting
- − Slower onboarding and thinner support reported in publisher reviews
- − Requires roughly 50,000 monthly pageviews, which excludes smaller sites
Refinery89: pros & cons
- + Fully managed setup: the partner handles ad ops, wrappers and demand for you
- + Works with long-tail inventory that larger partners often decline
- + Clear, published eligibility criteria before you apply
- − Manage Inventory means the partner, not you, owns the Google Ad Manager network and reporting
- − Slower onboarding and thinner support reported in publisher reviews
- − Requires roughly 50,000 monthly pageviews, which excludes smaller sites
Published AdX onboarding time: ShowHeroes (2-4 weeks) vs Refinery89 (2-4 weeks)
ShowHeroes documents around 2-4 weeks from site list to a live Google Ad Manager setup; Refinery89 documents around 2-4 weeks. These are vendor-published estimates, not measurements taken by this site, and publisher reviews report variation in both directions depending on site quality and policy review.
Weigh onboarding time against what you lose while waiting. At 400,000 monthly pageviews and a $6 AdX eCPM, an extra week without approval is roughly $560 of unrealised revenue — relevant if you are already monetising, less so if you are still building traffic.
MCM model and who owns the Google Ad Manager network
ShowHeroes is documented as Managed Inventory; Refinery89 runs as Managed Inventory. Manage Account keeps the network, reporting and ad units in the publisher's own Google Ad Manager, which matters if you want direct deals or your own header bidding wrapper later. Manage Inventory hands that control to the partner in exchange for a fully managed service.
Choose the model that matches your ad ops capacity rather than the one that scores higher here.
Revenue share, requirements and payouts
ShowHeroes publishes 60-70% with 50,000+ pageviews/mo and NET-60 payment terms. Refinery89 publishes 60-70% with 50,000+ pageviews/mo and NET-60. Supported markets: ShowHeroes — Global; Refinery89 — Americas only.
Video content and monetization partner. Monetization for long-tail web publishers.
Pros and cons at a glance
ShowHeroes: Fully managed setup: the partner handles ad ops, wrappers and demand for you. On the other hand, manage inventory means the partner, not you, owns the google ad manager network and reporting.
Refinery89: Fully managed setup: the partner handles ad ops, wrappers and demand for you. On the other hand, manage inventory means the partner, not you, owns the google ad manager network and reporting.
Summary
Publisher votes currently place ShowHeroes (50%) above Refinery89 (35%), but the gap is narrow and votes measure member sentiment rather than performance on your inventory. Compare the published terms above, read the written reviews on each profile, and ask both partners for a projection on your own traffic before deciding. How votes and scores are calculated is documented on the Ranking Methodology page.
We do not declare a winner. Read both profiles, check the reviews, and ask each partner for terms on your own traffic.