Guide · Updated 23 October 2026
Ping post vs ping tree: which should you use?
Short answer
A ping tree offers a lead to buyers one at a time in your order, and the first to accept gets it. Ping post offers a small part of the lead to all buyers at once, and the highest bid wins the full lead. Use a ping tree when you have set prices per buyer, and ping post when lead value varies and you want buyers to price each lead. Many sellers use both.
The difference in one table
| Ping tree | Ping post | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyers are asked | One after another | All at once |
| Who decides the winner | Your order and rules | The highest bid, often adjusted by quality |
| Price per lead | Usually fixed per buyer | Set by each bid |
| Speed | Slower if many buyers decline | One round, within a timeout |
| Best when | You have steady buyers at agreed prices | Lead value varies by lead |
| Main risk | A stale order earns less over time | Buyers who bid but then reject the post |
When a ping tree earns more
A ping tree is simple and predictable. Buyers pay agreed prices, and you control who sees a lead first. It suits sellers with a small set of steady buyers and stable lead value. It needs maintenance: reorder the tree as buyers' acceptance and payment change.
When ping post earns more
Ping post lets the market price each lead. When lead quality varies by state, score or product, a buyer who values one lead highly can bid more for it. It suits sellers with many buyers and variable leads, and it keeps personal details back until a sale. It needs buyer integrations that respond fast, and rules for buyers who bid and then reject.
How to test which earns more
You do not have to guess. Send a share of your traffic, say 20%, through ping post and the rest through your ping tree for two weeks, keeping buyers and sources the same. Compare revenue per lead after returns, not the headline price, because ping post bids that are later rejected earn nothing.
- Use the same publishers and the same lead types in both groups.
- Compare revenue per lead after returns and rejections.
- Compare fill: how many leads found a buyer.
- Check speed: do slow buyers cost you leads in either model?
- Repeat after a month, because buyer demand shifts.
A worked comparison
The numbers are illustrative. A lead is worth $30 to Buyer A, $22 to Buyer B and $15 to Buyer C. In a ping tree ordered A, B, C at fixed prices of $25, $20 and $12, A takes it at $25. Under ping post, if A bids $26 because this particular lead fits them well, the seller earns $26. If A would have bid only $18 for a weaker lead, B's $20 bid wins and the seller earns more than the fixed $25 would have, only when the lead is better for B. Ping post follows each lead's value; the tree follows your price list.
Using both
Many sellers put ping post first to capture the best price, then fall back to a ping tree for the leads no bid took. Some platforms support only one model. pingtype supports waterfall and weighted cascades and ping/post bidding in the same product.
Questions
Is ping post better than a ping tree?
Neither is better in every case. Ping post prices each lead by bids. A ping tree is simpler, with agreed prices. Which earns more depends on how much your lead value varies.
Can I use ping post and a ping tree together?
Yes. Many sellers run ping post first, then fall back to a ping tree. pingtype supports both.
Which is faster?
Ping post is one round within a timeout. A ping tree can take longer if many buyers decline one after another.