> DIRECT means the publisher controls the account; RESELLER means another company does. How buyers use the label and the most common mistakes.

Source: https://appsupplyindex.com/learn/direct-vs-reseller · Updated: 2026-10-07 · License: CC BY 4.0 (App Supply Index)

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[Learn](https://appsupplyindex.com/learn/) · Relationships

# DIRECT vs RESELLER in app-ads.txt

Updated Oct 7, 2026 · data from 12 App Store genres · top free + top grossing charts · US · iOS + Android

**Short answer:** In app-ads.txt, **DIRECT** means the publisher (the content owner) directly controls the account
at that ad system. **RESELLER** means the publisher authorized another company to control the account and resell
the inventory. The IAB Tech Lab specification adds that DIRECT tends to mean a direct business contract with the ad
system.

## Why the label matters

Buyers use it in supply-path optimization: all else being equal, they prefer paths that go straight to the
publisher over paths through intermediaries. The label is a claim about who operates the account, and buyers can
check it against the ad system's [sellers.json](https://appsupplyindex.com/learn/sellers-json), where the same account is
described as PUBLISHER, INTERMEDIARY or BOTH.

## How the two files should line up

| app-ads.txt says | sellers.json usually says | Consistent? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DIRECT | PUBLISHER, with the publisher's domain | Yes |
| DIRECT | INTERMEDIARY | No: the ad system describes a reseller's account |
| RESELLER | INTERMEDIARY | Yes |

## The most common mistake

A monetization partner sends a block of lines for its own seats, and some are marked DIRECT. Pasted into many
publishers' files, the same account ends up marked DIRECT by dozens of unrelated companies. Only one company can
control an account, so this pattern is [inconsistent with the
specification](https://appsupplyindex.com/fix/inconsistent-direct).

In this index we found 3,415 accounts marked DIRECT in the files of three or more
unrelated companies. In the typical top US app, 21% of DIRECT lines conflict with public
data, with the highest share in Games (53%).

## A quick self-check

1. For each DIRECT line, can you log in to that account, and does the ad system pay your company?
2. Does the ad system's sellers.json list the account as PUBLISHER with your domain (or your OWNERDOMAIN)?
3. If either answer is no, ask the partner who supplied the line whether RESELLER is correct.

## Related

- [Why is my DIRECT line flagged as inconsistent?](https://appsupplyindex.com/fix/inconsistent-direct)
- [OWNERDOMAIN and MANAGERDOMAIN](https://appsupplyindex.com/learn/ownerdomain-managerdomain)
- [How the index checks files](https://appsupplyindex.com/methodology)

Based on the [IAB Tech Lab
ads.txt/app-ads.txt](https://iabtechlab.com/ads-txt/) and [sellers.json](https://iabtechlab.com/sellers-json/)
specifications. Numbers are automated observations of public files on the date above.