# The Trade Desk vs Basis: which do AI models recommend for programmatic, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Programmatic and display advertising. Three of fourteen models named The Trade Desk first on the direct prompt; zero named Basis. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/marketing/programmatic-and-display-advertising/the-trade-desk-vs-basis/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Trade Desk | 10% | #2 of 13 | 41% | 59 | 14 of 14 |
| Basis | 2% | #7 of 13 | 0% | 16 | 10 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: the trade desk first (first choices: The Trade Desk) (alternatives: Demandbase)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: the trade desk first (first choices: The Trade Desk) (alternatives: 6sense, Demandbase, Google Display & Video 360, Spotware)
- MiniMax M2.5: the trade desk first (first choices: Google Marketing Platform, The Trade Desk) (alternatives: LinkedIn Campaign Manager, Media.net)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: AdRoll ABM, Basis, Demandbase, LinkedIn Campaign Manager)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: AdRoll ABM, Basis, Demandbase)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: 6sense, Basis, Demandbase, LinkedIn Campaign Manager)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: 6sense, AdRoll ABM, Basis, Demandbase, Simpli.fi)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: AdLib, AdRoll ABM, Demandbase, LinkedIn Campaign Manager)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: Demandbase)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: AdRoll ABM, Demandbase, Google Display & Video 360, LinkedIn Campaign Manager)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: 6sense, Demandbase, LiveRamp RampID)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: AdRoll ABM, Hey Sid)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: StackAdapt) (alternatives: 6sense, Demandbase, LinkedIn Campaign Manager)

## What the models said about The Trade Desk

- "Enterprise DSPs like The Trade Desk ($50K+/month) ... aren't practical for small budgets" (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "$20K–$50K/month minimum, better for large-scale consumer campaigns" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, hard negative)
- "mid-market companies usually cannot afford the $25,000–$50,000 monthly minimums required for a direct seat on enterprise demand-side platforms (DSPs) like *The Trade Desk*" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, soft negative)
- "If you need open-web reach and CTV without being locked into a single vendor, The Trade Desk is a strong independent option." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "generally considered to offer better safety controls, more transparency, and stronger fraud prevention mechanisms" (MiniMax M2.5, negative prompt, first choice)
- "Prioritize platforms like Google DV360, The Trade Desk, MediaMath, or Amazon DSP, but test via demos or pilots." (Grok 4.1 Fast, scale prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Basis

- "Basis Technologies (formerly Centro): Excellent workflow automation tools, great for regional or mid-market companies" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.