"Use the network's built-in plugin instead of separate tools"

"Use the network's built-in plugin instead of separate tools"

Fair: a first-party plugin from your network is pre-integrated, support-backed, and won't fight the ad scripts the way a random third-party plugin might.

But "integrated" and "best" aren't the same claim. Bundled tools optimize for the network's retention, not necessarily your stack — and they add weight whether or not you use every feature.

🚩 Hidden variable: the lock-in tax. The more network-native tools you adopt, the higher your switching cost when their CPMs slip. The bundle's convenience is partly a moat.

Compare the bundled tool against a best-of-breed standalone on the metric you actually need — speed, features — not on "it's already there."

Not saying first-party plugins are bad — saying "integrated" is a convenience argument dressed up as a performance one.