TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

AdEspresso by Hootsuite vs. AppNexus vs. Google Ad Manager

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    AdEspresso by Hootsuite

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AAdEspresso by Hootsuite is tool that allows you to perform split tests on every aspect of an advertising campaign. The platform also allows you to create, analyze and optimize Facebook Ads, Instagram, and Google campaigns. Understanding from AdEspressos analytics of what is performing best allows one to optimize campaigns both manually and automatically.N/A

    AppNexus

    Score4.9 out of 10
    N/AAppNexus AppNexus offers online auction infrastructure and technology for data management, optimization, financial clearing and support for directly negotiated advertising campaigns. It integrates with advertising sources including Google's DoubleClick, Microsoft's AdECN, and aggregators.[3]N/A

    Google Ad Manager

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Ad Manager is a platform for publishers that combines the former DoubleClick for Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange products.N/A
    Pricing
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Free Trial
    NoNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details———
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Considered Multiple Products
    Hootsuite
    No answer on this topic
    AppNexus
    No answer on this topic
    Google
    Chose Google Ad Manager
    The UI is better against all other options in the market. Even the opportunity that you have to integrate new inventory from your own is easier when doing it by yourself; we always had to go back to the support teams on all other products in order to do so. Also, the robust …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    14 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    75%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Features
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Ad Network Integration
    Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of AdEspresso by Hootsuite and AppNexus and Google Ad Manager
    Feature
    AdEspresso by Hootsuite
    7.0
    2 Ratings
    5% below category average
    AppNexus
    8.5
    8 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Google Ad Manager
    7.8
    28 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Data Transfer7.02 Ratings8.06 Ratings7.528 Ratings
    DSP integration7.01 Ratings9.08 Ratings8.122 Ratings
    Ad Campaigns
    Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of AdEspresso by Hootsuite and AppNexus and Google Ad Manager
    Feature
    AdEspresso by Hootsuite
    6.6
    2 Ratings
    17% below category average
    AppNexus
    8.0
    8 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Google Ad Manager
    7.4
    40 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Ad campaign creation7.52 Ratings8.08 Ratings7.640 Ratings
    Ad deployment7.52 Ratings9.07 Ratings7.040 Ratings
    Display advertising7.02 Ratings7.07 Ratings7.639 Ratings
    Ad display and retargeting segmentation6.02 Ratings8.07 Ratings7.238 Ratings
    Sequence targeting4.92 Ratings8.07 Ratings7.528 Ratings
    Ad Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of AdEspresso by Hootsuite and AppNexus and Google Ad Manager
    Feature
    AdEspresso by Hootsuite
    6.8
    2 Ratings
    13% below category average
    AppNexus
    8.2
    9 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Google Ad Manager
    6.7
    39 Ratings
    15% below category average
    Ad dashboards7.62 Ratings9.09 Ratings6.537 Ratings
    Ad performance reports8.62 Ratings7.09 Ratings7.439 Ratings
    Ad conversion tracking7.62 Ratings8.08 Ratings6.738 Ratings
    Ad attribution reporting6.52 Ratings8.08 Ratings6.834 Ratings
    Cross-channel ad management6.02 Ratings9.08 Ratings7.029 Ratings
    Ad forecasting and optimization4.42 Ratings8.08 Ratings5.734 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Small Businesses
    AdRoll
    Score3.7 out of 10
    AdRoll
    Score3.7 out of 10
    AdRoll
    Score3.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (16 ratings)
    8.2
    (40 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.0
    (6 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (2 ratings)
    6.8
    (8 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AdEspresso by HootsuiteAppNexusGoogle Ad Manager
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Hootsuite
    [AdEspresso is] great if you have a smaller budget or are just getting started with Facebook advertising. You can easily create ads and publish them in minutes after everything is set up for your account. I would recommended trying it if you don't have a lot of experience, but not to manage a large account with multiple clients (10+)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    AppNexus
    Appnexus is specifically well suited for CTV campaigns. They have the full technology stack to help you scale campaigns in any format, whether you need a lot of volume in traditional formats like banners and interstitials or if you need high-impact formats like video and other alternatives. Appnexus has a very strong set of unique publishers which makes it a great DSP for branding campaigns.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    I like that I can see several clients in one place, which can be convenient. However, the UX could be a lot better as outlined previously. In other words, the benefits of combining clients into the Ad Manager don't seem to be much more beneficial than logging into each client's ad account separately
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Hootsuite
    • A/B testing
    • Mass advertising
    • Budget and finance
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    AppNexus
    • As per my experience they have strong support personnel. Solving the issues as and when required.
    • We can solve certain issues like campaign performance, inventory optimization and more with the help of AppNexus wiki. We get all the required information in the Wiki itself.
    • They have given the right platform to both buyers and sellers to workout and meet their digital marketing needs and goals.
    Read full review
    Google
    • The obvious is the data - Google Ads Manager gives me essential and even critical data about which jobs and industries are hot right now and what is driving the most response.
    • Google Ad Manager gives us more control over the search engine results page as we get more visibility and real estate on our branded search terms and job/industry-specific search terms.
    • Google Ad Manager gives us the chance to compete with major national players in job recruitment, Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Hootsuite
    • It is a bit limited in features, for example can't do everything that you can do in Facebook's Business Manager
    • There are certain levels, depending on budget, so you'll have to pay more to use it the higher your budget is
    • Could use an update for Lead Ad creation, found it very tough and couldn't get things to synch correctly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    AppNexus
    • The platform is incredibly complex and requires a great deal of understanding of how the platform works that caught us by surprise.
    • The wiki is not enough and when we resorted to reaching out to AppNexus it was a nuisance of having several emails going back and forth.
    • No phone support is offered which would have made several things easier than exchanging confusing emails.
    • Video inventory is still not implemented.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Support. Not that they don't call or offer help, it's that our account people are bullies. I tell them I don't have time, so I am insulted and told that I need to get in front of the laptop otherwise I have "failed the company." I have never had a situation where I wasn't bullied by our Ad reps. They don't respect or value our time, which can make their calls frustrating.
    • Too quick on support. They don't take the time to understand the product. We are a preschool which shares a name with a popular motorcycle. An Ad rep insisted he knew the company so well that he could help me within five minutes. After being interrupted frequently, I just let him continue to tell me how I "could increase awareness of our aerodynamic seat design by creating ads with those keywords..."
    • Better management of trademark keywords and program awareness. We switched over to a new site, the domain changed for about ten seconds. All of our ads were unapproved and put on pause. The email stated it would be fixed very quickly, but I had to go in for the last 3 days to reactivate each one individually.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    I love almost everything about AppNexus because I feel like the user data is easy to track because of the identifiers, you can see which adverts got clicked and which were ignored. We can track the location of the ad on the page fold and this makes it so much easier for future campaigns. The only thing I don't like is that the data is only kept for a year, and I'd like it for a longer period of time
    Read full review
    Google
    I think it's useful for our team and we rely on it to improve our business. It is within our budget also. Although we still will need an approval from the upper-level management team, I don't see any problem with that
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    Because I think the interface is kind of confusing at the beginning and it confuses you a lot.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    While most of Google Ad Manager is user-friendly, certain parts of the ad creation process could use some improvements. Specifically, the way you insert keywords can be clunky and time-consuming, and I would like to see better and more keyword suggestions when designing a campaign.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    I've never had any problems with appnexus - the software is always available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    Yes, everything works great in that sense
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    Because the support team does give you support, they take 24hrs to get back to you but once they open a ticket they focus on resolving the issue for you. My only problem is that you don't have a specific account representative assigned to you.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    I could say a lot about this topic. As an agency, we get a new [representative] to talk to almost every quarter to go over select accounts and the campaigns within. Most of the time, these [educated representatives], don't provide any new feedback, or I just simply [disagree] with their approach. This is not all the time however. I have learned a lot from a rare few, [individuals] that have given me new strategies and access to betas early on. The other side of support, is the [overseas support platform]. [It] is usually not very helpful, but you can [emphasize] issues and they can research [them]. The Google Tag Implementation team is pristine though. When you need them, you need to set an appointment, which is usually 2 weeks out; they are so over-my-head intelligent, I've never had a bad experience with them and whenever I needed them for a fix, they solved it [within] the first call.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    Online training are not user friendly and not easy to understand
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Hootsuite
    I find it a lot more detailed in creation and ad reporting, but not very user friendly or helpful if you encounter an error or something happens that needs to be fixed. AdEspresso [by Hootsuite] is better if you want an easier experience and less to look at while you're creating your ads.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    AppNexus
    The TTD platform seems to have better CTV/OLV inventory, so that is typically preferred over AppNexus (APN). Usually, if clients have an internal desk, they will use TTD, which can often lead to us bidding against them, which is also another benefit of running campaigns within AppNexus (APN). Google DSP is typically used to increase the scale for display and build larger re-messaging pools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    As I've said in prior comments, I like how the Google Ad Manager makes better use of the Google data and results compared to the others. Yes, I've tried them - I used to evaluate software for a former company. They will all do the job I didn't like their usage as much as I preferred the Google information - and I said even that had flaws - so you have to realize that nothing is completely perfect so far.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Hootsuite
    No answers on this topic
    AppNexus
    Because it's a great DSP but not the best
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Hootsuite
    • They have helped us greatly in lead generation for internal marketing efforts
    • Big focus on lead generation for clients, have helped sell dozens of homes for them!
    • Engagement and lead gen saw a big increase while using AdEspresso
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    AppNexus
    • The 1 USD audit fee makes it very hard to A/B test creatives and improve performance, hurting ROI.
    • We have been able to reach some users that we weren't able to get before, increasing spending, which is good for ROI.
    • We can run campaigns on TV, which is a big boost for the business, and very ROI positive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • I was able to work well with my budgets - mainly because of the reports.
    • I saw a great spike in the way my ad traffic increased.
    • It was a very easy way to work with Google Ad Manager than connecting other platforms with less compatibility - Less investment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots