TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    AdRoll

    Score3.7 out of 10
    N/AAdRoll provides a platform, performance, and services to meet companys' marketing goals while streamlining marketing operation. Solutions technologies for brand awareness, retargeting, and abandoned cart recovery. And the AdRoll Cross-Channel Performance Dashboard displays campaigns holistically so users can analyze performance, run reports, gather insights.

    $40

    per month

    Google Ads

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Ads (formerly AdWords) is Google's pay-per-click online advertising program. With Google Ads users set their budget and choose where their ads appear in search listings, and on partner websites. Google Ads uses cost-per-click (CPC) bidding.

    $500

    in Ads credit in the first 60 days

    Pricing
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Editions & Modules
    Essentials
    $12
    per month
    Growth
    $25
    per month
    Starter
    Free
    Offer A
    $500
    in Ads credit in the first 60 days
    Offer B
    $1500
    in Ads credit in the first 60 days
    Offer C
    $3000
    in Ads credit in the first 60 days
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Considered Both Products
    NextRoll
    Chose AdRoll
    AdRoll allows you to target a broader set of websites than Google Ads does.
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    Google Ads is a powerhouse, but AdRoll provides its own niche ability to target specific people.
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    AdRoll is easier to navigate and get your ads up and running smoothly. It's nice to be able to upload your own design and see how it will look in real-time. Changing budgets, ad groups, etc. is quick and easy!
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    AdRoll has been used by a few of our clients for a long time now, but I'm not sure it has ever proven as valuable as the other advertising platforms. We have continued to use it because it is inexpensive (and because it says it drives a lot of revenue), but it is a minimal …
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    AdRoll offers an easy campaign management system and with the ability to segment via website pages and audience targeting, AdRoll is superb for retargeting. Conversions can be set up in numerous ways and offer solid tracking/accountability. You also do not need to worry about …
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    Cheaper and easier to use!
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    Adroll ends up being more costlier than alternatives offered from companies such as Google or Microsoft as you ultimately have a higher level of control on the budget, the platforms that your display banners are showing up on as well as the demographics. I would not choose …
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    AdRoll has an easier to use and more intuitive dashboard than other companies that we have used. The customer service team has been top notch, always available to hop on a call or online chat. Email requests are also responded to in a very quick manner. The downside is that the …
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    • I don't really know of any direct competitors.
    • I'm sure you can do a lot of what AdRoll does using Facebook and/or Twitter and/or AdWords retargeting features but using AdRoll was way easier.
    • I'm sure there are also added benefits fo using AdRoll vs. retargeting options available …
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    While I haven't used some of the other similar competitors such as Criteo or AdTheorent, many of our clients have before switching over. Being able to go into the accounts and look at the data, the results we've witnessed have been subpar. One platform our agency has had …
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    The worst we've tried. We switched back to AdWords after our negative experience with AdRoll and have been very happy since.
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    Stronger account team. Better dashboards and self-serve features.
    Incentivized
    Chose AdRoll
    I think they [AdRoll] are better
    Incentivized
    Google
    Chose Google Ads
    Google is the most comprehensive search ad network of the ones I work with. They do well top of funnel too, mostly due to YouTube ads, but Facebook ads is great for that if you have good creative. AdRoll also has a good display ad network, but I've struggled to determine their …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Ads
    AdRoll is better for display advertising but for search advertising, this is better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Ads
    Google Ads is pretty strong when it comes to search and shopping campaigns. It's a great tool to target people who are ready to buy and actively looking for products we have to offer. On the other hand, Facebook has been a great tool for raising awareness, brand uplift, and …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Ads
    I strongly prefer Google Ads because it gives more insight and has better inventory.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    81%
    Would buy again
    42 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    76%
    Delivers good value for the price
    37 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    87%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    79%
    Happy with the feature set
    41 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    69%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    34 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    70%
    Implementation went as expected
    35 Answers
    TrustRadius Insights
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Highlights

    TrustRadius
    Research Team Insight
    Published

    AdRoll and Google Ads are both online advertising platforms. Google Ads allows users to implement paid ads across Google products and services, from search results to shopping to YouTube. AdRoll helps people implement paid ads across a variety of platforms and media, and is specifically known for its remarketing functionality. Google Ads is popular with large businesses that want to appeal to a nationwide audience, while AdRoll can help small businesses target specific audiences. 

    Features

    Though AdRoll and Google Ads both offer users a way to advertise their business, products, or services online, they each have diverse features that may appeal to different types of users. 

    Google Ads excels at its primary purpose: allowing users to advertise on Google properties. Its robust features enable businesses to run ads in Google search results, on Google Maps, Google Shopping, Gmail, YouTube, and more. With Google Ads, users can create simple advertisements and modify them for use on each different Google property, then track those ads with detailed statistics. Ad spend is the only cost with Google Ads, and users can set a monthly budget cap so that they’ll never pay more than they’re expecting. When budget caps are set, Google Ads will estimate the results that are possible within that budget.

    AdRoll’s standout features are in remarketing. Users like that they can implement ads that will market specifically to potential customers who visited their website without completing a purchase or other task. The AdRoll interface allows users to create and serve ads on a variety of platforms, tailoring each ad to specific user demographics, or in the case of remarketing, to what the user was doing on the website before they left. AdRoll also includes features like email marketing and product recommendations. Support is included at every pricing tier.

    Limitations

    Google Ads is popular with large companies selling products or services to a large audience. However, it can be difficult to use for small businesses or confusing for those without online advertising experience. New users report having a hard time navigating the interface to target ads to their specific demographic or location. As is the case with some large technology providers, support can range from spotty to nonexistent.

    While AdRoll includes support at every pricing tier, users note that support is occasionally delayed, or that account representatives or engineers are unable to fix problems. Lack of consistent pricing can also be an issue, as ad spend is not included in pricing tiers and may fluctuate. Additionally, businesses with websites that do not involve specific trackable user actions may not find many of AdRoll’s features useful.

    Pricing

    Google Ads runs on a pay per click model, so businesses only pay when a potential customer clicks on the ad to call the business or visit the website. The per-click cost is set by Google, but advanced or high-volume users can look into advertising auction bidding strategies to maximize their budget. 

    AdRoll is priced by tier and has three pricing plans. Their free tier is ideal for users looking for the basics and includes many of their ad, email, product recommendations, and measurement and attribution features. AdRoll’s Essentials plan costs $9 per month and gives users access to more advanced features. These include the ability to remove AdRoll branding and set up custom audience segmentation. Users on the Pro plan, which starts at $19 per month, gain access to the reporting data API and performance benchmarks. The Pro plan also includes up to 20,000 email sends per month. As mentioned above, the actual ad spend is not included in the monthly price.

    Features
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Ad Network Integration
    Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of AdRoll and Google Ads
    Feature
    AdRoll
    6.8
    21 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Google Ads
    -
    Ratings
    Data Transfer6.721 Ratings00 Ratings
    DSP integration6.815 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad Campaigns
    Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of AdRoll and Google Ads
    Feature
    AdRoll
    4.2
    44 Ratings
    61% below category average
    Google Ads
    7.2
    11 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Ad campaign creation1.143 Ratings7.911 Ratings
    Ad deployment8.044 Ratings7.510 Ratings
    Display advertising4.041 Ratings7.410 Ratings
    Ad display and retargeting segmentation4.044 Ratings7.511 Ratings
    Sequence targeting4.026 Ratings6.810 Ratings
    Contextual advertising00 Ratings7.210 Ratings
    Social advertising00 Ratings6.25 Ratings
    Ad Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of AdRoll and Google Ads
    Feature
    AdRoll
    1.7
    44 Ratings
    128% below category average
    Google Ads
    7.3
    11 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Ad dashboards1.144 Ratings7.411 Ratings
    Ad performance reports1.144 Ratings7.911 Ratings
    Ad conversion tracking3.042 Ratings7.311 Ratings
    Ad attribution reporting1.138 Ratings7.211 Ratings
    Cross-channel ad management3.031 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad forecasting and optimization1.128 Ratings6.811 Ratings
    Ad Auctions
    Comparison of Ad Auctions features of AdRoll and Google Ads
    Feature
    AdRoll
    -
    Ratings
    Google Ads
    7.9
    10 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Ad bidding00 Ratings7.910 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Small Businesses
    Google Ad Manager
    Score8.3 out of 10
    WordStream
    Score6.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    WordStream
    Score6.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Likelihood to Recommend
    1.1
    (49 ratings)
    8.7
    (126 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (6 ratings)
    9.6
    (21 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    7.7
    (17 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (6 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AdRollGoogle Ads
    Likelihood to Recommend
    NextRoll
    Adroll is perfect for companies and situations in which you are trying to retarget customers with specific products. Their platform is perfect for dynamic content on their web and social ads. Also, if you are running multiple campaigns at once then the Adroll platform is perfect when organizing many different campaigns at once. If you are just running one or two social campaigns I feel it is easier to go directly to the source and you can probably leave Adroll out of the mix
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    Google Ads is a useful advertising tool to build brand exposure and generate lead volumes for your chosen product. Whilst it can be costly at times due to competitor bidding strategies and requires constant monitoring to ensure campaigns perform as expected, it typically provides the desired quality and quantity of leads for custom budgets.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    NextRoll
    • A customer service rep can help us out with any campaign questions, any time during the work week.
    • The platform has a very transparent platform that provides great detail about analytics of the ads.
    • The platform shows what digital advertising mediums are working the best for your website, not just the ads that you run through them.
    Read full review
    Google
    • Automated targeting via Smart Shopping campaign. It's one of the best campaign types in Google Ads. In the beginning, you may see lower revenue and ROAS, but once you give some meaningful time to your campaign, it is most likely to perform well.
    • Smart bidding strategies: Google Ads has developed some really great bidding strategies such as maximizing conversion and maximizing conversion with ROAS settings. Based on one's requirement and their goal with revenue and target ROAS, they can choose the appropriate bidding strategy.
    • Reporting: A business owner and advertising must know about their audiences, how their campaigns have been performing, what's working and what's not, and for that reason, powerful, effective reporting is needed, and Google Ads provides rich details reporting that covers almost every aspect of a business.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    NextRoll
    • Improved level of support during the technical setup process would really improve the onboarding process
    • Consistent, proactive account management is key with organizations like AdRoll. A dedicated rep goes such a long way.
    • More granular reporting would help with back-end optimization and client recommendations
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • If you don't know what you're doing, it will be a costly mistake. You need to target ads, and it is difficult the first time to do that.
    • There isn't a feature to run an add for a couple set date spans, just hours you want to run them or a single date span.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    NextRoll
    We like AdRoll as it's filling a hole in our advertising right now, but it's not our favorite platform for running our online ads. Google and Facebook especially are our favorites, as we can do much more with them than we can with AdRoll, hence the 7 out of 10 rating.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    I think Google Ads is good for getting your company out there and becoming more visible to potential customers in general. However, for specific product launches, social media advertising might be a better fit. Also, our user base is younger so social media is a better channel for our target audience.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    NextRoll
    Once tags are given and things are set up, it is fairly easy to utilize the reporting dashboard and check in on your ongoing campaigns. Metrics are simple to follow and can be toggled for specific dates or other qualifiers
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    This is more of a subjective rating, because I think it can be increased with how much our ad spend is. The more of an ad spend, the more visibility we can get, and therefore all features can climb. With an overall larger presence the usability is that where we can get messages out quick, and that's the main thing we try to do with our campaigns.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    NextRoll
    We don't use AdRoll support much, but when we have it's been fine, in line with other advertising platforms where it takes a few days maximum to resolve an issue that you have with them. In general though, the platform is very self sufficient and we do not have to use their support much, which is a good thing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    We have not yet had an account rep who hasn't tried to bully me or other employees to raise our budgets. At the same time, several years ago, one attempted to help refine our ads and ended up changing the ads to be something we were not affiliated with
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    NextRoll
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    Daily use with advanced account structures. Familiarity with reporting/api and complex setups.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    NextRoll
    Implementation was easy, as all we needed to do was use Google Tag Manager's built in AdRoll tag type and input our client ID and we were up and running. If you're not using Google Tag Manager, I imagine the implementation would be relatively easy as well, as all that's needed is a basic pixel.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    NextRoll
    AdRoll is better than Taboola in that the ad creation process. I like how the ads have better retargeting than Taboola. Also, I can make the ads look more elegant and fit our brand more than Taboola. Adroll's analytics are also better than Taboola in my experience. Lastly, Tabool is relatively the same price as Taboola.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    Our agency invests heavily in Google Ads (particularly paid search advertising) on behalf of our clients relative to competitors like Microsoft and Yahoo because Google is the top search engine in the world. Google collects the most search data which enables the company to improve its AI to drive better performance for agencies and brands. As such, our paid search and app install campaigns always start with Google. If a client has a large budget, we will allocate media dollars to other search engines, but in some cases, the entire search budget goes to Google because we see the best returns.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    NextRoll
    • Mixed - while the tool provides an invaluable productivity gain the actual ROI it provides is less certain. We found if used in combination with other revenue analytics it was useful to determine the impact it had on revenue from returning visitors. If data is used on its own the impact on revenue is less quantifiable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Google Ads is often one of our highest ROI channels, especially when you factor in branded ads.
    • Depending on the stage your business is in, search ads can be really powerful from an ROI perspective, providing an investment with a very high spend cap.
    • If you do not manage the campaigns well though, you can quickly spend a lot of money on nothing. So make sure someone is keeping an eye on your account.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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