Equativ vs. Google Ad Manager

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Equativ
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer) is a French ad server provider with a large international presence. Customers tend to be European media outlets.N/A
Google Ad Manager
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Google Ad Manager is a platform for publishers that combines the former DoubleClick for Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange products.N/A
Pricing
EquativGoogle Ad Manager
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
EquativGoogle Ad Manager
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
EquativGoogle Ad Manager
Considered Both Products
Equativ

No answer on this topic

Google Ad Manager
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 …
Features
EquativGoogle Ad Manager
Ad Network Integration
Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of Product A and Product B
Equativ
8.0
1 Ratings
8% above category average
Google Ad Manager
7.8
28 Ratings
6% above category average
Data Transfer8.01 Ratings7.528 Ratings
DSP integration8.01 Ratings8.022 Ratings
Ad Campaigns
Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Product A and Product B
Equativ
8.0
1 Ratings
2% above category average
Google Ad Manager
7.4
40 Ratings
6% below category average
Ad campaign creation8.01 Ratings7.840 Ratings
Ad deployment9.01 Ratings7.140 Ratings
Display advertising7.01 Ratings7.639 Ratings
Ad display and retargeting segmentation8.01 Ratings7.238 Ratings
Sequence targeting8.01 Ratings7.328 Ratings
Ad Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Equativ
7.5
1 Ratings
3% below category average
Google Ad Manager
6.7
39 Ratings
15% below category average
Ad dashboards8.01 Ratings6.537 Ratings
Ad performance reports8.01 Ratings7.439 Ratings
Ad conversion tracking7.01 Ratings6.638 Ratings
Ad attribution reporting8.01 Ratings6.834 Ratings
Cross-channel ad management7.01 Ratings7.029 Ratings
Ad forecasting and optimization7.01 Ratings5.934 Ratings
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User Ratings
EquativGoogle Ad Manager
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.6
(36 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
EquativGoogle Ad Manager
Likelihood to Recommend
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
Smart AdServer is great for a marketing department, to track stats and clicks of their audience. It's a great way to engage the client without actually engaging them. We use it all the time to monitor where they're going, what they're interested in, and how engaging our posts are. I would say it's probably not a good idea for a smaller organization, as one social media manager could work it all out
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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
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Pros
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
  • It is easy to use, with functionality covering mobile, desktop and even tablet. I'm always on the go, so it's nice to be able to access my server from pretty much anywhere.
  • It has a wonderful intuitive user interface, every facet of this is designed and thought over, so it's easy to navigate around the program.
  • It offers a free trial so there's no real commitment if you just want to try it out, which is nice.
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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.
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Cons
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
  • I would like a more in-depth look at my traffic stats. I can see clicks, where my audience is going, but I'd like maybe some kind of perspective into who my audience is (18-24, adult, etc).
  • Constant updates. It's nice that they're always looking to update program, but the update can kinda get in the way of my work sometimes.
  • I'd prefer it if were a little cheaper – the free trial is nice, but getting my superiors to sign off on the cost (they're a bit old school) is a bit tough sometimes.
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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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
No answers on this topic
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
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Usability
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
No answers on this topic
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.
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Support Rating
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
No answers on this topic
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.
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Alternatives Considered
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
Honestly, you can use either/or. I'm all about AdServer right now because since Adobe has implemented their cloud service, they've gotten more expensive. Smart AdServer is just one cost, and it's cheaper than Adobe Cloud
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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.
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Return on Investment
Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)
  • It's helped my organization better manage our traffic flow.
  • It's reduced the amount of work on our social media manager.
  • It's helped my organization get a better perspective on our clientele - where they're going, what they're interested in, it's been a great asset to our business.
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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.
Read full review
ScreenShots