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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    StackAdapt

    Score7.2 out of 10
    N/AStackAdapt, headquartered in Toronto offers their native advertising specialized DSP, supporting programmatic advertising with audience discovery, B2B targeting, and engagement analytics among other features.N/A
    Pricing
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    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
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    Chose Google Ad Manager
    Among all the ad management platforms I use on a regular basis, Google Ad Manager is the most straightforward to use. However, I probably have a paid search bias, as I spend more time there than with the paid social or programmatic platforms. Even still, Google Ad Manager is …
    Incentivized
    StackAdapt
    Chose StackAdapt
    I chose to continue with StackAdapt mainly because of the improvements it has made in the last few years.

    Constant improvements and frequent feature releases created a sense of trust in building my business along with StackAdapt.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    93%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    14 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    75%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Features
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    Ad Network Integration
    Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of Google Ad Manager and StackAdapt
    Feature
    Google Ad Manager
    7.8
    28 Ratings
    6% above category average
    StackAdapt
    -
    Ratings
    Data Transfer7.528 Ratings00 Ratings
    DSP integration8.122 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad Campaigns
    Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Google Ad Manager and StackAdapt
    Feature
    Google Ad Manager
    7.4
    40 Ratings
    6% below category average
    StackAdapt
    -
    Ratings
    Ad campaign creation7.640 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad deployment7.040 Ratings00 Ratings
    Display advertising7.639 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad display and retargeting segmentation7.238 Ratings00 Ratings
    Sequence targeting7.528 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Google Ad Manager and StackAdapt
    Feature
    Google Ad Manager
    6.7
    39 Ratings
    15% below category average
    StackAdapt
    -
    Ratings
    Ad dashboards6.537 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad performance reports7.439 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad conversion tracking6.738 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad attribution reporting6.834 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cross-channel ad management7.029 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad forecasting and optimization5.734 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    Small Businesses
    AdRoll
    Score3.7 out of 10
    Basis DSP
    Score9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    The Trade Desk
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Yahoo DSP
    Score8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.2
    (40 ratings)
    8.2
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    6.8
    (8 ratings)
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google Ad ManagerStackAdapt
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    StackAdapt
    StackAdapt's programmatic buys are great for a quick awareness campaign to reach the most eyeballs. Solid user segmentation from 3rd party sources that is available almost immediately. The platform is less proficient at converting users, though I've never had sufficient volume to test if this works better for enterprise-level clients with more conversion data
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    StackAdapt
    • Audience targeting - there are so many options for both B2C and B2B audiences, from browsing behavior audiences to account-based marketing audiences to CRM lists. There's a way to find your ideal audience no matter their industry.
    • Pixel setup and management are pretty easy. It uses a universal pixel that you can easily place on your site. We use Google Tag Manager for this. Then, you can create any number of conversion events and easily implement them, also with Google Tag Manager, so we can trust we're getting good tracking.
    • It seems many display ad platforms lack optimization tools, but StackAdapt makes it easy to adjust, add, or remove audiences, pause certain website categories, exclude batches of websites, pause individual ads, and really fine-tune the targeting as you see what works and what doesn't.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    StackAdapt
    • There has been occasional slopping maintenance of the campaigns, and we have to follow up with questions about spending spikes or significant changes in delivery CPMs.
    • Account rep knowledge can sometimes be lacking. When we question our reps about performance, we sometimes get confusing or nonsensical answers.
    • The reporting UI is definitely clunky and unintuitive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    StackAdapt
    The platform is easy to use and understand whether it is being used as self-serve or a managed service. The audience targeting is solid, and array of placements is versatile. With these, the level of engagement for video content is usually great
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    StackAdapt
    It is very user friendly and if any team members need further help, we are able to easily access their customer service team for hands on assistance with an actual human being, not a robot. Their team has been incredibly kind, understanding and thorough. It is really a great all in one tool for a business who relies greatly on advertising campaigns.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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
    StackAdapt
    Support has been exceptional. Our dedicated team is always available and ready to answer any questions that may arise. We receive updates from them on a regular basis and they go above and beyond providing assistance when needed. The team is absolutely one of the bright spots in our relationship with StackAdapt
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    StackAdapt
    StackAdapt is significantly less expensive than The Trade Desk. StackAdapt doesn't have campaign minimums, unlike The Trade Desk, meaning you can experiment with a lower ad spend to gain client confidence before investing at a larger level. Plus they don't lock you into an annual contract or anything long term. It feels very similar to The Trade Desk but without the high contract.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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
    StackAdapt
    • Excellent traffic from our ads. Traffic exceeded our forecast.
    • Excellent management of our budget. We did not spend near as much as we budgeted for the response we received through our test.
    • The lead conversion was not expected to be high due to the type of content we deployed, but we received zero conversions, well below anticipated when compared to other ads for the same content.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots