Kevel vs. Smart AdServer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Kevel
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Kevel's (formerly Adzerk) APIs is designed to make it easy for engineers and PMs to build their own server-side, fully-customized ad server. E-retailers and user communities can use Kevel to build ad servers to promote anything from native ads to internal content to sponsored listings (where vendors and sellers pay for their organic listing to be promoted in search and browsing results). According to the vendor, engineers reliably see a significant reduction in dev time using Kevel’s APIs…N/A
Smart AdServer
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Smart AdServer is a French ad server provider with a large international presence. Customers tend to be European media outlets. Smart AdServer It has been a subsidiary of the Axel Springer Group since 2007.N/A
Pricing
KevelSmart AdServer
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
KevelSmart AdServer
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPricing is customized based on feature needs, support needs, and monthly request volume.—
More Pricing Information
Features
KevelSmart AdServer
Ad Network Integration
Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of Product A and Product B
Kevel
10.0
1 Ratings
30% above category average
Smart AdServer
8.0
1 Ratings
8% above category average
DSP integration10.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Data Transfer00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Ad Campaigns
Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Product A and Product B
Kevel
10.0
1 Ratings
25% above category average
Smart AdServer
8.0
1 Ratings
2% above category average
Ad campaign creation10.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Ad deployment10.01 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Display advertising10.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Ad display and retargeting segmentation10.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Sequence targeting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Ad Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Kevel
9.2
1 Ratings
17% above category average
Smart AdServer
7.5
1 Ratings
3% below category average
Ad dashboards9.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Ad performance reports9.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Ad conversion tracking10.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Ad attribution reporting9.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Cross-channel ad management9.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Ad forecasting and optimization00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
KevelSmart AdServer
Small Businesses
Google Ad Manager
Google Ad Manager
Score 8.6 out of 10
Google Ad Manager
Google Ad Manager
Score 8.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk
Score 8.1 out of 10
The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk
Score 8.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Score 8.8 out of 10
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
KevelSmart AdServer
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
KevelSmart AdServer
Likelihood to Recommend
Kevel
For ad serving, implementing client-side header bidding with prebid was actually easier with Kevel than it is with Google Ad Manager in most cases, particularly for display advertising. I found though that with more complex integrations (like video), there were more solutions and code snippets available with other larger ad servers (Google).
Read full review
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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Pros
Kevel
  • More personable team that can address customizations needed to the product.
  • Easy to use interface.
  • Frequent product updates with notifications via email.
  • Well documented API.
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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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Cons
Kevel
  • User interface could be faster to load.
Read full review
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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Alternatives Considered
Kevel
Kevel was an easier initial implementation for header bidding with prebid. The team worked alongside us to make sure everything was operating as intended. We ultimately switched to Ads Manager to access AdX demand and other features that were not possible with Kevel (for instance, EBDA). There are benefits to both but I appreciated the attention we got from Kevel support when we were first working through the implementation. We are still using Kevel for many things, just not as our primary display advertising ad server.
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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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Return on Investment
Kevel
  • Kevel enabled us to get up and running with client side header bidding when our team was still small and the technology was still new. This improved our ability to monetize our inventory.
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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.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Kevel Screenshots

Screenshot of Adzerk homepageScreenshot of Decision API JSON exampleScreenshot of Management API example
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