Smartly vs StackAdapt (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, StackAdapt grades higher than Smartly: 1.8 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
StackAdapt grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
StackAdapt
Programmatic advertising platform across CTV, display, native and more
Paid
Which one is for you
Pick Smartly if
- Fits if you are a large advertising team that wants creative, media and measurement together
- Makes sense if you buy through sales and a demo
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before talking to anyone: none is shown
- Not for you if you are a small team, as the site shows no self-serve or free plan
- Watch out: which channels and features come with each suite is not itemized
- Tight if you want to compare features first, since little detail is public
Pick StackAdapt if
- Fits if you want one platform to buy many ad channels
- Works for an agency that wants managed or self-serve options
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want posted prices, since none are shown
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as neither exists
- Tight if you start on Basic or Grow, where dynamic creative is limited
- Watch out: only Basic can be signed up for online, and the other four need a demo
How we grade them
| 1.6GPASmartlyWeak | 1.8GPAStackAdaptWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published, which is where unpublished prices sit. Access starts with a demo request. | CNo prices are shown for Basic, Grow, Scale, Accelerate or Enterprise, so we place it at the ordinary grade. The vendor says there is no minimum ad spend. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no plan and no trial on record, and the site shows no self-serve option. | FNo free plan and no trial. Basic pays by credit card. |
| Features | CCreative, media and intelligence suites, channel coverage and team solutions. The pages do not itemize what each suite includes. | BBuys CTV, video, display, native, audio, out-of-home, email and direct mail, with measurement, an AI workspace and dynamic creative. Dynamic creative is limited on Basic and Grow. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A sales-led rollout comes before use. | CCampaign setup, targeting and creative to configure. We found no store rating. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web platform. No integrations list, API or apps were found. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on its record. |
| Best for | enterprise ad creative, media and measurement | buying programmatic ads across channels |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Smartly and StackAdapt. How we grade
Where they differ
- Smartly also covers workflow automation.
In commonWebAI featuresReportsAd creative
At a glance
| Smartly | StackAdapt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Smartly.io Solutions Oy | StackAdapt Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Smartly
- No prices are published on the pages read; access starts with a demo request, so cost is unknown.
- Built for larger advertising teams; the site shows no self-serve or free plan.
- Which ad channels and features come with each suite is not itemized publicly.
StackAdapt
- The plans page names five plans (Basic, Grow, Scale, Accelerate, Enterprise) but shows no prices, so pricing is recorded as unverified.
- The vendor says there is no minimum advertising spend requirement.
- Only the Basic plan has a Sign Up button; the other four plans route to a demo request.
- Basic pays by credit card, while higher plans offer net terms.
Key features
Smartly
- Smartly Creative
- Builds, personalizes and scales ad creative across platforms, with an AI Studio for personalized content and generative AI for production.
- Smartly Media
- Launches, manages and updates campaigns across channels with automation, aimed at scaling work without adding manual effort.
- Smartly Intelligence
- Brings planning, performance and measurement signals into one view to guide where to invest and scale.
- Channel coverage
- Solution pages cover social media, conversational commerce, connected TV across 200+ streaming services, the open web via DSPs, and video.
- Team-based solutions
- Separate pages for agency, performance, brand, creative and B2B teams describe how the suites fit each workflow.
StackAdapt
- Multi-channel buying
- Launches campaigns across connected TV, video, display, native, audio, digital out-of-home, email and direct mail from one platform.
- Ivy Studio
- An AI workspace for planning, analysis, forecasting, optimization and execution, grounded in the account's own campaign data.
- Measurement and attribution
- Includes measurement and forecasting tools and cross-channel attribution, with enhanced reporting on higher plans.
- Dynamic creative
- Dynamic creative optimization is limited on Basic and Grow and unlimited on higher plans, with a Creative Studio service.
- Self-serve or managed
- Basic and Grow are self-serve; Scale, Accelerate and Enterprise can be self-serve or managed.
Plans
Smartly
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smartly.io.
StackAdapt
Pricing could not be confirmed. See stackadapt.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Smartly or StackAdapt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Smartly has no price we could confirm, and StackAdapt has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Smartly or StackAdapt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Smartly nor StackAdapt has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.