What is Addingwell? Google states that it is the best tagging server for GTM server-side. What is Stape? According to the same search engine, it is a solution that makes server-side tracking easy for everyone. If you are looking for a company to help you with configuring your server-side tracking setup, you may get stuck at this junction, not sure which to choose. We will review both services, discuss the pros and cons, and try to help you decide which one to stick with. However, remember that the final decision is always yours. We are here only to assist you.
What is Stape?
In short, Stape is the company that provides services for server-side tracking. To make the description more detailed, the company provides lots of features and power-ups that can tune your server-side tracking setup. The onboard process is user-friendly and mainly automatic, with constant support from the specialists, if needed. The company also has dozens of tag templates that greatly simplify the server-side tracking process. Stape pricing looks quite attractive compared to its competitors:
- free plans for Signals Gateway and server GTM hosting for small businesses;
- dynamic pricing that depends on the number of requests and starts at $17 for bigger companies;
- plans starting at $8 for Gateway API hosting of TikTok, Snapchat, Meta, GA4, and Google Ads.
People who are not familiar with server-side tracking can gain some insights into this technology, how it works, and how it is configured by finishing a free course provided by the Stape Academy. It is also worth mentioning that with the introduction of the Setup Assistant, initial configuration has become much faster and easier for non-technical users.
What is Addingwell?
As it goes second on our list (order-wise, not quality-wise), it is hard not to compare Addingwell features with Stape. This platform also simplifies the implementation of sGTM by offering an all-in-one tagging server. It can be relatively easily integrated with platforms like Shopify, TikTok, etc., and has a convenient, user-friendly interface aimed at users who are not experts in server-side tracking.
Regarding Addingwell pricing, things are not so bright here, as its pay-as-you-go plans start at the price of €90 per month. We will discuss and compare Stape’s and Addingwell’s pricing approaches a bit later, but to get a general idea of how it feels, it is more expensive than Stape but is definitely a cheaper option for small and average-sized companies than Google Cloud.
Overall comparison table
For a better and more visual understanding of the main differences between Stape and Addingwell, we have prepared a table that compares the most important aspects of each.
| Stape | Addingwell | ||
| 💚 | Setting up time: 1-24 hours | ❤️ | Setting up time: 1-2 days |
| 💚 | User-friendly and easy, but has advanced configurations for more complex setups | 💛 | Setup may require some technical expertise and assistance |
| 💚 | Server–side tagging and container hosting | 💚 | Server-side tagging and container hosting |
| 💚 | Use the company’s or custom domain | 💚 | Use the company’s or custom domain |
| 💚 | A wide range of built-in real-time monitoring and tag debugging tools. | 💛 | Monitoring and debudding tools with narrow functionality. |
| 💚 | Pre-configured integrations and custom setups | 💛 | Standardized setups for popular platforms, manual configuration for more complex projects |
| 💚 | Has custom integrations with e-commerce platforms | 💛 | Provides a more centralized approach with more complex customization processes |
| 💚 | Has direct connections to Google Sheets, Google Ads, Microsoft, etc., which makes configuration much easier | ❤️ | Configuration is complicated and requires additional efforts |
| 💚 | Manual and automatic event deduplication | 💛 | Automatic deduplication, no full-scale manual configuration |
| 💚 | Plug-and-play Facebook, Snapchat CAPI, and TikTok Events API integration | ❤️ | No Gateway |
| 💚 | Automatic Facebook CAPI updates | 💛 | Semi-automatic, may often need manual adjustments |
| 💛 | Support service is available for all users 24/7, and the longest reply time is 3 business days | ❤️ | It may take up to 5 days to get an e-mail reply to your request, and only Enterprise plan owners are guaranteed over-the-phone help |
| 💚 | Prices start at $17 | ❤️ | Prices start at €90 |
| 💚 | Free plan for small businesses has 10,000 requests per month | ❤️ | Free plan is limited to 100,000 requests; after that, you must switch to a paid one |
Data destinations
Not the last point when choosing a company that will configure and maintain the server-side tracking setup for you is to know what data destinations are supported and on what level. Here is a quick look at the abilities of both Stape and Addingwell.
| Stape | Addinwell | |
| Facebook* | ✅ | ✅ |
| TikTok* | ✅ | ✅ |
| ✅ | ✅ | |
| Google* | ✅ | ✅ |
| Snapchat* | ✅ | ✅ |
| Klaviyo | ✅ | ✅ |
| Matomo | ✅ | ✅ |
| Yotpo | ✅ | ✅ |
| Postscript | ✅ | ✅ |
| Microsoft Offline conversions | ✅ | ❌ |
| Google Ads offline conversions | ✅ | ❌ |
* – official partner
Prices comparison
While both companies provide similar services, their pricing strategies and approaches vary, highlighting their conceptual differences. Here is a comparison of the Addingwell server-side tracking services price and what Stape offers on the other side.
| Stape | Addingwell | |
| Pricing model | Affordable subscription plans based on usage and needs. | Affordable subscription plans based on usage and needs. |
| Entry-level pricing | Starts at a low price ($17), making it ideal for startups and small businesses. | Higher entry-level cost (€90), suitable for businesses with larger budgets. |
| Flexibility of plans | Flexible pricing with different tiers based on server usage, event volume, and customizations. | Less flexible in terms of pricing tiers, often requiring tailored packages for businesses. |
| Custom setup cost | No extra charges for custom setups within the chosen plan. | Extra charges for advanced configurations and custom setups. |
| Add-ons & integrations cost | Integrations included in the plans are free. | Additional costs for some integrations and advanced features. |
| Price transparency | Clear, transparent pricing, easy to understand, with no hidden fees. | Less transparent pricing, with the need to request a quote for certain features. |
| Scalability | Scalable pricing to accommodate growing businesses. As your business grows, you can easily upgrade your plan without dramatic cost increases. | Pricing can increase significantly as the business scales, making it less ideal for businesses looking to grow gradually. |
| Support & services | Support services are available 24/7 for all plans (including free), and you can always check with the community for help. | Support is often charged separately for more personalized services. |
Support and resources
We have already compared support services from Stape and Addingwell. Although both companies have done an excellent job of creating a friendly and scaffolding environment for their clients, Stape is more flexible and has more options. Stape’s Academy is a unique bonus that is available to all their clients for free. It helps everyone new to server-side tracking to understand the topic better and get some initial knowledge on how to set it up. Compared to Addingwell, Stape’s support is also more responsive and flexible. Moreover, Stape contributes to gtmtools.com, which makes this company a valuable member of the community.
Which one should you choose?
Stape is one of the main Addingwell alternatives, but we cannot decide for you. Study each title’s features carefully, review your requirements and needs, and choose the title that fits your expectations the most. Available budget and expected support availability are some of the critical factors, so study these aspects carefully, not at the last turn. If you would like to hear our opinion, we would most probably stick with Stape.
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