Modern companies that want to grow and expand must understand their customers even better than the customers themselves. Because of this, server-side tracking is a must-have technology for them. It allows for analyzing more detailed customer information without breaking any privacy policies or consumer rights.
You do not need to become an expert in the field to launch an effective server-side tracking setup. Many companies that specialize in this technology offer configuration and maintenance services for quite reasonable money. Stape and Jentis server-side tracking services are among the most popular titles (accompanied, for instnce, by Taggrs and Elevar). What are their strong and weak sides, and which of them should you choose? Let’s find out here.
What is Stape
Stape is a company that covers the full spectrum of all server-side tracking related services, from configuring the initial setup to empowering it with additional features and services. It was created in 2021, and since then, it has never stopped expanding and improving. It receives mostly positive reviews on all trustworthy review resources. Stape also has a vast network of connections with hundreds of businesses and agencies and official partnerships with platforms such as Meta and TikTok. This company is considered the top choice for server-side tracking services worldwide, compliant with GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and DORA.
Main features it offers
Talking about Stape features, it is hard to fit everything on one page. It makes sense to divide them into several categories and review each category individually.
- Server Google Tag Manager container hosting. It is the main product Stape offers. The tagging server URL can be acquired in a couple of clicks (the company states, in one click, but it depends on whether you count opening the websites, clicking on the tab, etc.). It is cheaper than Google’s service and operates globally, which is a default thing for any modern company. Combine it with higher resistance to ad blockers and browser restrictions, granted by Stape’s Custom Loader, and detailed logs, and you get a powerful server-side tracking tool. Explore the company’s collection of benefits and powerups to find something else that might feed your needs.
- Gateways hosting. Gateways are a popular solution for small and medium-sized businesses. They are easier to set up, cheaper, and more straightforward in their functionality. Gateway settings are quite limited, though, but in many cases, it does not matter. Stape hosts Gateways for most platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, Meta, Google.
- Integrations. Stape integrates with many CMS (WordPress, Shopify, Wix, etc.), CRM (Zoho, Salesforce, Hubspot), and SDK (Android, iOS, PHP, Node.js). This ensures that events from the corresponding systems can be sent to the server container in a safer and smoother way.
All in all, in terms of a variety of features offered, Stape does not have any competitors in the industry.
Additional features from Stape
Stape has a number of so-called quality of life features that do not influence the server-side tracking process directly, but definitely make it more convenient and approachable for the users.
- Website Tracking Checker is a tool aimed at helping companies identify tracking-related problems on their websites and get some ideas on how to improve. This tool is completely free and is available to everyone, not only Stape’s clients.
- Setup Assistant gathers information from the clients about their needs, goals, technical stack, and platforms they use, and generates GTM templates to meet the requirements. It is a convenient, fast-start feature for clients who do not have complicated customization requirements.
- Stape Analytics helps marketers to analyze the key metrics and observe how the quality of data improves and changes after the implementation of server-side tracking. A valuable analytical tool in the hands of people who know what to do with such information.
Of all Jentis alternatives, Stape is the only company that does not focus only on server-side tracking directly. It covers numerous neighbouring areas, taking care of its clients on multiple fronts.
Data destinations
Stape (here, it is a list of the most popular ones, with 100+ more available in Stape’s GTM template gallery) | Meta (official partners) |
| Google Ads | |
| Google Analytics | |
| TikTok (official partners) | |
| Snapchat (official partners) | |
| Spotify | |
| Klaviyo | |
| Rakuten | |
| Awin | |
| Microsoft |
Support service from Stape
Stape’s support team is reachable 24/7 and will gladly help everyone with all technical and payment-related issues. However, do not rush to start a chat with them or send an e-mail, as there is a community forum hosted by Stape, where server-side tracking experts and users gladly share their insights and recommendations on various matters. Check it, your issue might have already been discussed and solved there.
All newbies to server-side tracking can check Stape Academy, a free online introductory course on server-side tracking. It is a great resource for those who have never used this technology or do not understand how it works. A pleasant bonus, after its completion, you will get a personalized certificate.
How much do Stape’s services cost
Stape pricing is flexible and may fit companies of different sizes. Small businesses with less than 10,000 monthly requests can get into server-side tracking for free. Businesses with up to 500,000 monthly requests will have to pay $20. There are more plans to check, and of course, there is a custom option for companies that need an individual approach and pricing.
What is Jentis?
As the company states on its website, Jentis is not just a tracking tool. It is a platform that empowers businesses and is a foundation for every successful data strategy. Jentis specializes in providing server-side tag management services in Europe, ensuring GDPR and ePrivacy data compliance.
Main features it offers
Jentis features are all turning around its custom server tag management system and related server-side tracking services. For instance, the Raw Data Tool allows businesses to capture raw event data. It improves data accuracy and attribution, guaranteeing complete ownership of data acquired. Jentis also offers a unique tool called Synthetic Users. Based on the data gathered from the users who provided their consent, it imitates the users who did not allow their data to be gathered to ensure further accuracy of marketing attribution.
Unfortunately, despite some great solutions and tools in the server tag management, Jentis does not host Gateways, which makes it not so attractive for smaller and medium-sized businesses. Server hosting of the container provides more customization opportunities, but is also more expensive and complex in configuration, while Gateways are more approachable and cheaper. Thus, if this review had a points system, one point would have been deducted from Jentis here.
Additional features from Jentis
Unlike Stape, Jentis has no additional quality of life features to offer. While the primary services feel great and are worth the money to be paid for, there is nothing in terms of something extra. Of course, some people might oppose here and state that there is Advanced Tag Management and Synthetic Users, but all these are rather the main toolkit, not something on top of it, so there is nothing to be mentioned here.
Data destinations
Jentis (does not have a list available, but generally supports all of the most popular destinations, including those mentioned here) | Google Ads |
| Meta | |
| Amazon | |
| Hubspot | |
| TikTok | |
| Matomo |
Support service from Jentis
If you need to contact the Jentis tag manager support service, it might not be obvious at first glance, as you need to proceed to the careers section on the website. The support agents seem to be available 24/7, so do not hesitate to contact them if any issues arise.
You can also check Jentis documentation, which provides quite a comprehensive and straightforward view on server-side tracking in general and how to configure it with Jentis, particularly. While having such an organized knowledge base is great, having an intuitive and comprehensive support section on the website would also be great.
How much do Jentis’s services cost
It is hard to find a Jentis alternative that will cost more than Jentis itself. The basic plan costs €490, an enormous sum for the industry. However, it is a common thing for services that offer a custom server tag management solution instead of a server GTM container. It also includes such perks as ad blocker resistance, cookie lifetime extender, managed hosting, etc. Stape and other server-side tracking services, however, offer the same features either for free or as a part of their much cheaper plans.
Thus, Jentis pricing leaves much to be desired. Something to be mentioned is the custom plans the company offers. While the price is to be discussed individually, Jentis has an interesting AI-powered server-side tracking offer based on the Synthetic Users feature already mentioned here. It is worth trying to see how modern AI technology synthesizes with server-side tracking, if you have big enough budgets, of course.
Stape vs. Jentis comparison table
| Stape | Jentis | |
| Services provided | Server GTM hosting.Hosting of Gateways for different platforms.Integrations with various CRMs, CMSs, and SDKs. | A custom tag management platform. Integration with AI tools. |
| Additional features | Website Tracking Checker, Analytics, Setup Assistant | Nothing to present here |
| Data destinations | Has more than a hundred, including the most popular ones. | Does not have a comprehensive list, but seems to cover the most popular ones. |
| Support | 24/7 support service, community forum, Stape Academy | 24/7 support service, knowledge base |
| Price | Starts at $20, has custom plans | Starts at €490, has custom plans |
Conclusion
If you are thinking about selecting a Jentis alternative, Stape is the first title that comes to mind. First of all, it is much cheaper; secondly, it has more features and useful tools that make server-side tracking more comprehensive and effective. Of course, there is nothing bad to say about Jentis tracking itself; the company does what it claims to do, and does it on a decent level. The question here is not that this company is bad, Stape is just better in many aspects: price, tools, and support. The choice is only up to you, though. If you want to try the combination of server-side tracking with AI tools, Jentis is probably the only title that offers it.
FAQ
How can Stape help recover lost data that Jentis might miss?
Stape offers a Custom Loader power-up, which makes their server GTM tracking setup less affected by ad blockers. Stape’s Cookie Keeper prolongs the lifetime of first-party cookies even in browsers with the latest versions of ITPs. Ad Block Info is another cool tool that will alert you if someone is noticed to have an ad blocker active in their browser.
Which of these two server-side tracking service providers is easier to use?
Stape manages tags with the help of the GTM container, which is a very common and well-known thing. It has a simple interface and straightforward features and configuration. Jentis, on the other hand, offers a custom solution, which has a much higher entry threshold. Thus, we would say, that Stape is the easier one to get into.
How to migrate from Jentis to Stape and vice versa?
We would say it is easier to migrate from Stape to Jentis than vice versa. To start using Stape, you need to create a GTM container, then create an account with the company, and host the newly-created container on their server. To switch from Stape to Jentis, you need to create an account with the latter and learn how to use their custom tag management environment, which might seem like a complex task for many.
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