Server-side tracking is the most reliable way to gather data about clients and send it to analytics. However, its usage requires particular expertise. If you are not familiar with the Google Tag Manager server container features and have no idea what software to use, some companies can configure everything for you.
Stape and OwnTag are two significant names in the server-side tracking industry. Let’s compare the features and services they offer, and which one is better for server-side tracking.
What is Stape?
Stape is a platform founded in 2021 that offers various services for configuring a server-side tracking setup and improving it. The company operates worldwide and has extremely positive reviews on Trustpilot, with users mostly highlighting its support service, toolkit, and payment policies. Stape reports that the number of its customers exceeded 200,000 in 2025, which is the best indicator that it is a reliable and trustworthy platform.
And… What about OwnTag?
OwnTag is a German company that offers a server GTM hosting service. It is integrated with Google’s infrastructure, which makes it a convenient choice for users who struggle with getting used to something new. OwnTag sGTM container hosting service works exclusively with European servers, so if you are looking for a more global service provider, you might need to consider another title. The company does not have a page on Trustpilot, but reviews in other sources highlight its Google Tag Manager container hosting services and European location.
Feature comparison
The base package of Stape features is quite massive and offers a lot of tools for server-side tracking, either for free or for a very reasonable price. OwnTag server-side Google Tag Manager hosting service has a smaller offer, but not of worse quality. Is Stape one of the best OwnTag alternatives? OR, maybe, the best alternative is Tracking Hippo, formerly known as Taggian? Let’s find out!
Stape’s GTM hosting
To start using the majority of Stape’s services, you need to register on the company’s website first. The oldest and one of its main features is hosting a server Google Tag Manager container. Such an approach improves the quality of tracked data, makes the whole process privacy-friendly, and enhances the website’s speed. Stape offers server GTM hosting worldwide and boosts it with lots of additional features. For instance, the company’s Custom Loader will make your tracking setup more resistant to ad blockers, detailed Logs ease troubleshooting, and own subdomain will simplify things with cookies.
GTM hosting from OnwTag
OwnTag offers a 100% EU-based server GTM container hosting. The company claims that if you choose them, you will get automatic scaling active for all your traffic and your own subdomain. Same as with Stape, the registration on OwnTag’s website is free, and the company claims that it takes one single click to launch your own server GTM container.
| Stape pricing | OwnTag pricing |
| $0 – up to 10.000 requests per month | The company has only one payment plan: €100 for up to 5.000.000 monthly requests. Every additional hundred thousand requests will cost €1.50 extra. The company allows its potential clients to try their service for free. |
| $20 – up to 500.000 requests per month | |
| $100 – up to 5.000.000 requests per month | |
| $200 – up to 20,000,000 requests per month | |
| The company offers a free trial for every plan and has many free benefits and power-ups available for everyone. |
Gateway hosting by Stape
Apart from server GTM, Stape can host Gateways for different analytical platforms. This is a cheaper and easier-to-configure, template-like solution that fits smaller businesses. They are easy to manage and maintain, which allows business owners to save their resources.
Meanwhile, OwnTag
OwnTag does not have Gateway hosting on the list of its features. The company focuses solely on server GTM container hosting. On one hand, this solution is perfectly viable, as this is a more flexible and more effective method to configure a server-side tracking setup. On the other hand, it is more expensive, and this may turn companies with limited budgets away from this title.
Stape’s CMS and CRM applications
Stape has dedicated CMS and CRM applications that make server-side tracking easier and more effective when operating with the corresponding platforms. It aims to make e-commerce event tracking more precise, reduce the effect of ad blockers, and improve the overall quality of analytics you get (consequently, increasing the profits).
| CMS apps | CRM apps |
| WordPress | Zoho |
| Shopify | HighLevel |
| BigCommerce | Salesforce |
| Magneto 2 | Pipedrive |
| Wix | |
| PrestaShop |
OwnTag, on the other hand
There is no information on OwnTag’s website or any other resource about the CRM or CMS apps the service offers. The primary and only service the company offers is server GTM container hosting, and it is unknown if there are any plug-ins in development for Shopify, WordPress, or anything else.
Compliance with privacy policies
Stape is ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and DORA compliant. This guarantees that no data protection officer will have issues with the businesses that use this company’s server-side tracking services. It also easily integrates with the majority of popular consent management platforms, making the whole compliance procedure simple and clear.
Staying compliant with OwnTag
OwnnTag tag manager team highlights that all the responsibility for staying compliant is on their users. While one of the main conditions, EU hosting, is strictly preserved, the company does not have any certificates of compliance. It, however, provides its clients with all the needed tools to manage compliance questions on their side.
Customer support
Stape’s customer support ecosystem is one of the aspects that most users praise in their reviews. There are several directions in which its support service develops.
- Support team. It can be contacted via e-mail, live chat, or by phone, should you have any issues. While there is a division of what support options are available depending on the payment plan on the website, many people report that, in reality, Stape’s support agents willingly assist all the company’s clients.
- Stape Academy. It is a free video course that introduces server-side tracking technology to those who have never used it before. It familiarizes viewers with the basics and provides a certificate upon completion.
- Community forum. While not directly linked with Stape’s support team, the community forum unites tracking experts and users from all over the world. Should you have any questions about your setup or issues, it is highly possible you can find a detailed answer there.
Whatever issue you might have when cooperating with Stape, you can be sure that you will get all possible help from its side.
What does OwnTag have in terms of support?
OwnTag server-side tracking provider has a detailed documentation section on the website. However, if you are not at least a little experienced server-side tracking user, you might have problems understanding and configuring everything yourself. In this case, OwnTag can recommend its partners who can assist with the technical side. The company itself focuses only on container hosting and does not have a support service.
So, which company to choose?
While Stape is a massive platform that provides multiple services in the server-side tracking domain and covers compliance questions, OwnTag features are limited to server GTM container hosting in European jurisdiction. If you are an expert in this technology yourself, this might be more than enough. However, if you want to improve your tracking setup, get numerous additional perks, and always be able to contact a qualified support service, Stape should be your company of choice.
FAQ
Which solution offers more robust first-party data collection?
Stape is definitely a more robust platform for first-party data collection. While both companies offer EU hosting, Stape adds multiplatform routing, gateways, and additional features like Cookie Keeper, which prolongs the lifetime of first-party cookies. This makes it a more effective and comprehensive platform for managing and protecting first-party data.
Which platform is easier for dynamic remarketing setups?
Stape is an easier platform for dynamic remarketing setups. It has pre-built tag templates to work with the standard item arrays sent to the GTM container. On the contrary, OwnTag tracking solution only offers container hosting, without any specific features for remarketing.
How do integration options differ between Stape and Owntag?
Stape integrates with multiple CMS, CRM, and consent management platforms, which makes it the leading OwnTag alternative. The latter has nothing to offer in this sphere, as it is exclusively a container hosting service.
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