The industry of server-side tracking is quite young. Nevertheless, there are loud titles and brands that have earned trust and recognition from hundreds of thousands of users. Stape and Tracklution are usually mentioned at the top of the list. A question arises: which one to choose if you need to configure server-side tracking? Let’s compare the main Stape and Tracklution features.
General information
Stape has existed in the industry of server-side tracking from its earliest days. Founded as a company to make server GTM container hosting easier and the whole server-side tracking technology more understandable and user-friendly, Stape is a genuine multifunctional giant now. The services the company offers have gone far beyond GTM container hosting only, and its contribution to the community is hard to underestimate.
Tracklution has a similar story in many aspects, but a completely different approach. While it was also created to introduce server-side tracking with people and make it more accessible, it does not offer a server GTM container hosting. Instead, Tracklution provides its own custom infrastructure. Due to this, the company cannot boast such a variety of free tools and effective solutions. Still, the quality of its services is quite decent, which justifies its popularity and a respectable number of clients.
Deeper into the functionality
Both companies understand that it is impossible to survive by providing only one basic feature, which is why they keep expanding their functionality.
| Stape | Tracklution | |
| Server GTM container hosting | It is the basic and initial service offered | Does not offer |
| Conversion or Events API hosting | Allows hosting of all existing APIs for popular analytical platforms | Does not host APIs. Instead, hosts a managed endpoint for them |
| Gateway hosting | Can host Gateways provided by all popular platforms + has the ones of its own | Does not host Gateways |
| European hosting | Yes, but also operates Worldwide | Yes, and operates in Europe only |
| CMS and CRM apps integration | Yes, often has an app or native client | Yes, mostly with webhooks |
| Customization | Highly customizable | Poor customization due to the usage of structured templates |
Pricing
After reviewing the features, it is logical to move to pricing, as this is what often bothers customers at the same level.
Stape pricing is based on flexible payment plans. First of all, it is worth mentioning that server GTM and Signals Gateway (a multidirectional gateway with no manual tagging required) hosting can be used for free by businesses with fewer than 10,000 monthly requests. The next pricing threshold is $17/month, and you can adjust it depending on the number of requests and features needed. Other gateways can be hosted for as little as $8 per pixel, with discounts for the “wholesalers” with multiple pixels.
Tracklution is generally more expensive. Its cheapest payment plan covers the range of 1-100,000 requests per month, and it costs €31. Extra events are priced separately. This plan also allows you to connect only with one platform. To have an unlimited number of connections, you need to switch to the pro plan for €439/month. Of all Tracklution alternatives in the industry, this is the highest price.
Both companies have free trials for their payment plans, 7 days for Stape, and 14 days for Tracklution.
Ease of use
Stape has always been considered a more customizable but harder to set up platform. It required manual configuration for the majority of its features, while Tracklution was advertised as an automatic, out-of-the-box solution. However, things are changing. With the implementation of Setup Assistant, which automates the container configuration, Stape has become much easier to use.
Additional features
By additional features, we mean something optional and often free. Something that does not affect the quality of tracking directly, but makes it easier and more convenient. Tracklution does not have much to offer in this domain. All of its features are included in different payment plans and intersect with tracking itself in one way or another.
Stape has a solid list of free additional features. The mentioned Setup Assistant lowers the entry threshold for Stape’s services. It is accompanied by some other tools that make the platform’s usage more convenient and pleasant.
- Website Tracking Checker. This is a free tool to check how effective your tracking setup is and what problems it has. The Checker not only points out the issues, but also suggests effective solutions to them.
- GTM Helper. This is a Chrome extension created to make debugging easier and faster.
- Different power-ups: Stape has power-ups for bot detection, anonymization, click ID restoration, etc.
- Stape Analytics. It provides a visual demonstration of how server-side tracking has improved your tracking.
These are only some examples of Stape’s free additional features. There is more to check now and more to expect, as the company’s team always works on something new.
Support service
It is wrong to discuss any company in isolation from the support services it offers. Let’s check what Stape and Tracklution have to offer here.
Stape’s support is available 24/7 via e-mail, online chat, and for the users of the Enterprise plan, even by phone. Although on the website, the support services are segmented between different payment plans in terms of speed and functionality, in fact, everyone gets quick and professional assistance. It is also worth mentioning that Stape has a free Academy with certification – a comprehensive introductory course into server-side tracking, a community forum, and a rich documentation portal.
Tracklution supports its starter plan users via e-mail, with a training call option adding up for the two other plans. Considering Tracklution pricing, the company could have offered at least an ongoing phone support for more expensive plans, but we have what we have. At least, there is a free YouTube academy (no certification offered upon completion) and a documentation section with some gaps still to be filled (e.g., more information on attribution and troubleshooting).
So, Stape or Tracklution?
Considering all the Stape features and pricing, this company seems to be a more favorable choice, should you be thinking about switching to server-side tracking. It uses a more stable and comprehensive infrastructure from Google, is more customer-centered in terms of features, and is more supportive.
Tracklution server-side tracking service is Stape’s decent competitor, with some downsides, though. It may be a great choice for those who want to try working with custom infrastructure. It is, however, more expensive and less customizable due to its template-like nature.
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