Northbeam Pricing Breakdown (2026): Media-Spend Tiers, the Bundle, and Alternatives

How much does Northbeam cost in 2026?

Northbeam prices by media spend across three tiers. Starter covers brands under $250K/mo in media spend; Professional and Enterprise serve larger spenders. This is the same basis Cometly uses (ad spend), not the GMV basis Triple Whale uses or a pageview count. As of April 2026 every tier bundles MTA + MMM + Incrementality in one product.

How do Northbeam's tiers compare?

April 2026 update: Northbeam now sells MTA + MMM + Incrementality as one bundled product across all tiers. Incrementality launched Meta-only and US-only. The Starter floor is $1,500/mo for brands under $250K/mo in media spend.
| Media spend | Under $250K/mo | $250K+/mo | High-volume |
| Data refresh | 4x daily | Hourly | Hourly+ |
| Multi-touch attribution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shopify integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ad platform integrations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Creative analytics | No | Yes | Yes |
| API access | No | Yes | Yes |
| MMM (budgeting/forecasting) | Yes (bundled) | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-domain | 1 domain | Up to 3 domains | Unlimited |
| Media strategist reviews | No | Included | 18/year |
| Incrementality testing | Yes (Meta-only, US) | Yes (Meta-only, US) | Yes (Meta-only, US) |
| Payment terms | Month-to-month | Quarterly/annual | Custom |

What does each Northbeam tier include?

What does Northbeam Starter include? ($1,500/month)

The entry-level plan for brands beginning to measure attribution beyond platform-reported numbers.

Included:
- First-party multi-touch attribution
- ML fractional attribution (Northbeam's core technology, prevents overcounting)
- MMM and incrementality (bundled across all tiers as of April 2026; incrementality is Meta-only and US-only)
- 4x daily data refreshes (same-day visibility)
- Shopify integration
- Ad platform integrations (Meta, Google, TikTok, Snap, Pinterest)
- Basic dashboards

Not included:
- Creative analytics (which specific ad images/videos drive revenue)
- API access (can't export data programmatically)
- Multi-domain support
- Hourly data refresh

Who it's for: DTC brands under $250K/mo in media spend who want independent attribution but don't need creative-level analytics or real-time data.

What does Northbeam Professional include? (~$2,500/month)

This is the tier where Northbeam's full feature set unlocks.

Adds to Starter:
- Hourly data refresh, a step up from 4x daily for real-time ad optimization
- Creative analytics, so you see which specific ad creatives, headlines, and images drive revenue
- Export API access to pull data into your own tools, data warehouse, or BI layer
- Up to 3 domains
- Strategic guidance from Northbeam's team

Who it's for: Larger DTC brands ($250K+/mo in media spend) with dedicated media buying teams who optimize campaigns daily and need creative-level insights.

What does Northbeam Enterprise include?

Adds to Professional:
- Unlimited top-level domains
- Up to 18 media strategist reviews per year
- Dedicated support
- High-volume data processing and media-spend headroom

Who it's for: Large DTC brands ($50M+) with complex multi-brand architectures and significant ad spend.

What are Northbeam's hidden costs?

How big is the gap between Starter and Professional?

The jump from Starter ($1,500) to Professional (~$2,500) gates several features:

• Creative analytics, the main reason DTC brands choose Northbeam over competitors
• API access, the ability to export your data
• Hourly refresh, necessary for real-time ad optimization

If you need any of these, you're paying Professional prices from day one.

Is Northbeam's data refresh fast enough?

On the Starter plan, data refreshes 4 times per day. For DTC brands running aggressive ad optimization (scaling winners, cutting losers throughout the day), this is too slow. Professional's hourly refresh is the minimum for real-time decision-making.

Does Northbeam offer a free trial?

No. Northbeam has no free plan and no trial period. You're committing $1,500+/month from the start without testing the product on your data. Compare this to competitors offering free tiers (Triple Whale, Dreamdata, mbuzz, GA4).

How does media-spend pricing scale?

As your media spend grows past $250K/mo, you move from Starter to Professional pricing. The tier tracks how much you spend on ads, not how many features you use or how much traffic you get.

Is MMM included on all Northbeam plans?

Yes, as of April 2026. Northbeam bundles MTA, MMM, and incrementality into one product across all tiers, so Starter now includes the budgeting and forecasting layer that used to sit higher up. Incrementality is Meta-only and US-only at launch.

How does Northbeam's ML attribution work?

Northbeam's ML assigns fractional credit to touchpoints, ensuring total attributed conversions sum to exactly 100% of actual sales. When your ad platforms collectively claim 190 conversions for 100 real sales, Northbeam reconciles to reality.

This is different from traditional MTA (first-touch, last-touch, linear) where models can show different totals. Northbeam gives you one reconciled answer. The tradeoff: it's a black box — you trust the ML, or you don't.

What are the cheapest Northbeam alternatives?

How does Northbeam's pricing compare to alternatives?

Full disclosure: mbuzz is our product. We've included it as one option among several.

1. Triple Whale — Shopify-First ($129-549/mo)

Triple Whale starts cheaper than Northbeam with deep Shopify integration, AI recommendations (Moby), and RFM audiences. GMV-based pricing means costs scale with revenue.

Why consider over Northbeam: Cheaper at lower revenue levels. Better Shopify integration. AI recommendations included. Free tier available.

Why stick with Northbeam: Northbeam's ML prevents overcounting (more rigorous). Creative analytics are deeper. Better for brands spending $5M+/year on ads where accuracy justifies the price.

Read more: Triple Whale Pricing

2. Cometly — Ad Optimization (~$500/mo)

Cometly specializes in ad platform optimization with strong CAPI enrichment and AI recommendations. Ad-spend-based pricing.

Why consider over Northbeam: Cheaper entry point. Better CAPI enrichment for Meta. AI Ads Manager for campaign recommendations. No-code setup.

Why stick with Northbeam: Northbeam's ML attribution is more sophisticated. Creative analytics are stronger. MMM+ provides budget allocation that Cometly doesn't offer.

Read more: Cometly Pricing

3. mbuzz — Flat Pricing at $29-299/mo

mbuzz offers 8 attribution models with custom rules and server-side tracking. Flat tiers, so price doesn't scale with media spend, GMV, or pageviews. Full disclosure: mbuzz is our product.

Why consider over Northbeam: far cheaper. Free tier available. 8 transparent models you can inspect (vs Northbeam's ML black box). Custom attribution rules. Server-side tracking.

Why stick with Northbeam: Northbeam's ML prevents overcounting. Creative analytics included at Professional tier. Deeper ad platform partnerships (Meta, TikTok, Snap, Pinterest). Purpose-built for enterprise DTC.

4. Hyros — High-Ticket Attribution (~$199/mo)

Hyros specializes in high-ticket products and info products with call tracking and long cookie windows.

Why consider over Northbeam: Much cheaper. Better for high-ticket ($500+) products. Call tracking included.

Why stick with Northbeam: Northbeam is better for standard e-commerce with high SKU counts and lower AOV. ML attribution is more sophisticated.

5. GA4 — Free

Google Analytics 4 offers free basic attribution. Not a Northbeam replacement, but a starting point.

Why consider over Northbeam: Free. Immediate setup. Good enough for pre-revenue or early-stage brands.

Why stick with Northbeam: GA4 has no ML attribution, no creative analytics, no MMM, and overcounts conversions across platforms.

Which attribution tool should you choose?

Which tool fits your ad spend level?

Which tool fits your primary need?

Is Northbeam worth the price?

Northbeam is a serious DTC attribution tool with genuine technical depth. ML fractional attribution, creative analytics, and the bundled MMM plus incrementality are valuable for brands spending significantly on ads. The $1,500/mo Starter floor is reasonable for the capability, but it prices out smaller brands and forces the full measurement bundle on everyone.

One thing to weigh on independence: Northbeam is a Meta-sanctioned measurement partner through its Apex integration. That buys real data access, and it also means the tool grading your Meta spend has a financial relationship with Meta.

If you're an enterprise DTC brand ($40M+) with dedicated media buyers, Northbeam Professional can prevent enough wasted ad spend to justify its cost. For smaller brands, teams that want to inspect their attribution models rather than trust a black box, or teams that would rather buy the attribution layer alone and pair it with their own MMM or lift tool, cheaper alternatives deliver core attribution at a fraction of the price.

Related Reading

• Northbeam Alternatives — 7 alternatives compared
• Triple Whale Pricing — GMV-based pricing breakdown
• Cometly Pricing — Ad-spend-based pricing breakdown
• Multi-Touch Attribution Tools Compared — Full market overview

Holly Mehakovic

Co-Founder, mbuzz

Holly Mehakovic is Co-Founder of mbuzz. With 10+ years in marketing including roles at Westpac, Avon, and Forebrite, she's obsessed with making measurement actually useful.

Harvard Extension School Forebrite Westpac Avon