If you’re weighing your options in the Smartly vs. ROI Hunter debate and trying to decide which platform is the right fit, this article will help break it down.
Smartly is a well-established platform in the martech space, offering a broad suite of tools for cross-channel advertising. ROI Hunter, on the other hand, caters specifically to eCommerce brands, with a strong focus on product performance management.
Smartly streamlines both creative and media workflows across social platforms. ROI Hunter leans heavily on product insights, but does not cover creative production to the same extent.
That’s where Hunch comes in. Hunch automates both creative and media workflows, with a focus on Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok, helping mid-market brands execute complex campaigns more efficiently. In addition, Hunch connects creative automation with product insights, allowing teams to align campaign decisions with real product performance signals.
TL;DR
- Smartly: Best suited for enterprise brands managing large-scale, multi-channel campaigns
- ROI Hunter: A strong option for eCommerce advertisers prioritizing product performance insights
- Hunch: Built for mid-market teams looking to scale paid social on Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok with focused workflows and integrated insights
In this article, we aim to provide a fair, opinion-light comparison of all three platforms.
Smartly and ROI Hunter: What they have in common
Both Smartly and ROI Hunter help advertisers optimize paid social campaigns, but they approach this goal in different ways. Here’s what they have in common:
- Ad optimization tools
Both platforms offer automation features designed to improve ad performance and reduce manual work. - Multi-platform support
Smartly and ROI Hunter support multiple advertising platforms. - Data-driven decision making
Both rely on first- and third-party data to support campaign optimization and ROAS improvement.
Where they differ is in focus:
- Smartly centers on large-scale automation across multiple channels
- ROI Hunter is built specifically for eCommerce brands, emphasizing product-level insights and inventory-driven advertising
Neither platform is designed as a tightly integrated creative and media solution focused solely on Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok. This is where Hunch positions itself differently.
Smartly: Enterprise-level ad automation
Smartly provides a comprehensive solution that automates creative and media workflows across social platforms, with a strong emphasis on cross-channel execution. It enables advertisers to deliver localized ads at scale while reducing manual effort through workflow automation.
As an enterprise-level company, Smartly typically works with Fortune 500 brands, large enterprises, and advertisers spending $1M+ per month. This makes it a common choice for brands running high-budget, multi-channel programs.
The scope of Smartly’s platform can come with trade-offs. Its breadth requires time to master, and its pricing structure may not always align with teams operating in a growth phase.
Who should use Smartly?
- Enterprise brands running large-scale, multi-channel campaigns
- Agencies managing complex advertising programs across multiple platforms
Who might not benefit from Smartly?
- Mid-market teams focused primarily on Meta, Snapchat, or TikTok
- Advertisers seeking more streamlined, channel-specific workflows
ROI Hunter: eCommerce-first approach
ROI Hunter is designed for eCommerce brands that want to improve advertising performance through product data. Its product performance management capabilities analyze SKU-level data to help advertisers prioritize high-margin and best-performing products.
With inventory-based advertising, ROI Hunter can automate ad creation based on stock availability, helping reduce spend on out-of-stock items.
ROI Hunter is well suited for teams that want to connect catalog data with advertising decisions. However, it does not cover creative production or broader media workflows to the same extent as platforms that combine both disciplines.
Who should use ROI Hunter?
- eCommerce brands prioritizing product-level insights
- Retailers managing large product catalogs
Who might not benefit from ROI Hunter?
- Brands that require creative automation alongside media workflows
- Teams running campaigns beyond product-driven use cases
Hunch: Built for mid-market teams
Hunch automates both creative production and media workflows, helping advertisers manage Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok campaigns in one platform. The goal is to reduce manual work while enabling teams to scale personalization across audiences and markets.
Hunch supports generating large numbers of creative variations using structured templates, without requiring designers to manually produce each version.
In addition, Hunch connects creative automation with product insights, allowing teams to align creative and media decisions with SKU-level performance data. This helps close the loop between product data, creative execution, and campaign optimization. You can read more about this approach in our article on how Hunch closes the loop with product insights.
In short, Hunch is designed for mid-market brands and agencies spending €80K–€500K on paid social that need advanced automation without enterprise-level complexity.
Who should use Hunch?
- Mid-market brands running complex Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok campaigns
- Performance teams looking to combine creative and media automation with product insights
- Agencies managing multiple clients and markets
Who might not benefit from Hunch?
- Brands focused primarily on Google Ads or non-social channels
- Teams that only need reporting or performance insights without creative automation
Pricing comparison
Pricing is often a deciding factor when evaluating platforms.
Smartly
Smartly uses a custom pricing model typically aligned with enterprise-level spend across multiple platforms. This model can be a fit for large advertisers, but may be challenging for brands that do not fully leverage cross-channel capabilities.
ROI Hunter
ROI Hunter communicates pricing in the range of 1–5% of ad spend. For details, advertisers should consult their pricing page.
Hunch
Hunch pricing is designed for growth-stage and mid-market brands. Pricing starts at €2,500 per month and is based only on ad spend running through the Hunch platform, with no additional fees for features such as AI background removal.
Final thoughts
There is no single “best” platform for every team.
- Enterprise brands running large, cross-channel programs may find Smartly aligns with their needs.
- eCommerce brands prioritizing product-level insights may benefit from ROI Hunter.
- Mid-market teams focused on Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok, looking for streamlined creative and media workflows with integrated insights, may find Hunch to be a strong fit.
Still unsure? You can read our Smartly vs. Hunch comparison to explore how different platforms approach paid social workflows.
Disclaimer
- This comparison is based on publicly available information such as G2 reviews and customer feedback as of January 2025.
- The opinions and claims expressed on this page are based on Hunch's understanding of the platforms and may not reflect the views of Smartly.io.
- All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
