Enterprise measurement stack. Or a causal read by lunch.
Choose Northbeam when you're a large, sophisticated spender who wants continuous MTA + MMM + incrementality managed in one platform. Choose Causality Engine when you want the incrementality answer without the incrementality project.
€99 once, excl. VAT. Keep Northbeam; use us as the causal second opinion.
Same question, different answer. Often the opposite answer.
- Northbeam answers
- What credit does the model assign?ML MTA + MMM + incrementality layer
- Causality Engine answers
- What spend actually caused the sale?Causal inference, one read, no ramp-up
| Compared on | Causality Engine | Northbeam |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Causal inference (one model, one read) | ML MTA + MMM + incrementality add-on |
| Setup | GA4 export upload, 1 to 2 min | Script + UTM hygiene + multi-week onboarding |
| Price | €99 per read · €299/mo ProExcl. VAT | $1,500/mo Starter; $3,500/mo Professional; higher tiers quotednorthbeam.io/pricing, read |
| Fits | Any GA4 ecommerce brand | Larger paid budgets with an analyst |
| Time to value | Minutes, on history you already have | After script install and onboarding |
Competitor pricing is each vendor's publicly listed pricing as read on the date shown, and it changes without notice: verify on the vendor's own site before relying on it. Vendors without a public price are marked as such. Comparisons set Causality Engine's one-time €99 analysis against subscription models.
Every fact, sourced. And why you can keep Northbeam.
Short answer: Keep Northbeam. Causality Engine is not a replacement for it: it installs nothing and reads the GA4 export you already have, so it adds a read of what each channel caused on top of Northbeam's machine-learning multi-touch attribution, for €99.
Scroll the table sideways for every column.
| Compared on | Causality EngineThe layer on top | NorthbeamMulti-touch attribution for scaling DTC brands |
|---|---|---|
| Compatible with Causality Engine | It is the layerReads your GA4 export | YesKeep Northbeam, add the read |
| Pay once, no subscription | Yes€99 per read; Pro at €299 a month is optional | Subscription$1,500/mo (Starter) |
| Price stays flat as you grow | Yes€99 a read, whatever your revenue or ad spend | NoPriced on your ad spend |
| Money back if it does not help | YesFull refund within 30 days, no questions asked | Fees are non-refundable1 |
| Method | Causal inference on your GA4 export | Machine-learning multi-touch attribution |
| Starting price | €99 once, excl. VAT | $1,500/mo (Starter)northbeam.io/pricing, read |
| Pricing model | €99 per read, or Pro at €299 a month | Plans by ad spend: Starter $1,500 (under $1.5M a year), Professional $3,500 a month, Growth and Enterprise quoted; price informed by pageviews |
| Setup | Upload a GA4 export; results in 1 to 2 minutes | Managed onboarding via integration |
| Best for | Ecommerce brands on GA4 spending on two or more channels | DTC brands scaling paid media, from Shopify Starter up to enterprise |
| How it gets your data | ||
| Needs its own pixel, tag or SDK | NoNothing to install | Yes2 |
| Works with Google Analytics 4 | YesA GA4 export is the input | Not stated |
| Native store integrations | Any store that runs GA4Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware, Magento or a custom build | Shopify, Amazon3 |
| Server-side tracking or conversion APIs | NoIt reads data you already collect | Yes4 |
| What it measures | ||
| Multi-touch attribution | NoCausal attribution: what each channel caused | Yes5 |
| Marketing mix modelling | No | Yes6 |
| Incrementality or holdout tests | NoNo test to run | Yes7 |
| Post-purchase surveys | No | Not stated |
| How you buy it | ||
| Self-serve sign-up | YesUpload at /start | No8 |
| Free trial or free plan | First finding freeThe €99 read is refundable within 30 days | Demo only9 |
| Billing terms | None for the readPro is billed monthly, cancel any time | Monthly on Starter; annual on Professional and Enterprise10 |
| Who makes it | ||
| Headquarters | Utrecht, Netherlands | San Francisco, United States11 |
| Founded | 2023 | 201912 |
| States EU data hosting | YesPrimary infrastructure in the EU, per our privacy policy | Not stated |
| What reviewers say | ||
| G2 | Not listed yet | Not stated |
| Capterra | Not listed yet | 3.5 stars (2 reviews)13 |
| Shopify App Store | No appNothing to install | Not stated |
Causality Engine installs nothing on your site. It reads the GA4 export you already have, so it runs on top of any tool here without touching its setup. The one condition: GA4 runs on your store too. “Not stated” means we could not find it on the vendor's own pages or listings on 12 October 2026; it does not mean the feature is missing.
Sources, read 12 October 2026
- 1. northbeam.io/terms-conditions: “Except as expressly set forth herein or in an Order Form or SOW, all Fees are fully earned and non-refundable when due.”
- 2. docs.northbeam.io/docs/non-shopify-installation: “1. Install the Northbeam Pixel | Visits and page views on every page | Required … The pixel must run on every page of your site.”
- 3. docs.northbeam.io/docs/integrations-and-utms: “Northbeam has native integrations with: … Amazon Seller”
- 4. docs.northbeam.io/docs/northbeam-apex: “The current version of Apex sends order-level data to Meta via CAPI and is the foundation for active Meta-side optimization.”
- 5. northbeam.io/pricing: “Independent, first-party multi-touch attribution across all your ad channels”
- 6. northbeam.io/pricing: “Media mix modeling made fast, easy, and flexible.”
- 7. northbeam.io/products/incrementality: “Save time and money with Northbeam's easy-to-set-up and laser-accurate incrementality testing.”
- 8. northbeam.io/pricing: “Contact us for a quote … book a demo”
- 9. northbeam.io/pricing: “book a demo”
- 10. northbeam.io/pricing: “Our Starter plan offers month-to-month usage-based pricing … our Professional and Enterprise plans are annual terms with annual, or semi-annual billing”
- 11. linkedin.com/company/northbeam: “Headquarters San Francisco”
- 12. northbeam.io/about-us: “Since our founding in 2019”
- 13. capterra.com/p/10003962/Northbeam: “3.5 (2) … Overall rating Based on 2 user reviews”
The short version. What each one is for.
Northbeam is a serious, defensible measurement platform for scaling and mid-market DTC: ML multi-touch attribution, Media Mix Modeling, and (since April 2026) native incrementality, all on the same data. For a brand with a serious paid budget and an analyst to drive it, it's one of the best budget-allocation engines on the market.
The catch is the shape of the commitment: a tracking script, heavy UTM discipline, a multi-week onboarding, published Starter and Professional prices of $1,500 and $3,500 a month with higher tiers quoted, and contract terms that are not published. Reviewers are consistent that smaller spenders don't generate enough data to use it well, and that it's underpowered without a skilled operator.
Which one is the right call for your situation.
Choose Northbeam when
you're a large, sophisticated spender who wants continuous MTA + MMM + incrementality managed in one platform. You have the analyst capacity and UTM discipline to feed it, and the budget to justify a five-figure annual line.
Choose Causality Engine when
you want the incrementality answer without the incrementality project. Your history is already in GA4, so you get a causal read in minutes for €99, not a 90-day ramp. Also the right call for smaller brands Northbeam isn't built for, and for anyone who wants a fast, independent causal check before signing (or renewing) a $1,500-a-month subscription.
Take it to your CFO.
Before committing to $1,500 a month and a multi-week onboarding, spend €99 to see whether the causal numbers move a single budget decision. Full refund within 30 days, no questions asked. You keep the read.
The questions buyers ask about us vs Northbeam.
Is this a cheaper Northbeam alternative?
For the incrementality question, yes: pay-per-read, no onboarding. Northbeam's continuous MTA + MMM stack is broader if you have the spend and team for it.Do you need UTMs set up perfectly?
No. We model on your GA4 history; no UTM-tagging project required.Can I use both?
Yes. Many run Causality Engine as the fast, independent causal sanity-check on Northbeam's allocation.
Your platforms guess.
We run the math.
Upload a GA4 export and see what each channel caused, next to last-click, in 1–2 minutes. The read is yours to keep.
The free finding runs in your browser. Your file never leaves it. The full read is €99, refundable within 30 days, no questions asked. Prices exclude VAT.
Rather talk first? Book a 30-minute call.