Comparison 2026

Ad Spend Guardian vs Northbeam

Northbeam provides marketing attribution and media mix modeling for DTC brands.

Recommended

Ad Spend Guardian

Modern ad spend monitoring

$0/month to start
  • Free plan forever
  • Modern, clean interface
  • 5-minute setup
  • All major ad platforms
  • Dark mode support

Northbeam

Traditional ad spend monitoring

$1000+/month+/month to start
  • No free plan
  • Dated interface design
  • All major ad platforms
  • Order-level tracking
  • No dark mode

Feature Comparison

FeatureAd Spend GuardianNorthbeam
Free tier available1 ad account
Budget threshold alerts
Pacing alerts (50%/80%/100%)
Multi-platform supportFB, Google, TikTokAll platforms
Email notifications
Real-time monitoringHourly
Media mix modeling
Attribution modeling
Starting price$0/month$1000+/month
Setup time5 minutesWeeks
Simple threshold alerts

Why Switch to Ad Spend Guardian

Budget alerts vs attribution modeling

$0-39/month vs $1000+/month

Simple threshold alerts vs complex dashboards

Set and forget monitoring

Instant setup - no data science required

Focus on preventing overspend, not analyzing past performance

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ad Spend Guardian have a free plan?

Yes, monitor 1 ad account for free with basic threshold alerts. Upgrade to paid plans for more accounts and pacing alerts.

How do threshold alerts work?

Set a daily spend threshold for each account. You'll get an email alert when your spend crosses that limit.

What ad platforms are supported?

Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and TikTok Ads with hourly spend sync and real-time alerting.

Do I need media mix modeling?

MMM is useful for large brands optimizing channel allocation. If you just need to avoid budget overruns, Ad Spend Guardian is simpler and more affordable.

Ready to Switch?

Try Ad Spend Guardian free and see why Shopify sellers are making the switch. No credit card required, setup takes 5 minutes.