Criteo vs. Google Ads

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Criteo
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Criteo Commerce Growth (formerly Criteo Marketing Solutions) helps users to achieve customer acquisition and retention objectives with simple yet powerful automated advertising for the open internet. It features an open commerce dataset to target continuously refreshed, high-intent audiences. The user's first-party datais enriched with commerce data from 22k advertisers & thousands of publishers to up-level how to engage existing customers. The solution enables users to…
$1
per month
Google Ads
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is Google's pay-per-click online advertising program. With Google Ads users set their budget and choose where their ads appear in search listings, and on partner websites. Google Ads uses cost-per-click (CPC) bidding.
$500
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
Pricing
CriteoGoogle Ads
Editions & Modules
Basic
$1
per month
Offer A
$500
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
Offer B
$1500
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
Offer C
$3000
in Ads credit in the first 60 days
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CriteoGoogle Ads
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPricing is based on a CPC model and is dependent on traffic generated to a site
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CriteoGoogle Ads
Considered Both Products
Criteo
Chose Criteo
Marketing Solutions by Criteo is the best at re-targeting, and you can expect more results than Google Ads. The ads would be placed on more decent websites than on Taboola for sure.
Chose Criteo
Marketing Solutions by Criteo sometimes deliveries a higher revenue volume than other partners, but we usually run more than one retargeting partner at the same time, as we can have different inventories in which ads are displayed.
Chose Criteo
I feel Criteo had a much better tech stack and features all in one to do a wide range of things in terms of marketing ad campaigns. Also because it is a dedicated tool with a one-track focus, we found it to be a better fit for our needs at this time.
Chose Criteo
Inmobi and Smaato have more inventory but do not have the technology applied to that inventory. Whereas Marketing Solutions by Criteo puts the focus mainly on the audience and the users, Smaato and Inmobi are more focused on the publishers and the placement. For e-commerce …
Chose Criteo
Terminal One by Mediamath is more like a full-stack marketing solution that works very well for user acquisition and retargeting campaigns. On the other hand, Marketing Solutions by Criteo works more like a specialist for conversion and down the funnel campaigns, and their main …
Chose Criteo
Marketing Solutions by Criteo is definitely great alternative to its competitors and more efficient
Chose Criteo
I think Marketing Solutions by Criteo is probably one of the smaller fish in the pond, so it is kind of hard to compare. However, I do believe they have a niche product that not many others offer, therefore they are unique. There are definitely going to be things that they …
Chose Criteo
I don't actually have experience with another retargeting program like Criteo, though we had considered using one. We liked Criteo for the ad networks they are able to reach.
Chose Criteo
We were having an ROI of 8 with AdRoll with the website we tried it on. AdRoll could bring us up to 12/14 with other websites. We thought Criteo was going to perform better on that particular website. We have 4 more websites on which we could have applied Criteo! Not happening.
Chose Criteo
RTB House Personalized Retargeting and Google Ads (formerly AdWords)
Chose Criteo
AdRoll doesn't even come close to stacking up with Criteo Dynamic Retargeting. The customer support is worse, the targeting options are not as clear, and the performance is drastically worse than Criteo. We will not be going back any time soon.
Chose Criteo
Criteo is dynamic in nature and easy to set up and run the campaign. They have a dedicated account manager who can help as and when required. Though we have used Google Display Network earlier, ROI is great in Criteo.
Chose Criteo
We've run dynamic retargeting on Google and Facebook, but Criteo offers the strongest and most brand-safe reach across the web, along with better technical support and a much stronger direct return on ad spend.
Chose Criteo
We selected Criteo because of the good reputation, its flexibility, and the detailed reporting it delivers.
Chose Criteo
I do not know about other products like Criteo Dynamic Retargeting, therefore I cannot say anything about any differences.
Chose Criteo
We work with several products to carry out good retargeting. Criteo Dynamic Retargeting is more suitable to generate a direct link to our products.
Chose Criteo
Google ads: it's quite complicated to manage correctly. Criteo is very easy to use.
Chose Criteo
Criteo can be seen as the European market leader in retargeting but other competitors like Google or Sociomantic offer similar tools and placements. It makes sense to try out different campaigns and see what works best for you. Criteo performed very well on several campaigns we …
Chose Criteo
We use Google Ads for classic ads but for the display ads, we selected Criteo Dynamic Retargeting. First of all because it's french ! ;) And because we think Criteo is the best tool for retargeting as it invented this technology ! We like the way we are accompanied by the …
Chose Criteo
When I entered the company, they were are also using Criteo but it wasn't optimized at all. I know from the past working with Criteo in other companies that they deliver good ROI results so that why we decided to optimize the campaigns with Criteo and spend more of our budget …
Google Ads
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is by far the best PPC advertising mechanism I've used especially when compared to the Microsoft/Bing platform. It's easier to navigate and the budgets are spent more effectively and efficiently. The display of the search results is easier to read and the quality of …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads remains at the top advertising channel within our business for both lead volume and revenue generation, whilst maintaining a reasonable cost per lead (CPL). Both Meta Ads and Microsoft Ads have a much lower CPL, those channels don't contribute as much revenue and …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is one of the more advanced tools, all the above tools listed are great and provide very advanced features for advertising on those platforms. Usually a business would use multiple tools. Google Ads is great as it is very fined and established so you know what you …
Chose Google Ads
Google is a lot better at not just banning you for no reason. The platform is very intuitive and gets you in front of many people. Meta Ads is notorious for banning people and not giving them any reason. Google is very reasonable and has guidelines. Google clicks are also much …
Chose Google Ads
These are different channels, with different audiences and targeting options. It is important to first understand your objective, who you want to reach and at what stage of the journey.
Chose Google Ads
Well, I use Facebook/Meta pixels sometimes. But it is not as good as Google Ads. There are a lot of people searching on Google for good web development firms but how many are there finding the same sort of person on Facebook or Linkedin?
Thus, I like the abundance of users …
Chose Google Ads
It's gives me better results than the other platforms, cause by setting up keywords that are relevant to my business I can really target people who are actively searching for the topic. This really filters leads and brings better results.
Chose Google Ads
It is part of the Google suite of tools for content management for advertising and ads in the Google search engine.
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is more robust and has more features as compared to Microsoft Advertising, aka Bing Ads. Google has better and more reach than other search engines in the market. Google stands well against all its competitors when it comes to media planning and buying. Go for it any …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads can be more useful than LinkedIn & Facebook Ads because it is reaching a larger pool of users. Both platforms have even better/more targeting options, but they limit the amount of reach you will receive. Google Ads catches users at the top of the sales funnel.
Chose Google Ads
Google ads provide no customer service.
Chose Google Ads
We had to stop using Bing as the results were all over the place and so we couldn't trust the service.
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads clearly has high potential as more users search for their product when compared to other channels hence getting the desired audience.
Chose Google Ads
Neither platform seems to perform in my opinion. Google Ads is much more complicated while Facebook Ads are simpler to implement and run. No positive ROI on either though!
Chose Google Ads
We would use Facebook advertising often to generate strong reactions online. The benefit of using Google Ads is that people are always searching on Google and it's quick to pull your name first in a search ranking, where a majority of people are likely to click on compared to …
Chose Google Ads
In most cases, it's better between features, usability, performance (though Bing can sometimes cost less). Google is also smarter about its keywords. Bing is more similar to how Google was five or more years ago (needing to add variations to those keywords). I will say, though, …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads is pretty strong when it comes to search and shopping campaigns. It's a great tool to target people who are ready to buy and actively looking for products we have to offer. On the other hand, Facebook has been a great tool for raising awareness, brand uplift, and …
Chose Google Ads
Other platforms like Facebook Business Manager or Twitter Ads do not allow the same level of optimization and control of targeting as Google Ads. In same cases it may have less reach, but being more precise is better to see a ROAS sooner.
Chose Google Ads
Google is the largest search engine with the most users so this is the first choice. Other advertising options can give results but not to the same degree that Google Ads does. They have a better platform than other types of platforms available. This makes it the best option …
Chose Google Ads
Google Ads has far more reach/audience capabilities than Microsoft Ads. More users use Google than Microsoft products.
Chose Google Ads
While it is still important to be present in those engines, Google Ads still offers the largest inventory, which helps reach more users and drive bigger volumes of conversions and achieve higher ROI.
Chose Google Ads
Facebook can be less expensive but everyone uses Google, so you have to run ads on Google. Other search engines also have similar features. The traffic on Google is significantly higher than its competition. Facebook ads can be an alternative but it doesn't quite work like a …
Chose Google Ads
I have used all forms of online ad platforms. In my experience, Google is by far the most expensive on a per-click and per-impression basis. None of these major players have much or any concern for small businesses.
Chose Google Ads
Everyone uses Google. They have and will always be the leader when it comes to search engines. Not only was Bing Ads more difficult to use, but the results didn't even come close to what we were (are) getting from Google Ads. It also seemed easier to get support from Google …
Features
CriteoGoogle Ads
Ad Campaigns
Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Product A and Product B
Criteo
-
Ratings
Google Ads
3.8
Ratings
5% below category average
Ad campaign creation00 Ratings2.40 Ratings
Ad deployment00 Ratings2.40 Ratings
Display advertising00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Ad display and retargeting segmentation00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Sequence targeting00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Contextual advertising00 Ratings2.20 Ratings
Social advertising00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Ad Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Criteo
-
Ratings
Google Ads
6.4
Ratings
20% above category average
Ad dashboards00 Ratings2.40 Ratings
Ad performance reports00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Ad conversion tracking00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Ad attribution reporting00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Ad forecasting and optimization00 Ratings2.40 Ratings
Ad Auctions
Comparison of Ad Auctions features of Product A and Product B
Criteo
-
Ratings
Google Ads
7.0
Ratings
3% above category average
Ad bidding00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
CriteoGoogle Ads
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

WordStream
WordStream
Score 6.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies

No answers on this topic

WordStream
WordStream
Score 6.9 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

Adobe Advertising Cloud
Adobe Advertising Cloud
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CriteoGoogle Ads
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(0 ratings)
5.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.4
(0 ratings)
1.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CriteoGoogle Ads
Likelihood to Recommend
Marketing Solutions by Criteo has a great track record that speaks highly of its reputation, we users of this program are happy with the performance and impact it generates in the cloud, in order to connect with new customers, added to this, This software offers us the appropriate tools to professionally manage all these processes and have total control of electronic commerce. Our case has been the protagonist in the increase in sales, that is why we are always willing to recommend this incredible program.
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Clients who are selling products such as dresses, clothes, jewelry, beauty products, etc., generally work well. Also, in some cases, it doesn't fetch a good ROAS for very small business owners. If a client is already doing well in SEO, the probability for it to perform well over Google Ads is always enhanced, and if it doesn't have a good organic reach, Google Ads also suffers.
Read full review
Pros
  • The first strenght of Criteo Retargeting is the user-friendly platform, where you can easily manage your budget and analyse the performance.
  • Secondly, the CPC based model is great advantage of Criteo compare to some competitors.
  • Finally, the post-click attribution. It is more trustworthy and tenable than post-view.
Read full review
  • Keyword Research - Google Ads has a handy built in tool that helps determine important keywords to target both for Ads & SEO
  • Intuitive Analytics Dashboad - Google Ads makes it fairly simple to see and analyze important metrics on how your ads are running week after week
  • Intuitive Setup - Google Ads makes it easy to figure out how to run ads with little to no training (although training is highly recommended to run effective ads), as their interface is clean and easy to figure out (unlike competing products).
Read full review
Cons
  • Level of control over ads - Most features of Criteo can't be managed directly in the dashboard. That can be a problem when you want ads adjusted quickly, for example, if you make a change to your logo. Customer Service has to be contacted in that case.
  • Cost - Of the several retargeting platforms we tried, Criteo was the most costly. This is in terms of cost per click and cost per conversion. In the end, we just couldn't justify paying substantially more for a similar ad network to Google just for the level of customer service.
  • Reporting - There is no reporting provided automatically, and user data is gated; it was difficult for us to ascertain anything about the audience we were serving ads to, and even basic geographic data wasn't available to us.
Read full review
  • Google's heavy dependence on AI makes many of the campaign behavior inscrutable and, often, it performs poorly as a result.
  • Their responsive ads, for example, which are heavily recommended by them, often perform significantly worse than normal text ads.
  • Their support, while relatively quick, becomes useless if you need any deep insight/help.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Criteo is the only remarketing firm worth using for a retailer, in my opinion.
Read full review
As of today Google AdWords leads approximately 90% of paid searches globally. There is practically is no other network that can offer such a relevant and engaging audience at the price. The PPC model is also unique in that no media dollars are wasted, since PPC models ensure brand interaction versus traditional media which has heavy ad avoidance and clutter but still charges a hefty amount for ads.
Read full review
Usability
Criteo's platform is very easy to use from a marketing standpoint if you understand key terms. The frontend is very user-friendly and I personally had no issues. I enjoy being able to see key results and metrics being tracked from the dashboard. It is also easy to filter things as desired to break down data.
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This is more of a subjective rating, because I think it can be increased with how much our ad spend is. The more of an ad spend, the more visibility we can get, and therefore all features can climb. With an overall larger presence the usability is that where we can get messages out quick, and that's the main thing we try to do with our campaigns.
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Support Rating
I think Marketing Solutions by Criteo offers a very robust solution for an ad tech platform and their support team is very knowledgeable about their product. I would like to see, though, more webinars and training about the technology behind the product to give us more tools to talk to our customers with more information and better visuals.
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We have not yet had an account rep who hasn't tried to bully me or other employees to raise our budgets. At the same time, several years ago, one attempted to help refine our ads and ended up changing the ads to be something we were not affiliated with
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Online Training
No answers on this topic
Daily use with advanced account structures. Familiarity with reporting/api and complex setups.
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Alternatives Considered
I feel Criteo had a much better tech stack and features all in one to do a wide range of things in terms of marketing ad campaigns. Also because it is a dedicated tool with a one-track focus, we found it to be a better fit for our needs at this time
Read full review
Google Ads remains at the top advertising channel within our business for both lead volume and revenue generation, whilst maintaining a reasonable cost per lead (CPL). Both Meta Ads and Microsoft Ads have a much lower CPL, those channels don't contribute as much revenue and lead generation.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Criteo Dynamic Retargeting gives us very good results and positive ROI on our active campaigns with them. Overall we are pretty happy with them and looking to do more campaigns with them.
  • We are also looking to test new things with them in order to get better ROI such us new video creatives, new mobile app campaigns for our app games & also how the app retargeting products work!
  • We should point out that as a company we are analyzing results as a 'last click' attribution model and if you only look to the data from the dashboard it's different. But also both have good ROI for the campaigns.
  • Also your account manager is always looking for recommendations of new CPC options or going for the ARO (automation of the bid) to optimize it.
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  • Once we got the hang of it and had everything setup, it was a great monthly expense that we could count on ROI from. Either by obtaining new customers or literally staying above our competition in search rankings.
  • We also started consulting on ads for customers and helping them set things up, which created a new revenue stream for us.
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ScreenShots

Criteo Screenshots

Screenshot of CriteoDynamic Retargeting banner