Amazon Advertising
Criteo
| Feature | Amazon Advertising | Criteo |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Best For | amazon-sellers, ecommerce-brands, cpg-brands, agencies | ecommerce-retailers, d2c-brands, agencies, performance-marketers |
| Founded | 2012 | 2005 |
| Sponsored Products | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sponsored Brands | ✓ | ✗ |
| Display Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dsp | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Attribution | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dynamic Retargeting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Product Recommendations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Retail Media | ✗ | ✓ |
| Audience Targeting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Commerce Insights | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel Ads | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Amazon Advertising Pros
- Access to high-intent buyers
- Lower funnel advertising
- Rich product targeting
- Growing DSP capabilities
✗ Amazon Advertising Cons
- Only reaches Amazon shoppers
- Competitive bidding drives up costs
- Complex campaign management
✓ Criteo Pros
- Excellent retargeting performance
- AI-powered product recommendations
- Large retail media network
- Strong ROAS for ecommerce
✗ Criteo Cons
- Primarily retargeting focused
- Complex reporting
- Minimum spend requirements
The Verdict
Amazon Advertising is built for amazon sellers and ecommerce brands, with a focus on sponsored-products and sponsored-brands. Criteo targets ecommerce retailers and d2c brands and leads with dynamic-retargeting and product-recommendations.
Both tools use custom enterprise pricing — you'll need to contact sales for a quote, which makes direct cost comparison difficult.
Amazon Advertising has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Criteo requires a paid subscription from day one.
Both tools are a solid fit for agencies — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.