Amplitude
The Trade Desk
| Feature | Amplitude | The Trade Desk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | product-teams, growth-teams, data-analysts, saas-companies | media-buyers, agencies, enterprise-advertisers, programmatic-teams |
| Founded | 2012 | 2009 |
| Event Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cohort Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Funnels | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retention | ✓ | ✗ |
| Experimentation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session Replay | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cdp | ✓ | ✗ |
| Programmatic Buying | ✗ | ✓ |
| Connected Tv | ✗ | ✓ |
| Audio Ads | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Attribution | ✗ | ✓ |
| Identity Graph | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Amplitude Pros
- Powerful behavioral cohort analysis
- Free tier generous (50K monthly tracked users)
- Built-in experimentation (A/B testing)
- Excellent for product-led growth metrics
✗ Amplitude Cons
- Complex event taxonomy required upfront
- Expensive at scale beyond free tier
- Steep learning curve for non-analysts
✓ The Trade Desk Pros
- Best-in-class DSP technology
- Excellent CTV capabilities
- Strong data marketplace
- Transparent pricing
✗ The Trade Desk Cons
- Enterprise minimum spend
- Requires programmatic expertise
- Complex for beginners
The Verdict
Amplitude is built for product teams and growth teams, with a focus on event-analytics and cohort-analysis. The Trade Desk targets media buyers and agencies and leads with programmatic-buying and connected-tv.
The Trade Desk uses custom enterprise pricing, while Amplitude starts at $49/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Amplitude has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. The Trade Desk requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Amplitude offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while The Trade Desk takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
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.