Criteo
Ecwid by Lightspeed
| Feature | Criteo | Ecwid by Lightspeed |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Contact sales | Free / from $19/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce-retailers, d2c-brands, agencies, performance-marketers | small-businesses, existing-websites, social-sellers, beginners |
| Founded | 2005 | 2009 |
| Dynamic Retargeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Product Recommendations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retail Media | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audience Targeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Commerce Insights | ✓ | ✗ |
| Omnichannel Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Channel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Website Widget | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pos Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Selling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shipping | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Ecwid by Lightspeed Pros
- Add store to existing site
- Good free plan
- Multi-channel selling
- Easy setup
✗ Ecwid by Lightspeed Cons
- Limited customization on free plan
- SEO not as strong as Shopify
- Advanced features need higher tiers
The Verdict
Criteo is built for ecommerce retailers and d2c brands, with a focus on dynamic-retargeting and product-recommendations. Ecwid by Lightspeed targets small businesses and existing websites and leads with multi-channel and website-widget.
Criteo uses custom enterprise pricing, while Ecwid by Lightspeed starts at $19/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Ecwid by Lightspeed 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.
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.