Criteo
Paddle
| Feature | Criteo | Paddle |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Contact sales | From $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce-retailers, d2c-brands, agencies, performance-marketers | saas-companies, b2b-software, subscription-businesses, international-saas |
| Founded | 2005 | 2012 |
| Dynamic Retargeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Product Recommendations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retail Media | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audience Targeting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Commerce Insights | ✓ | ✗ |
| Omnichannel Ads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Payments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subscriptions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tax Compliance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Retain Churn Reduction | ✗ | ✓ |
| Profitwell Metrics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Checkout | ✗ | ✓ |
| Invoicing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Paddle Pros
- Merchant of record handles all tax compliance globally
- ProfitWell Metrics included for free
- Retain reduces involuntary churn
- Supports complex B2B SaaS pricing models
✗ Paddle Cons
- 5% + 50c per transaction is expensive
- Approval process can be slow
- Less control than direct Stripe integration
The Verdict
Criteo is built for ecommerce retailers and d2c brands, with a focus on dynamic-retargeting and product-recommendations. Paddle targets saas companies and b2b software and leads with payments and subscriptions.
Criteo uses custom enterprise pricing, while Paddle starts at $5/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Feature-wise, Paddle offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Criteo takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Paddle has a slight overall edge — but if excellent retargeting performance matters most to you, Criteo may still be the right call.