Heap
The Trade Desk
| Feature | Heap | The Trade Desk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | product-teams, growth-marketers, ux-researchers, saas-companies | media-buyers, agencies, enterprise-advertisers, programmatic-teams |
| Founded | 2013 | 2009 |
| Auto Capture | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session Replay | ✓ | ✗ |
| Funnel Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retention Analysis | ✓ | ✗ |
| User Segments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data Science | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Programmatic Buying | ✗ | ✓ |
| Connected Tv | ✗ | ✓ |
| Audio Ads | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Attribution | ✗ | ✓ |
| Identity Graph | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Heap Pros
- Auto-captures all user interactions without code
- Retroactive analysis (define events after the fact)
- Session replay integrated with analytics
- No engineering resources needed for tracking
✗ Heap Cons
- Pricing not transparent (sales-required for growth+)
- Can generate excessive data requiring cleanup
- UI can feel slower than event-based alternatives
✓ 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
Heap is built for product teams and growth marketers, with a focus on auto-capture and session-replay. The Trade Desk targets media buyers and agencies and leads with programmatic-buying and connected-tv.
Both tools use custom enterprise pricing — you'll need to contact sales for a quote, which makes direct cost comparison difficult.
Heap 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, Heap 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.