If you’re weighing your options in the Smartly vs. ROI Hunter debate, trying to decide which platform is the right fit, this article will help break it down.
Smartly is a leader in the martech space, offering a robust suite of tools for cross-channel advertising. ROI Hunter, on the other hand, caters specifically to eCommerce brands, focusing on product performance management.
Smartly streamlines both creative and media workflows across all social platforms. ROI Hunter leans heavily on product insights but lacks creative capabilities.
That’s where Hunch (that’s us!) comes in. We automate both creative and media workflows, specializing in Meta and Snapchat advertising—enabling mid-market brands to execute complex campaigns with ease.
TL;DR:
- Smartly: Ideal for enterprise brands managing large-scale, multi-channel campaigns.
- ROI Hunter: Best for eCommerce advertisers needing deep product insights.
- Hunch: The go-to for mid-market brands looking for a seamless way to scale and optimize on Meta and Snapchat.
In this article, we’ll try to give a fair (opinion-free) comparison of all three. Let’s dive in.
Smartly and ROI Hunter – What they have in common
Both Smartly and ROI Hunter help advertisers optimize paid social campaigns, but they approach this goal in different ways. Here’s what they have in common:
✅ Ad Optimization Tools – Both platforms offer automation tools designed to help brands improve ad performance and reduce manual workload.
✅ Multi-Platform Support – Smartly and ROI Hunter both support multiple platforms
✅ Data-Driven Decision Making – They leverage first- and third-party data to optimize campaigns and improve ROAS.
However, where they differ is their approach:
- Smartly focuses on large-scale ad automation across multiple channels
- ROI Hunter is specifically designed for eCommerce brands, offering deep product insights and inventory-based ad automation
Neither platform offers a fully integrated creative and media solution tailored to Meta and Snapchat advertising. That’s where Hunch fills the gap.
Source: Internet research
Platforms Comparison: Smartly vs. ROI Hunter vs. Hunch
Let’s break down the top features of each platform and what makes them unique.
Smartly: Enterprise-level ad automation
Smartly provides a robust solution that automates creative and media workflows across all social platforms, offering advanced cross-channel tools and features. They enable advertisers to deliver hyper-localized ads on a large scale, reducing manual efforts through workflow automation.
As an enterprise-level company itself, Smartly targets Fortune 500 companies, enterprise brands, and businesses spending $1M+ on ads each month. That’s why Smartly is ideal for large brands managing high-budget, multi-channel campaigns.
Smartly’s main drawback is its steep learning curve, as its robust system requires time to master. (See the G2 review. Additionally, its pricing can be a hurdle for brands still in the growth phase.
Who should use Smartly?
✅ Enterprise brands managing high-budget, multi-channel campaigns.
✅ Large agencies that need to scale ad operations across multiple clients.
Who might not benefit from Smartly?
❌ Mid-market brands with smaller budgets that don’t need enterprise-level automation.
❌ Businesses that focus only on Meta and Snapchat, and want to avoid a robust system. (hint: Hunch).
ROI Hunter: eCommerce-first approach
ROI Hunter is designed for eCommerce brands looking to increase ad performance through product data. Its product performance management feature analyzes real-time SKU data, ensuring that ad spend is focused on high-margin, best-performing products. With inventory-based advertising, ROI Hunter automates ad creation based on stock levels, preventing wasted budget on out-of-stock items.
ROI Hunter is built for eCommerce brands that want to leverage their product catalog for ad optimization.
The biggest drawback of ROI Hunter can be the lack of advanced creative capabilities. Some G2 reviews mention that the platform could be more intuitive, as the learning curve is relatively slow.
Who should use ROI Hunter?
✅ ECommerce brands that want product-focused ad optimization.
✅ Retailers managing large inventories across multiple locations.
Who might not benefit from ROI Hunter?
❌ Brands that need highly personalized creatives (Hunch or Smartly are stronger here).
❌ Advertisers running multi-platform campaigns beyond Meta and Google
Hunch: For mid-market brands that want to innovate
Hunch automates both creative production and media buying, cutting manual effort significantly and helping advertisers seamlessly manage Meta and Snapchat campaigns without switching platforms. With the help of our AI Creative Enhancements, we offer greater creative personalization, ensuring highly tailored and engaging ads at scale.
Hunch enables automatically generating hundreds of personalized ad variations in real-time, tailored for different audiences and locations. No need for designers to manually create multiple ad versions.
In a nutshell, Hunch is built for mid-market brands & agencies with €80K–€500K in ad spend, primarily on Meta, that need enterprise-level automation without enterprise-level complexity.
Who Should Use Hunch?
✅ Mid-market brands running complex Meta and Snapchat campaigns.
✅ Performance marketers looking for a creative and media automation solution in one platform.
✅ Agencies that need to innovate to stay ahead of the competitors
Who Might Not Benefit from Hunch?
❌ Brands focused on Google Ads or non-social platforms.
❌ Businesses that don’t require creative automation and just need performance insights.
Pricing Comparison
All features aside, pricing is often a deciding factor when choosing between these platforms. While pricing details are not always transparent, here’s a general comparison:
Smartly
We actually have a whole article on Smartly pricing, so dive in for a detailed explanation.
Here’s TL;DR:
Smartly has a custom pricing model, that usually suits enterprises with large ad spend on multiple platforms. For brands in a growth phase, Smartly’s pricing can be very challenging, as they often pay for the cross-channel tools they’re not fully leveraging.
ROI Hunter
ROI Hunter is communicating that they charge 1-5% of your ad spend. For more information, you should check their pricing page.
Hunch
Hunch’s pricing is tailored for brands in the growth phase. Pricing starts at €2,500 per month, with no additional fees for features like AI background removal. Also, we’re only looking at the ad spend that runs through the Hunch platform
Final Thoughts: Which platform is right for you?
We won’t just say it’s Hunch—because the answer is more complex than that. (And we promised from the start to keep this comparison opinion-free.)
If you’re an enterprise-level company that needs an end-to-end solution for social advertising, have large budgets for cross-channel campaigns, and want one ring to rule them all, go for the cruiser of social advertising platforms—Smartly.
If you’re in eCommerce and want a hands-on approach with advanced product insights, ROI Hunter can take you there.
For all challenger brands looking to scale social advertising with a focus on Meta and Snapchat, Hunch is the go-to platform.
And here’s where we share our opinion, full-on: What makes us such a great fit for mid-market brands is our flexibility and the level of support we provide. We don’t just hand you a platform—we make sure you’re using it to its full potential, helping you deliver innovative campaigns that actually move the needle.
Still unsure? Read our Smartly vs. Hunch comparison to get a better feel for the industry and find the platform that’s right for you.
- This comparison is based on publicly available information such as G2 reviews and customer feedback as of January 2025.
- The opinions and claims expressed on this page are based on Hunch's understanding of the platforms and may not reflect the views of Smartly.io.
- All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
