Cassandra vs Northbeam: a measurement suite, or an AI marketing brain that does the work
Northbeam describes a full suite of multi-touch attribution, incrementality and media mix modeling, built on first-party data. Cassandra is an AI marketing brain for growth teams: a Bayesian marketing mix model checked by live geo experiments, and the work done within the team's rules.
Northbeam says its suite is powered by first-party attribution data; Cassandra models the whole outcome and does the work.
What Cassandra is
- An AI marketing brain for growth teams that learns what drives growth.
- Measures each channel, campaign and ad with a Bayesian marketing mix model checked by live geo experiments.
- Does the work: plans, budget moves, ads, creative and reports, within the team's rules.
- Approvals: the team picks what waits for approval; every change is recorded.
- Start for free with your website and data; paid plans scale with yearly ad spend.
How this comparison was made
Everything here about Northbeam comes from its own public pages (homepage, product, pricing and blog), read on 12 October 2026. We have not tested their product. If anything is out of date, write to hello@cassandra.app and we will correct it.
When Northbeam is the better choice
- One vendor for attribution, MMM and lift tests: Northbeam says all three run in one platform.
- Daily spend changes: Northbeam says MMM+ lets you adjust forecasts and budget allocations daily, not quarterly.
- Tests that set themselves up: Northbeam says it handles the design, guardrails and validation.
- A listed entry price for Shopify brands: Starter is listed from $1,500, month to month.
What each one says it is
- Northbeam's headline is "Make your marketing more profitable".
- Its suite: multi-touch attribution, incrementality and media mix modeling, plus creative analytics and Clicks + Deterministic Views.
- One platform: Northbeam says these run on the same first-party attribution data.
- Cassandra starts from a model of the whole outcome, checks attribution against measured lift, and does the work.
How each uses incrementality tests
- Northbeam Incrementality: Northbeam describes a fully self-service, automated lift-testing system that generates experiment designs.
- Feedback: Northbeam says results feed back into its attribution, MMM and benchmarks.
- Cassandra checks its model with live geo experiments, and every move against its forecast.
- Ask either vendor which channels a test has measured, and how the result changed the plan.
Why tracked and modelled returns differ
- A tracked figure counts conversions that followed an ad within a window.
- A modelled figure estimates what the spend added beyond what would have happened anyway.
- The gap mixes attribution windows, view-through crediting, genuine incrementality and estimate uncertainty.
- The gap varies between advertisers, so a correction learned at one company may not hold at the next.
What each publishes about pricing
Northbeam prices, as listed on 12 October 2026:
- Starter: $1,500, month to month and usage-based, for Shopify brands.
- Professional: $3,500 per month. Northbeam says Professional and Enterprise are annual terms.
- Growth and Enterprise: custom.
- Northbeam says plans start at these rates, with the monthly price informed by data volume.
- Each plan card says "Contact us for a quote".
Cassandra: start for free with your website and data. Paid plans scale with yearly ad spend.
Questions to ask both vendors
- What is the number's denominator? Tracked conversions, or the whole outcome.
- How would a channel that adds nothing show up?
- Which channels has a test measured, and how did the result change the plan?
- Show me the uncertainty on a live model.
- How do the reports reconcile if you run both?
Limits worth knowing
- Spend history: a channel needs enough spend, and variation in it, for the model to read.
- Regions: geo experiments need regional structure and a comparison group.
- Time: tests need a few weeks free of other changes in the test regions.
Cassandra is an AI marketing brain for growth teams. It learns what drives growth, with a Bayesian marketing mix model checked by live geo experiments, and does the work within your rules. Start for free with your website and data.
What running both involves
- Label each report with its scope: "share of tracked conversions" next to "share of total revenue".
- Agree in advance which report answers which question: the model for budgets, attribution for funnel diagnosis.
How to choose
- Northbeam: attribution, a media mix model and automated lift tests from one vendor, with daily budget adjustments.
- Cassandra: measures the whole outcome, checks attribution against measured lift, and does the work.
- Both needs: many ecommerce teams run attribution daily and a model for planning.
Questions
What is the difference between Cassandra and Northbeam for marketing measurement?
Northbeam describes a suite of multi-touch attribution, incrementality and media mix modeling built on first-party data. Cassandra, an AI marketing brain for growth teams, measures with a Bayesian model checked by geo experiments and does the work.
Does Northbeam publish pricing?
Yes. As listed on 12 October 2026, Starter is from $1,500, month to month for Shopify brands, and Professional from $3,500 per month, with the price informed by data volume. Growth and Enterprise are custom.
Does Northbeam offer incrementality testing?
Yes. Northbeam describes Northbeam Incrementality as an automated, self-service lift-testing product, and says results feed back into its attribution and MMM.
Does Northbeam offer a marketing mix model?
Yes. MMM+ is Northbeam's media mix model, and Northbeam says it lets you adjust forecasts and budget allocations daily, not quarterly.
What are alternatives to Northbeam?
Other measurement platforms include Rockerbox, which describes itself as a unified measurement platform. Cassandra, a marketing brain that measures and does the work, is another route.