Google Sales Channel vs Polar Analytics

Is Google Sales Channel or Polar Analytics a better data solution for Shopify brands?

Google Sales Channel competitors

What is Google Sales Channel?

Shopify has a built in free connector for Analytics and Ads as part of the Google & YouTube Sales Channel. This was built in 2023 and is maintained by Shopify. Google Sales Channel - formerly known as Shopify Trekkie - is used by 2.80M Shopify sites according to BuiltWith.


Polar Analytics competitors

What is Polar Analytics?

Polar is a pre-built dashboard for commerce with out-of-the-box metrics and reports to ensure your team has the insights to get their jobs done. Polar Analytics is used by 300 Shopify sites according to BuiltWith.


You could use both Google Sales Channel for accurate data, and Polar Analytics for reporting

Google Sales Channel vs Polar Analytics comparison

FeatureGoogle Sales ChannelPolar AnalyticsLittledata
Customer data to marketing platforms✔️✔️✔️
30 day free trial✔️minus✔️
Public statement of privacy compliance✔️minus✔️
Fully automatic, no code setup✔️minus✔️
Identity resolution to boost audiencesminus✔️✔️
Marketing reportingminus✔️minus
Proprietary attribution modelminus✔️minus
Server-side trackingminusminus✔️
Automatic tracking of checkout extensibilityminusminus✔️
No-code setup for Shopify Hydrogenminusminus✔️

Google Sales Channel offers a seamless integration with Shopify, providing automatic data connection to Google Analytics and Ads, which simplifies tracking without coding. Its 30-day free trial and privacy compliance statement enhance user trust. However, it lacks advanced reporting features.

Polar Analytics focuses on marketing reporting and a proprietary attribution model, offering pre-built dashboards for actionable insights. While it provides customer data integration, it may require more setup compared to Google Sales Channel.

Littledata also features a 30-day free trial and privacy compliance, with identity resolution and server-side tracking capabilities. Its automatic checkout tracking and no-code setup make it user-friendly, similar to Google Sales Channel, but it offers more advanced tracking options.

In summary, Google Sales Channel is ideal for basic integration, Polar Analytics excels in reporting, and Littledata provides comprehensive tracking and audience insights.

Cost comparison

Google Sales Channel vs Polar Analytics's monthly subscription cost

Store sizeGoogle Sales ChannelPolar AnalyticsLittledata
50 orders / month$0$400$39
500 orders / month$0$400$149
5,000 orders / month$0$1150$349
20,000 orders / month$0$3500$799

For an online store with 50 orders, Polar Analytics is 923% more expensive than Littledata. At 500 orders, Littledata costs 100% more than Google Sales Channel, while Polar Analytics is free. With 5000 orders, Polar Analytics is 229% more expensive than Littledata. At 20000 orders, Polar Analytics is 338% more expensive than Littledata. Overall, Google Sales Channel remains free across all order volumes, while Polar Analytics consistently has higher costs compared to Littledata.

Supported data destinations

DestinationGoogle Sales ChannelPolar AnalyticsLittledata
Google Ads✔️✔️✔️
Google Analytics✔️minus✔️
Meta Adsminus✔️✔️
Klaviyominus✔️✔️
TikTokminusminus✔️
Pinterestminusminus✔️
Segmentminusminus✔️
Attentiveminusminus✔️

Google Sales Channel focuses on integrating Shopify with Google Analytics and Google Ads for tracking e-commerce performance and ad effectiveness. Polar Analytics offers a broader range of data destinations, including Meta Ads and Klaviyo, allowing for more diverse marketing insights. Littledata provides extensive tracking options across multiple platforms, including TikTok and Pinterest, in addition to Google Analytics and Meta Ads, enabling comprehensive data collection and analysis across various channels. The main difference lies in the breadth of integrations and the specific platforms each solution emphasizes for tracking and analytics.

Google Ads comparison

Google Sales Channel vs Polar Analytics's solution for Google Ads

FeatureGoogle Sales ChannelPolar AnalyticsLittledata
Google Ads Conversions
Real-time tracking of Enhanced Conversionsminus✔️✔️
Server-side Enhanced Conversionsminusminus✔️
Fully automatic setupminusminus✔️
New vs Returning customer conversionsminusminus✔️
Benefits of Littledata
Littledata has been trusted by leading Shopify brands since 2017 for reliable server-side tracking.
100% of revenue tracked
Enhanced identity resolution
Connectors for all popular marketing channels
googleAnalytics
Comparing Google Sales Channel against Polar Analytics
How does Google Sales Channel work?

The Google & YouTube Sales Channel implements free and basic Enhanced Ecommerce tracking for Google Analytics.

Does Google Sales Channel work with Shopify?

Yes, Google Sales Channel is installed on 2.80M Shopify sites according to the latest stats from BuiltWith.

How does Polar Analytics work?

By deduplicating conversions from multiple ad platforms, Polar Pixel helps you understand the real cost per acquisition and calculate Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) by channel and campaign.

Does Polar Analytics work with Shopify?

Yes, Polar Analytics is installed on 300 Shopify sites according to the latest stats from BuiltWith.

Is Google Sales Channel suitable for Enterprise brands?

Google Sales Channel is used by 1500 sites in the top 100,000 globally - so this solution is likely suitable for Enterprise scale brands.

Is Polar Analytics suitable for Enterprise brands?

Polar Analytics is used by 10 sites in the top 100,000 globally - so this solution is unlikely to be appropriate for Enterprise brands.

Which marketing tools does Google Sales Channel support?

Google Sales Channel supports Google Analytics and Google Ads.

Which marketing tools does Polar Analytics support?

Polar Analytics supports Meta Ads, Google Ads and Klaviyo.

Who owns Google Sales Channel?

Google Sales Channel is owned by Shopify and run out of Ontario, Canada.

Who owns Polar Analytics?

Polar Analytics is an independent private company headquartered in London. David Dokes is Polar Analytics's CEO.

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