COMPARE · SENTRUM VS NORTHBEAM

Northbeam is enterprise attribution. Sentrum is diagnostic intelligence for every Meta buyer.

You don't need to spend $500K/mo on ads to deserve knowing why your CPA doubled.

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WHY THE COMPARISON

Northbeam gives you the most accurate attribution numbers in the market. Full stop. If you're spending $250K+/mo across Meta and Google, and your primary question is 'which channel deserves credit?' — Northbeam is excellent. But here's the gap: Northbeam tells you a campaign's ROAS. It doesn't tell you WHY that ROAS changed. It doesn't decompose performance into root causes — CPM pressure vs. creative fatigue vs. audience saturation vs. budget pacing issues. And at $1,000–$5,000+/mo with annual contracts, it's out of reach for most media buyers. Sentrum is the diagnostic dashboard for Meta buyers. Built by a media buyer with 8 years of experience, it goes deep on the question Northbeam doesn't answer: why did performance change, and what should I do about it? No annual contracts. No $250K/mo spend floor.

WHAT NORTHBEAM DOES WELL

Credit where it's due. Here's the honest read.

Northbeam · northbeam.io
Enterprise Marketing Intelligence

Enterprise-grade multi-touch attribution with customizable models, Media Mix Modeling+, and Northbeam Apex for feeding first-party data back into ad platforms. Three tiers based on monthly spend: Starter (<$250K/mo), Professional (>$250K/mo, annual contracts), Enterprise (>$500K/mo, custom). Reportedly $1,000–$5,000+/mo.

BEST FOR

Brands spending $250K+/mo across multiple channels who need the most accurate cross-channel attribution available

THEIR STRENGTHS
  • Industry-leading multi-touch attribution accuracy
  • Northbeam Apex feeds first-party data back into Meta's algorithm
  • Clicks + Deterministic Views for viewthrough attribution
  • Media Mix Modeling+ for enterprise budget forecasting
  • Creative analytics showing cross-channel creative performance
  • Product-level analytics for merchandising decisions
  • Trusted by sophisticated DTC brands at scale
  • Media Strategy support from experienced strategists
WHY SENTRUM

Where Sentrum is specifically different.

Root cause diagnosis, not just better numbers

Northbeam gives you more accurate numbers. Sentrum tells you what those numbers mean. "Your CPA increased 22% because ad set X hit frequency 3.1 and creative Z's CTR has declined 0.08% daily for 5 days" — that's diagnosis. No attribution tool provides this, regardless of accuracy.

Accessible to every Meta buyer, not just enterprise

Northbeam's Professional tier requires $250K+/mo spend and annual contracts. Their Enterprise tier starts at $500K+/mo. Sentrum is built for every Meta buyer — from solo operators to agencies to in-house teams — without requiring enterprise-grade ad spend to justify the cost.

Prescriptive, not just analytical

Northbeam says "here are your numbers." Sentrum says "here's what to do." Refresh these 3 creatives. Reallocate budget from ad set A to ad set B. Your scaling headroom is X%. Recommendations tied to diagnosed causes, not generic best practices.

Meta-deep instead of cross-channel-wide

Northbeam spreads across every channel. Sentrum goes deep on Meta — Advantage+, CBO/ABO dynamics, creative fatigue, frequency × placement interactions, CPM auction pressure. Purpose-built for the platform's specific mechanics.

No annual lock-in, no complex setup

Users report Northbeam requires significant implementation effort and annual contracts on Professional/Enterprise tiers. Sentrum connects to your Meta account and starts delivering diagnostic insights immediately. No pixel deployment, no annual commitment.

FEATURE-BY-FEATURE

Side by side, no spin.

FeatureSentrumNorthbeam
Root cause diagnosis
Driver breakdown (CPM/CTR/CVR)
Optimization timeline tracking
Mix shift detection
Actionable recommendationsCause-based
Objective-aware KPIs
Accessible for smaller budgets$250K+/mo focus
Multi-touch attributionIndustry-leading
Media mix modeling
View-through attribution
Cross-channel measurementMeta-deepAll channels
Ad platform data feedback (Apex)
WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU

An honest verdict.

CHOOSE NORTHBEAM

You're spending $250K+/mo across multiple channels and need the most accurate attribution data available. You want to feed first-party data back into Meta's algorithm via Apex. Your primary question is 'which channels and campaigns deserve budget?' and you can commit to annual contracts at $1K–$5K+/mo.

CHOOSE SENTRUM

You need to understand WHY your Meta campaigns changed, not just which ones performed. You want root cause diagnosis, prescriptive recommendations, and optimization tracking. You don't need to spend $250K+/mo to deserve diagnostic intelligence. Your primary question is 'why did CPA increase and how do I fix it?'

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Sentrum vs Northbeam — answered.

Should I use Northbeam or Sentrum?
They're complementary. Northbeam answers "which channels work?" with world-class attribution. Sentrum answers "why did my Meta campaigns change and what do I do?" with diagnostic intelligence. Many teams could benefit from both — but if you're under $250K/mo spend, Sentrum is accessible where Northbeam isn't.
Is Northbeam overkill for Meta-only advertisers?
If Meta is your primary or only paid channel, you're paying for cross-channel attribution you don't need. Sentrum is purpose-built for Meta depth — it understands Advantage+, CBO/ABO, creative fatigue patterns, and Meta-specific auction dynamics.
Does Sentrum do attribution?
No — and that's by design. Attribution is Northbeam's strength. Diagnosis is ours. We don't re-attribute conversions. We diagnose your Meta account to tell you why performance changed and what to do next. Different mission, clearer answers.
Northbeam's numbers differ from Meta's. Is that a problem?
By design, Northbeam provides its own attribution model — which means its numbers will differ from Meta's reported data. That's the point. But it creates a "which dashboard do I trust?" problem. Sentrum works with the data Meta reports and diagnoses what it means, avoiding the reconciliation headache entirely.
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