News Consumer Insights vs Smartocto
News Consumer Insights
AI-powered reporting assistant for publishers to optimize audience engagement and reader revenue
Publishers using it: 7 · incl. Business Insider, BuzzFeed, Village Media
Smartocto
Actionable editorial analytics and AI assistants helping newsrooms optimize story impact through user needs data.
Publishers using it: 2 · incl. Ringier
Publishers running both: 1
Last verified Oct 19, 2026
At a glance
- News Consumer Insights scores 3.8/5 and Smartocto scores 3.8/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent content analytics software benchmark, both assessed on the same 10 criteria.
- The widest gaps are newsroom workflow integration (News Consumer Insights 1.8, Smartocto 4.7) and data export, api & warehouse (News Consumer Insights 1.0, Smartocto 3.0); they are within 0.3 on 3 of 10 criteria.
- News Consumer Insights is built for small and mid-market publishers; Smartocto for mid-market and enterprise.
- On total cost of ownership News Consumer Insights scores 4.6 and Smartocto 2.0 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 7 publishers use News Consumer Insights and 2 use Smartocto; 1 runs both.
- Scores last verified 19 Oct 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
News Consumer Insights is stronger on conversion & revenue attribution (4.2 vs 2.4).
Smartocto is stronger on newsroom workflow integration (4.7 vs 1.8), data export, API & warehouse (3.0 vs 1.0) and real-time & historical content performance (4.6 vs 3.5).
Which one fits
Choose News Consumer Insights if…
- You publish at small and mid-market scale.
- You weight conversion & revenue attribution and tag weight & page performance heavily — News Consumer Insights leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose Smartocto if…
- You publish at mid-market and enterprise scale.
- You weight newsroom workflow integration, data export, API & warehouse and real-time & historical content performance heavily — Smartocto leads on those in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to News Consumer Insights and Smartocto in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 4.0ChartbeatReal-time content intelligence and editorial analytics built specifically for global newsroom engagementRead review
- 3.6IO TechnologiesReal-time editorial analytics connecting content performance to revenue and subscriptionsRead review
- 3.7Metrics for NewsEditorial analytics aligning mission-driven journalism with audience engagement and business goalsRead review
- 3.8Parse.lyEnterprise content analytics and audience intelligence for digital publishers and media teamsRead review
All 10 scored tools are in Best Content Analytics Software.
Who uses them
Publishers we have detected running each tool, from ads.txt, site code and published case studies. Agencies, brands and vendors are excluded.
Running both (1): Time (reported)
News Consumer Insights only · 6
Smartocto only · 1
Head to head
| Criterion | News Consumer Insights | Smartocto |
|---|---|---|
| Audience & loyalty metrics14% of capability | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Conversion & revenue attribution14% of capability | 4.2 | 2.4 |
| Real-time & historical content performance14% of capability | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| Data accuracy & methodology10% of capability | 3.0 | 3.1 |
| Data export, API & warehouse10% of capability | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Newsroom workflow integration10% of capability | 1.8 | 4.7 |
| Predictive insights & recommendations8% of capability | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| Search, social & AI referral tracking8% of capability | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| Cookieless & privacy-safe measurement6% of capability | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Tag weight & page performance6% of capability | 4.9 | 3.9 |
| Capability45% of composite | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 4.6 | 2.0 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | News Consumer Insights | Smartocto |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 4.9 | 1.0 |
| Entry cost | 4.9 | 1.0 |
| Implementation cost | 3.5 | 1.8 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 4.9 | 3.6 |
| Ongoing cost | 4.9 | 2.7 |
News Consumer Insights pricing
Free for all news publishers via the Google News Initiative.
Smartocto pricing
Custom pricing; contact the vendor for a quote.
What users say
News Consumer Insights
11 positive · 9 neutral · 0 negative
Smartocto
12 positive · 6 neutral · 1 negative
Mentions we could not tie to a real user, and those flagged as promotional, are excluded. Sentiment is opinion, and is independent of the verified publisher adoptions above.
News Consumer Insights scores 3.8 and Smartocto scores 3.8 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Content Analytics Software benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/news-consumer-insights/smartocto, verified Oct 19, 2026)
Common questions
How do News Consumer Insights and Smartocto differ?
News Consumer Insights is stronger on conversion & revenue attribution (4.2 vs 2.4). Smartocto is stronger on newsroom workflow integration (4.7 vs 1.8), data export, API & warehouse (3.0 vs 1.0) and real-time & historical content performance (4.6 vs 3.5). Neither is better in the abstract — which one suits you depends on which of those dimensions carries the most weight in your operation.
Which is cheaper, News Consumer Insights or Smartocto?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — News Consumer Insights scores 4.6/5 and Smartocto scores 2.0/5. A higher score means better value, not a lower sticker price.
How are these scores calculated?
Each tool is assessed against its category's published criteria (10 in this benchmark), which make up Capability (45% of the composite), Publisher fit (40%) and Total cost of ownership (15%). Assessment is carried out by SODP's editorial team against a published methodology. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, scores or positions.
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Both tools are scored in Best Content Analytics Software. See alternatives to News Consumer Insights or alternatives to Smartocto.
Weighing a third option? Add a tool to this comparison.
Where to next
Related comparisons
Other head-to-heads publishers look at in Best Content Analytics Software.
