AxiaOS vs. Northbeam
The most sophisticated multi-touch attribution vendor in the DTC space, respected among advanced media buyers. Two accounting modes (accrual and cash), seven attribution models, configurable attribution windows.
The questions worth asking before you sign
How does revenue attribution work?
Accrual mode fractionally splits your revenue across touchpoints. A single order becomes slivers of credit spread across days, allocated by their algorithm.
Never modeled. Every dollar traces to one real, dated event.
How are view-through conversions counted?
Their “Modeled Views” layer uses machine learning to infer view-through conversions. Their own documentation states it needs 25 to 30 days to “establish reliable patterns.”
No inference. If something can't be verified against a real event, it's labeled as a gap, never filled in with a guess.
Is the methodology auditable?
Their attribution methodology page doesn't publish identity-resolution detail or model math. “Unbiased” is stated, not demonstrated.
Every calculation lives inside your own environment. Nothing to take on faith.
Do the numbers stay stable over time?
Accrual credit accumulates as customer journeys complete, so a given week's reported ROAS can read differently once it's revisited the following week.
A number, once recorded, doesn't change retroactively.
How are returns handled?
In cash mode, revenue can run higher than Shopify because refunds aren't netted out.
Returns net against revenue the same way finance already closes the books.
How many versions of "the truth" exist?
Seven attribution models, times seven windows, times two accounting modes, is roughly 100 possible configurations. Different stakeholders can select the one that suits their narrative.
One number. Traceable to source, the same every time it runs.
Northbeam has genuine credibility with advanced media buyers, strong creative-level analytics, and the accrual concept itself is a real, useful lens on time-distributed value. One independent reviewer who compared five major attribution platforms called Northbeam's data “by far the most accurate and consistent” among them. Buyers' real complaints cluster on onboarding, support responsiveness, and cost, not on whether the numbers themselves are wrong. Public pricing starts around $1,500/mo and scales with data volume, positioned for accounts well above the $50K/mo range.
Isn’t multi-touch attribution more accurate than first-touch?
It can be more sophisticated. Accuracy is a separate question, and a model that can't be independently checked is hard to validate either way. AxiaOS's position: a fully auditable first-touch record, shown alongside what each platform claims with the honest gaps labeled, is worth more than a model nobody outside the vendor can verify.
“extremely hard onboarding with very little empathy and understanding”
Trustpilot review
“We have tried all 5 of the biggest attribution platforms out there and Northbeam's data is by far the most accurate and consistent.”
Capterra review