10 Best Ad Intelligence Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 21 tools reviewed.
With so many different ad intelligence software available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to leverage data-driven insights to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of your advertising efforts but need to figure out which tool is best.
I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different ad intelligence tools with various ad campaigns, with my picks of the best ad intelligence software.
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Best Ad Intelligence Software Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top ad intelligence software selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best for plain language data queries | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 2 | Best for sales enablement specifically for ad tech | Free trial available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 3 | Best for decoding mobile user acquisition | Limited free competitor reports available | From $79/month | Website | |
| 4 | Best for the most comprehensive ad inventory by tracking over a million brands daily | Free demo available | From $169/month | Website | |
| 5 | Best for understanding the impact of multimedia strategies | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 6 | Best for data analytics across social, video, mobile, and display ad campaigns | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 7 | Best for combining market and consumer data with artificial intelligence | Free plan available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 8 | Best for agile promotion tracking to maximize effectiveness | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 9 | Best for fully automated online search ads | 7-day free trial available | From $49/month | Website | |
| 10 | Best as an all-in-one platform with competitor, market, and buyer insights | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website |
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Demandbase
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.4 -
6sense
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.3 -
AnswerThePublic
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Best Ad Intelligence Software Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best ad intelligence software that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you.
Adverity is a data platform that helps you collect, transform, and analyze marketing and advertising data. It brings together data from different sources, making it easier to understand how your campaigns are performing. display advertising, social media campaigns, in-app ads, campaign landing pages, and video advertising.
Why I picked Adverity: Adverity is built for teams that need accurate, real-time advertising insights across multiple data sources. Its AI-powered tools, like data conversations and transformation copilot, let you ask questions in plain language and quickly find trends or performance issues in your ad campaigns. The data quality suite also helps maintain clean, reliable advertising data by flagging anomalies or duplicates before they skew your reports. These features support better decision-making and more efficient campaign optimizations.
Adverity Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include smart naming conventions that automatically detect and apply consistent naming patterns across your data. Additionally, Adverity provides a shared data dictionary to help your team understand and use data fields consistently, improving collaboration and reporting accuracy.
Integrations include Google, Meta, TikTok, Google BigQuery, Looker Studio, Facebook Ads, Amazon Advertising, Hubspot, Salesforce, Amazon S3, Snowflake, and Microsoft Azure.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Scalable for businesses of various sizes
- Ability to create personalized dashboards
- Can harmonize data from various sources
Cons:
- The initial setup can be time-consuming
- Certain configurations may require technical knowledge
New Product Updates from Adverity
Adverity Introduces Brandwatch and Kakao Connectors
Adverity introduces the Brandwatch Measure and Kakao Moment connectors. These updates expand data integration capabilities, enabling more comprehensive social media and regional marketing analysis. For more information, visit Adverity’s official site.
This ad intelligence tool is a cloud-based enablement platform that’s designed to support ad agencies and sales professionals who sell advertising space or operate advertising agencies. With MediaRadar, your team can streamline the sales process with in-depth market analysis that can help you determine who to reach out to and what to say.
Why I picked MediaRadar: The reason this platform made my list was that it offers solutions for ad tech, helping them to see the full programmatic landscape. You can stack your rank leads to uncover brands that purchase ads programmatically and discover which native platforms or DSPs they’re working with.
MediaRadar Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include Instant Competitive Analysis for insights into which brands your competitors work with and Spend by Line Product Breakdown that shows a detailed hierarchy of a brand’s digital budget.
Integrations include Comscore, Elan, Google Maps, Google Suite, LinkedIn, MagHub, Okta, Ping Identity, Salesforce Sales Cloud, and Yelp.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Single-page views for potential leads
- Very user-friendly interface
- Helps you target specific regions
Cons:
- Won’t get data on smaller companies
- Some data inaccuracy
This web-based marketing and ad intelligence platform is designed for mobile app developers. Apptopia provides essential data points on all ranked mobile apps to identify emerging trends, performance statistics, and consumer interests through revenue and download data so that developers can optimize their app to take advantage of every one of these insights.
Why I picked Apptopia: This tool stood out to me because, in addition to focusing on competitors, it also takes a deep dive into your potential target audience. Apptopia looks at shoppers to see how geography, ad networks, and media type affect their spending habits and behaviors. With this information, you can tailor apps for the location, demographics, and channels of your ideal customer.
Apptopia Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include Alpha Intelligence, which monitors core revenue drivers to deliver growth trend data sooner, and Bloomberg Terminal App, which integrates with Bloomberg to help you uncover new opportunities.
Integrations include AWS Data Exchange, BigQuery, Chartio, databricks, Mode, Salesforce, Segment, Snowflake, Spark, and Tableau.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Intuitive navigation and UX
- Information is accessible and searchable
- Analytics are simple and easy to read
Cons:
- Clunky exporting functionality
- Some errors in usage data
Best for the most comprehensive ad inventory by tracking over a million brands daily
This ad intelligence solution is one of the leading cross-channel analytics platforms in the digital media industry. With AdClarity, you have access to data on a million brands in real time that can help you uncover insights into the actions and decisions of your competitors through display advertising, social media campaigns, in-app ads, campaign landing pages, and video advertising.
Why I picked AdClarity: This tool is so valuable because it considers the most advertising platforms of every solution on my list. You can review insights from search and display ads, mobile ads, video ads, direct ads, and premium ad placement from nearly any competitor. AdClarity provides you access to data from 52 global markets, 180 million ad creatives, 35,000 ad platforms, and 56 million programmatic events.
AdClarity Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include mobile ad data collection with over 10 million opt-in human panels and AdClarity API for customized solutions, including dashboards, data feeds, and data exports.
Integrations include OneLogin and SimilarWeb Pro.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great customer service and support
- User-interface is simple and accessible
- Has one of the largest data collection networks
Cons:
- Pricing structure can be a bit expensive
- No CPC or CPM data available
Best for understanding the impact of multimedia strategies
This ad intelligence platform focuses on analyzing what brands are saying and spending across a variety of media channels in order to provide you with timely insights that deliver a competitive edge to your strategies. Use Kantar Advertising Insights to identify your share of voice and set your advertising direction.
Why I picked Kantar Advertising Insights: One reason this platform made my list was its focus on robust analytics for multimedia strategies. With Kantar Advertising Insights, you can quickly access an analysis of competitor investments, spend, creative messaging, and media mix trends.
Kantar Advertising Insights Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include data visualizations to make number-heavy information more palatable and easier to understand and detailed campaign performance analysis of your competitors’ ads.
Integrations include AdClarity, Admetricks, Acxiom InfoBase, BiScience, Excel, OMI, PowerPoint, Qualtrics, and TGI.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Insights are quick and detailed
- Lots of customization options
- Dashboard is very easy to use
Cons:
- Data interpretation requires training
- Agile but without depth
Best for data analytics across social, video, mobile, and display ad campaigns
This marketing intelligence platform is designed to help agencies, publishers, and brands answer digital advertising questions across social media, display, mobile, and video to seize new opportunities for engagement. You can outsmart your competition, find creatives that resonate, and analyze trends all in one place.
Why I picked Pathmatics: This platform caught my attention because it’s designed to help you better understand what types of eye-catching visuals and ad copy resonate with your target audience across a variety of digital spaces. Pathmatics Explorer allows you to view messaging, sites, landing pages, and size for each creative and see how tactics differ across networks.
Pathmatics Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include competitor evaluation of marketing campaigns and analytics of trending ads that help you design better creative strategies.
Integrations include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Very simple to learn and use
- Custom reports to create new strategies
- Easy to read data visualizations
Cons:
- Limited product detail information
- Limited search data
data.ai strives to be the industry’s most trusted insight and analytics platform for mobile apps. As an ad intelligence tool that delivers a complete picture of the mobile landscape, data.ai can provide you with what you need to acquire, retain, and engage customers while prioritizing your roadmap, optimizing ROI, and entering new markets.
Why I picked data.ai: This tool made my list because of a feature called Total App Revenue. This tool focuses on in-app purchases that show you AI-powered estimates of your revenue vs. competitors’, insights into the top monetizing ad platforms, and comprehensive intel on any competitor’s monetization playbook.
data.ai Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include data.ai ConnectPlus to track critical data on app downloads, revenue, and usage, as well as an insights generator for competitive benchmarking.
Integrations include Gmail, GroupMe, LinkedIn, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, and Snowflake Data Share. data.ai has API connector availability.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Customized plan options to address your needs
- Offers intuitive navigation
- UX/UI is easy to understand
Cons:
- Added cost for every additional feature
- Limited reporting customization options
As a cloud-based marketing intelligence platform, Numerator Insights helps your organization find data related to buying trends and customer insights from various sources, including media consumption habits, demographics, and psychographics. This platform is designed to analyze customer purchase journeys and determine the effects promotions have on purchasing.
Why I picked Numerator Insights: A unique feature from this platform and the reason it made my list is called Numerator Promotions Intel. With this tool, you get print, digital, and store-level data granularity that shows you how consumers are navigating inflationary pressures, rising prices, and promotional offers.
Numerator Insights Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include OmniPanel for a diverse consumer panel to provide holistic insight into consumer behavior and cross-category data that can show how unique ad types affect purchasing behavior across every channel.
Integrations include DocHub and Salesforce.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Very speedy data delivery
- Self-service flexibility and customization
- Provides multi-channel purchasing data
Cons:
- Pricing can be higher than competitors
- Templated approach can be restricting
This ad intelligence platform strives to make digital ad creation more accessible to ecommerce store owners and their marketing managers. With the ability to create automated prospecting and retargeting ads, Adwisely works to provide you with automation tools and guidance that ensures you’re spending less time making and managing ads.
Why I picked Adwisely: This platform made my list because it does much of the hard work of digital ad creation for you. With just a little bit of information about the product or service you hope to advertise, Adwisely creates ads for multiple channels, tests them, edits them, and monitors progress to continually optimize ads for the current market.
Adwisely can create, run, and optimize ads for Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.
Adwisely Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include automated ad campaign creation with ready-to-use templates and bid optimization and monitoring 24/7 to save you money.
Integrations include BigCommerce, Google, Meta for Business, Shopify, and WooCommerce.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Guided ad creation for multiple platforms
- Intuitive navigation through the app
- Simple and easy to learn
Cons:
- Learning phase for ads can eat up your budget
- Creates a new ad account instead of using what you already have
As an AI-powered competitive intelligence solution, Klue is built to help CI teams and product marketers collect, curate, and deliver insights on competitor behavior in order to empower your sales team to win more deals.
This platform focuses on enabling every part of your organization to benefit from competitor information with dynamic insights informed by both internal knowledge from your team as well as external competitive data.
Why I picked Klue: This platform caught my eye and made my list because it offers customizable dashboards for every member and team in your organization, including CI, sales, executive, marketing, and product teams. Klue transforms data into insights that appear on your dashboard to ensure you’re informed of all possible next steps.
Klue Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include sales cards that make intel analytics simple and easy to understand, collaboration boards that centralize insights about a competitor, and a mobile app with the same functionality as the desktop version.
Integrations include Gmail, Gong, Highspot, HubSpot, Intercom, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Showpad, and Slack.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great customer support for onboarding
- Lots of automation capabilities
- Extremely customizable software solution
Cons:
- Delay in intelligence gathering lead time
- Initial setup can be time-consuming
Other Ad Intelligence Software
Here are some additional ad intelligence software options that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:
- SocialPeta
For creatives that cover 69 countries and 70 mainstream channels, including games
- Poltio
For engaging your audience in conversation
- Admetricks
For monitoring your competition’s digital advertising
- Similarweb
Ad intelligence platform for analyzing competitor advertisements
- Adbeat
Competitive intelligence that helps you spy on other companies
- iSpionage
For converting new leads by driving targeted traffic to your site
- AdMobiSpy
For monitoring multi-channel campaigns to map relations
- AdQuality by IronSource
For in-app tracking of your advertising content
- Anstrex
For helping you build winning native advertising campaigns
- Moat by Oracle
For helping you verify campaigns across mobile, digital, and CTV
- PowerAdSpy
For understanding your competitors’ social media strategies
Ad Intelligence Software Selection Criteria
When selecting the best ad intelligence software to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like optimizing ad spend and understanding audience behavior. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Track competitor ads
- Analyze ad performance
- Identify target audiences
- Discover ad trends
- Optimize ad campaigns
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- AI-driven insights
- Cross-platform tracking
- Real-time data updates
- Customizable dashboards
- Geo-targeting capabilities
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive interface
- Easy navigation
- Customization options
- Speed of operation
- Mobile accessibility
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of tutorials
- Interactive product tours
- Access to webinars
- Onboarding support
- User community forums
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- 24/7 support availability
- Response time
- Support channels offered
- Quality of help documentation
- Availability of dedicated account managers
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Pricing tiers available
- Free trial or demo options
- Features included in each plan
- Cost compared to competitors
- Flexibility of contract terms
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- User satisfaction ratings
- Feedback on customer support
- Comments on ease of use
- Reports of software reliability
- Overall value perception
How to Choose Ad Intelligence Software
It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:
| Factor | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| Scalability | Will the tool grow with your needs? Consider future ad campaigns and audience expansion. Look for solutions that can handle increased data and user demand without extra cost. |
| Integrations | Does it connect with your existing systems? Check for compatibility with your CRM, social media platforms, and analytics tools to ensure seamless data flow. |
| Customizability | Can you tailor it to fit your workflows? Look for options to adjust dashboards, reports, and alerts to match your team's specific needs and preferences. |
| Ease of use | Is the interface intuitive? Consider how quickly your team can learn the tool and perform daily tasks without frustration. Look for straightforward navigation and design. |
| Implementation and onboarding | How long will it take to get started? Assess the time and resources needed to fully integrate and train your team. Look for clear guides and support during setup. |
| Cost | Does the pricing fit your budget? Compare costs between vendors and consider long-term expenses like upgrades or additional features. Look for transparent pricing models. |
| Security safeguards | Does it protect your data? Ensure the tool complies with data protection regulations and offers encryption, user permissions, and regular security updates. |
| Support availability | Will you get help when you need it? Look for comprehensive support options like live chat, phone support, and online resources to assist your team whenever issues arise. |
Trends In Ad Intelligence Software For 2025
As organizations strive to optimize their advertising spend and maximize ROI, the role of advanced ad intelligence tools becomes increasingly critical. These tools are not just about tracking and analyzing but are now pivotal in shaping strategic decisions and offering predictive insights.
Cross-Platform and Cross-Channel Analysis:
- Advanced capabilities for monitoring and analyzing ad performance across multiple platforms and channels to provide a holistic view of campaign effectiveness.
- Emphasis on unified dashboards that aggregate data from various sources, offering comprehensive insights in a single view.
User-Centric and Privacy-First Features:
- Development of tools that enhance user privacy compliance, reflecting the industry's shift towards more stringent data protection regulations.
- Increased focus on user experience optimization, ensuring ad strategies are aligned with audience preferences and behaviors.
Actionable Insights and Strategic Recommendations:
- Provision of actionable insights that go beyond basic analytics, offering strategic recommendations to enhance ad performance.
- Emphasis on competitive intelligence features that deliver in-depth analyses of market dynamics and competitor strategies.
Declining Features:
- Reduced reliance on cookie-based tracking in response to privacy regulations and the rise of cookieless environments.
- A move away from isolated data analysis towards integrated, multi-dimensional approaches that consider broader market and consumer context.
Ad intelligence software is becoming indispensable for organizations looking to navigate the complexities of modern advertising, providing the intelligence needed to execute effective, data-driven strategies. For revenue operation leaders, staying on top of these trends is crucial to leveraging ad intelligence software that not only addresses current challenges but also anticipates future industry shifts.
What Is Ad Intelligence Software?
Ad intelligence software is a tool used by businesses and marketers to analyze digital advertising campaigns. It collects and interprets data on various aspects of advertising, including competitor strategies, ad performance, and market trends across different platforms.
This software provides detailed insights into audience demographics and behavior, tracks ROI and conversion rates, and evaluates the effectiveness of ad creatives.
Features
When selecting ad intelligence software, keep an eye out for the following key features:
- Competitor analysis: Track and analyze your competitors' ads to gain insights into their strategies and improve your own campaigns.
- Audience insights: Identify and understand your target audience's behavior to tailor your advertising efforts effectively.
- Ad performance tracking: Monitor the success of your ads to optimize your advertising campaigns and maximize ROI.
- Cross-platform tracking: Collect and analyze data from multiple platforms to get a comprehensive view of your ad performance.
- Real-time data updates: Access the latest information to make timely decisions and stay ahead in the market.
- Customizable dashboards: Tailor the interface to show the metrics and data most relevant to your team's needs.
- Geo-targeting capabilities: Focus your advertising efforts on specific geographic locations to reach the right audience.
- AI-driven insights: Leverage artificial intelligence to uncover patterns and trends that can enhance your advertising strategies.
- Integration options: Connect with existing tools and systems to ensure seamless data flow and improve workflow efficiency.
- Security safeguards: Protect your data with compliance to regulations and features like encryption and user permissions.
Benefits
Implementing ad intelligence software provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Improved decision-making: Access to competitor analysis and real-time data helps you make informed choices for your advertising strategies.
- Better audience targeting: Audience insights allow you to tailor your ads to reach the right people effectively.
- Enhanced campaign performance: By tracking ad performance, you can optimize campaigns and maximize your advertising ROI.
- Cost efficiency: With features like geo-targeting and cross-platform tracking, you can allocate your budget more effectively.
- Increased market awareness: Real-time updates and AI-driven insights keep you informed about market trends and changes.
- Streamlined workflows: Integration options and customizable dashboards improve your team's efficiency and focus on key metrics.
- Data security: Security safeguards ensure your data is protected, giving you peace of mind.
Costs & Pricing
Selecting ad intelligence software requires an understanding of the various pricing models and plans available. Costs vary based on features, team size, add-ons, and more. The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in ad intelligence software solutions:
Plan Comparison Table for Ad Intelligence Software
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | $0 | Basic competitor analysis, limited audience insights, and standard reporting. |
| Personal Plan | $10-$30/user/month | Competitor analysis, audience insights, ad performance tracking, and basic customization options. |
| Business Plan | $50-$150/user/month | Advanced competitor analysis, cross-platform tracking, real-time data updates, and customizable dashboards. |
| Enterprise Plan | $200-$500/user/month | Comprehensive competitor analysis, AI-driven insights, geo-targeting capabilities, integration options, and robust security safeguards. |
Ad Intelligence Software FAQs
Here are some answers to common questions about ad intelligence software:
What are the types of ad intelligence software?
Ad intelligence software is a crucial tool for marketers and businesses aiming to optimize their advertising strategies. These platforms come in various types to suit different needs and objectives. Here are the primary types of ad intelligence software:
Competitive Intelligence Platforms: These tools provide insights into competitors’ advertising strategies, creative messaging, and spending. They are essential for understanding market positioning and identifying opportunities or threats based on competitors’ actions.
Audience Analysis Tools: This software helps businesses understand their target audience’s demographics, interests, and online behaviors. Utilizing such data allows for more effective targeting and personalization of ad campaigns.
Media Monitoring Solutions: These platforms track and analyze ad placements across various channels, including digital, broadcast, and print, providing a comprehensive view of the advertising landscape and media effectiveness.
Search Ad Intelligence Tools: Focused on search advertising campaigns, these tools offer insights into keyword trends, competitor bids, and ad copy effectiveness, aiding in the optimization of search engine marketing (SEM) strategies.
Social Media Ad Intelligence: This software specializes in monitoring and analyzing advertising on social media platforms, providing insights into ad performance, engagement metrics, and competitive strategies in the social media context.
Creative Analysis Platforms: These tools focus on analyzing the creative aspects of advertisements, such as messaging, visuals, and calls to action. They help identify trends and best practices in ad creatives to inform content strategy.
Cross-Channel Ad Intelligence Software: Offering a holistic view of ad campaigns across multiple channels, these platforms enable businesses to understand how different touchpoints contribute to the customer journey and overall campaign performance.
Programmatic Ad Buying Platforms: While primarily used for buying ads, these platforms also offer intelligence features, providing data-driven insights to optimize programmatic buying strategies and maximize ad spend efficiency.
Each type of ad intelligence software offers unique features and benefits, catering to different aspects of advertising strategy and execution. Selecting the right type depends on specific business goals, the nature of the advertising campaigns, and the channels used.
How does ad intelligence software collect data?
Ad intelligence software collects data from various online platforms and sources using web scraping, API integrations, and partnerships with ad networks. This data includes information on competitor ads, audience engagement, and market trends. Make sure the software you choose complies with data privacy regulations to protect your business and customer information.
Can ad intelligence software be used for all types of ads?
Yes, ad intelligence software can be used for various types of ads, including display, search, social media, and video ads. It helps you track and analyze performance across these formats to optimize your campaigns. Check that the software supports the specific ad types and platforms your team uses to maximize its effectiveness.
Is ad intelligence software suitable for small businesses?
Yes, ad intelligence software can benefit small businesses by providing insights that help optimize ad spend and improve targeting. Many vendors offer affordable plans tailored to smaller teams and budgets. Look for software with user-friendly interfaces and scalable features that can grow with your business as your needs evolve.
How often should I update my ad intelligence software?
You should update your ad intelligence software regularly to ensure access to the latest features and data. Many software vendors provide automatic updates, but you may need to manually check for new releases or patches. Staying current helps you maintain a competitive edge and ensures your data remains accurate and reliable.
What’s Next:
If you're in the process of researching ad intelligence software, connect with a SoftwareSelect advisor for free recommendations.
You fill out a form and have a quick chat where they get into the specifics of your needs. Then you'll get a shortlist of software to review. They'll even support you through the entire buying process, including price negotiations.
