The Smartly.io alternative for mid-size paid social teams
You have Smartly.io's discovery call booked to find out what it costs, or you already know. Kitchn.io is what a mid-size paid social team uses instead: the launch, from sheet to live ad, with every row validated and the client's approval on the row, on eight channels, at a price you can read first.
Why teams switch from Smartly.io
Smartly.io is an enterprise creative and media platform. Kitchn.io is a launch workflow for paid social teams.
Smartly.io is an AI-powered advertising platform used by 700+ brands, Samsung and Uber among them. Forrester named it a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Creative Advertising Technologies, Q4 2024. Smartly Creative renders image, video, audio and HTML5 variants from templates and imports layered files from After Effects, Photoshop, Figma and Google Web Designer. AI Studio generates and animates creative. DCO personalizes one concept into thousands of variants. Smartly Media runs hundreds of campaigns at once from feeds, with predictive budget allocation, triggers and catalog management. Smartly Intelligence is cross-channel reporting, forecasting and Brand Pulse. Producer is its mission control, where teams adapt, approve and launch ads across channels. Smartly Synapse adds planning, execution and optimization agents. Channels run from Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube and Google Ads to Spotify. CTV on 200+ streaming services. Amazon DSP and the open web through DV360, The Trade Desk and Yahoo DSP, both marked alpha in its docs. Onboarding starts with a strategic audit, support chat runs 24/7/365, and a Customer Success Manager handles the contract. Creative production at scale, from social to TV, with a team to onboard and a budget to match: that is what Smartly is built for.
The friction for a mid-size team is the shape of the contract, not the feature list. Access is by email invitation. There is no documented self-serve signup and no documented free trial. Fees are specified in an Order Form. Spend-based subscriptions are calculated after each calendar month on your Advertising Spend. At least a monthly minimum fee is charged for each full calendar month unless the Order Form says otherwise. The path to a number runs through a discovery call and a personalized demo. Its docs describe an Ad Account Authorizer, a member of your agency or a client representative with full admin access to all relevant ad accounts. Organizational units with Admin, Full Access, Designer, Analyst and Feeds Manager roles are in alpha, for a limited number of customers. A mid-size agency whose hours go into building and launching ads for ten clients buys a lot of platform for that part of the job.
A ten-client agency runs Kitchn.io like this. Copy pasted in from the spreadsheet, 3×3 cells into rows 1 to 3. Sheet defaults set once; ad templates applied in bulk. Validation puts a failing row in error; the client reviews the real preview through a share link. The price is on the pricing page and every plan starts with a guided trial. What Kitchn.io does not do: render creative, run DCO, buy programmatic or CTV, or reallocate budgets.
Kitchn.io vs Smartly.io at a glance
| Feature | Kitchn.io | Smartly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk ad creation & launch | YesHundreds of ads from one Launch Sheet | YesHundreds of campaigns at once, feed-driven |
Smartly Media launches, automates and manages hundreds of campaigns at once. Automated Ads syncs a data sheet, feed or campaign launch document to create and update ads at scale. In Kitchn.io the sheet is the workspace. One row per ad, pasted from a spreadsheet or built from dropped assets, with ad sets created from a template ad set and the ads in bulk. | ||
| Multi-channel launching | Yes8 channels, 3 in beta | YesSocial, Google, Reddit, Amazon, Spotify |
Smartly documents Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube, Google Ads, Spotify, X (beta) and Amazon DSP (alpha). Of Kitchn.io's eight launch channels, LinkedIn and AppLovin (both beta) are the two Smartly does not document. Reddit, YouTube, X and Amazon DSP are the ones Kitchn.io does not launch to; X (Twitter) connects to Kitchn.io for reporting, launching there is not available yet. The other six are on both lists. | ||
| Programmatic, CTV & DSPs | NoNot a Kitchn.io feature | YesDV360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo DSP, CTV; DSP docs in alpha |
Smartly's Producer traffics creatives to Google DV360, The Trade Desk and Yahoo DSP, and to Amazon DSP. Its docs mark both integrations as alpha for a limited number of customers, with campaign creation and buying on the DSPs still outside Smartly. CM360 is among its documented programmatic platforms. CTV runs across 200+ streaming services. Kitchn.io is a paid social launch tool. If programmatic and TV are part of the buy, that is a reason to stay. | ||
| Creative production, templates & DCO | NoBuilds ads from finished assets | YesIts core: templates, AI Studio, DCO |
Smartly's templates render image, video, audio and HTML5 variants from layered design files (After Effects, Photoshop, Figma, Google Web Designer). AI Studio generates and animates creative. DCO personalizes one concept into thousands of variants. Kitchn.io takes finished assets from Google Drive, Dropbox or Frame.io and builds the ads. It does not generate creative. | ||
| Pre-launch QA checks | YesRequired fields, URL format, specs, enhancements | YesPre-launch QA, brand rules, specs |
Smartly documents pre-launch QA in its social workflow, formats that meet each platform's spec, and Synapse QA Agents that validate against brand rules. Kitchn validates the launch itself. Required fields, URL format, platform specs, and Meta's creative enhancements forced off, 86 at last count. A row that fails lands in error and never launches. | ||
| Client & team approvals | YesStatuses, comments, previews | YesProducer review & approval flows |
Producer is Smartly's mission control for creative variants, with built-in creative review and approval flows. Kitchn.io puts approval statuses and comments on every row. The client reviews the real ad preview through a share link, no login needed. | ||
| Templates & sheet defaults | YesSet once per sheet | YesCampaign blueprints, campaign defaults |
Smartly pairs campaign blueprints in Workspaces with automation feeds, and its docs reference campaign defaults. Kitchn.io sets sheet defaults once; new rows inherit them, and ad templates are applied in bulk or through auto-import. | ||
| Autonomous optimization & budget allocation | PartialRules: pause, rename, notify Slack | YesPredictive Budget Allocation, triggers, Synapse |
Smartly shifts budget toward what it predicts will convert. Triggers switch ads on or off, and rotation fights fatigue. Kitchn's Rule Engine runs rules on Meta and TikTok that pause, rename or notify Slack on a schedule, with budget changes and duplication on request. Kitchn.io does not reallocate budget across campaigns. | ||
| Cross-channel reporting dashboards | YesCreative Reporting, 4 channels | YesIntelligence Suite, Brand Pulse |
Smartly Intelligence is cross-channel reporting and forecasting in one view. Brand Pulse measures deduplicated reach, frequency and attention across Meta, TikTok, Snap, Pinterest and YouTube. Kitchn's Creative Reporting covers Meta, TikTok, Google Ads and Pinterest: report views, custom dimensions from your naming, calculated metrics, an ad screenshot library, share links for clients. No forecasting, and no white-label branding, PDF export or scheduled emails. | ||
| Audit trail of changes | YesEvery change and approval | NoNo documented change log in its public docs |
Smartly's security page says all access and activity is logged to a centralized system on its side. Its public docs show no log that tells your team who changed or launched what; the deeper Knowledge Base sits behind a login. Kitchn.io's Audit & Change Log keeps that record. | ||
| Free or guided trial | YesGuided trial on every plan | NoInvitation access, no documented trial |
Smartly access starts with an email invitation. Onboarding is a strategic audit and implementation with its team. Support chat runs 24/7/365, and a Customer Success Manager owns billing and contract questions. Kitchn.io starts with a guided trial; Launch Elite adds personal onboarding and a shared Slack channel. | ||
| Public pricing | YesPlans listed, from €499/mo | NoOrder Form, no prices on the site |
smartly.io/pricing returned a 404 on 2026-08-21 and the site's navigation has no pricing link. Smartly's Terms of Use put fees in an Order Form and describe spend-based subscriptions. At least a monthly minimum fee is charged unless the Order Form says otherwise. Kitchn.io's plans sit on the pricing page. | ||
One workflow, eight ad channels
Kitchn.io's eight launch channels ship on every plan, three of them in beta. Two of them, LinkedIn and AppLovin, Smartly does not document; Smartly's programmatic and CTV lines are ones Kitchn.io does not have. X (Twitter) connects to Kitchn.io for reporting; launching there is not available yet.
Meta
TikTokGoogle Demand Gen
Pinterest
SnapchatLinkedInBetaSpotifyBetaAppLovinBetaX (Twitter)Connect onlySmartly.io documents Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube, Spotify, X (beta) and Amazon DSP (alpha). Google Ads covers Demand Gen, App, Video and Performance Max (beta). For programmatic: Google DV360, CM360, The Trade Desk and Yahoo DSP, with the DSP docs marked alpha, and CTV on 200+ streaming services. No documented LinkedIn or AppLovin. Checked 2026-08-21.
Smartly.io's price is set in an Order Form. Kitchn.io's is on the pricing page.
Smartly.io does not publish prices. On 2026-08-21, smartly.io/pricing returned a 404 and the site's navigation had no pricing link. Its Terms of Use say fees and invoicing are specified in the Order Form. A subscription can be spend-based, with the fee calculated after each calendar month on your Advertising Spend. At least a monthly minimum fee is charged for each full calendar month unless the Order Form states otherwise. Invoices go out monthly in arrears, payable 30 days net. The number comes after a 15 to 30 minute discovery call and a personalized demo.
Kitchn.io publishes its plans on the pricing page, from €499/month, priced by ad accounts and upload volume, not by ad spend. Launch Team covers 5 ad accounts and 900 Ad Uploads a month. Launch Elite covers 15 ad accounts, with personal onboarding and a shared Slack channel. Enterprise is on the same page, priced per year.
Third-party sites publish estimates of what Smartly charges. They are not Smartly's numbers, so they are left out here.
See Kitchn.io pricing →Competitor details last checked August 2026.
Who each tool is for
Switching from Smartly.io to Kitchn.io
Decide what Kitchn.io replaces
Kitchn.io takes over the launch: build, validate, approve, push live, on eight channels. It does not replace Smartly's creative rendering, DCO, programmatic buying or budget optimization. Teams that need those keep them, or hand them back to designers and buyers.
Connect your ad accounts
Connect Meta, TikTok, Google, Pinterest, Snapchat and the beta channels you buy on. Ads already live on those accounts stay live; there is nothing to export.
Rebuild your standards as defaults and templates
Whatever Smartly held as campaign defaults and blueprints becomes Kitchn.io sheet defaults and ad templates, with a naming template per sheet and platform. Creative enhancements are a sheet default, so one setting keeps them off. Validation then checks required fields, URL format and platform specs on every row.
Point your asset folders at the sheet
Kitchn.io pulls finished assets from Google Drive, Dropbox, Frame.io or OneDrive. 30 dropped files become 12 ads through smart matching. Paste the copy from the spreadsheet, pick the ad sets, let validation run, send the preview link, launch.
Tell finance what changed
Kitchn.io bills per plan, by ad accounts and Ad Uploads, whatever your clients spend. Smartly's Terms describe spend-based subscriptions invoiced monthly in arrears with a monthly minimum fee. Your Order Form has the term.
Kitchn.io vs Smartly.io: common questions
How much does Smartly.io cost?
Smartly.io does not publish prices. As of 2026-08-21, smartly.io/pricing returns a 404 and the site's navigation has no pricing link. Smartly's Terms of Use say fees are specified in an Order Form. A subscription can be priced on Advertising Spend and calculated after each calendar month. At least a monthly minimum fee is charged for each full calendar month unless the Order Form states otherwise. Invoices are monthly in arrears, 30 days net. To get a figure you book a discovery call of 15 to 30 minutes, then a personalized demo. Third-party estimates exist; none are Smartly's own, so this page leaves them out. Kitchn.io's plans are listed from €499/month.
Is Kitchn.io a good Smartly.io alternative?
Yes for a mid-size paid social team or agency, no for enterprise DCO. The question is which part of the job eats your hours. Rendering thousands of variants and optimizing them is Smartly's platform; stay. Getting a few hundred correct ads live for several clients each week is what Kitchn.io does from a sheet, with every row validated and the client's approval on the row, on eight channels, at a listed price.
What's the difference between Smartly.io and Kitchn.io?
Scope and scale. Smartly.io is a platform: Creative, Media and Intelligence suites, Producer for approvals, Synapse agents, channels from Meta to CTV and DSPs. Kitchn.io does one stage of the job for paid social teams: the launch, with validation, approvals, naming templates and an audit log around it. Channels are Meta (Facebook & Instagram), TikTok, Google Ads (Demand Gen), Pinterest and Snapchat, plus LinkedIn, Spotify and AppLovin in beta. Smartly sells by Order Form after a demo; Kitchn.io lists plans and starts with a guided trial.
Does Kitchn.io have Smartly's DCO, AI Studio and creative templates?
No, and it is not trying to. Kitchn.io starts where the finished asset lands in Drive, Dropbox, Frame.io or OneDrive; rendering variants from a template, generating creative with AI and personalizing from a feed all happen before that, in Smartly or on a designer's machine. Launch through Kitchn.io, keep the creative tooling.
Does Kitchn.io do approvals like Smartly's Producer?
Yes, on the ad itself. Smartly's Producer has built-in creative review and approval flows across channels. Kitchn.io puts approval statuses and comments on every row; the client reviews the real ad preview through a share link, no login needed. Both tools have the approval. Kitchn.io adds validation before it and the Audit & Change Log after it.
How is Kitchn.io priced compared to Smartly.io?
Smartly.io's price is whatever the Order Form says after the demo; its Terms describe spend-based subscriptions and a monthly minimum fee (checked 2026-08-21). Kitchn.io's is on the pricing page: €499/month for Launch Team, more for Launch Elite, priced by ad accounts and upload volume, not by ad spend. Client ad spend never enters the formula.
How quickly can a team move from Smartly.io to Kitchn.io?
The first launch can go out the same day, inside the trial. Connect the ad accounts, set sheet defaults, templates and a naming template, paste the next batch into the Launch Sheet. Ads already live stay live on the ad accounts. Kitchn.io launches into the accounts you already have, so there is no data to migrate.
