By the Numbers vs Polar Analytics
Polar Analytics is a multi-source ecommerce data platform: connectors, a managed warehouse, a semantic layer, and AI agents on top. Here is the honest side-by-side, including where Polar is the better pick.
60-second install · 14 days free · No card, no auto-charge
Polar Analytics and By the Numbers answer the same operator questions - what is working, who my best customers are, where ad spend pays back - but they are different classes of product. Polar sells a data stack: connectors into a managed warehouse, a semantic layer, incrementality testing, and a growing suite of AI agents. By the Numbers sells an analytics layer that works out of the box on your Shopify data.
That difference shows up in the funnel before it shows up in the product: Polar does not publish prices and routes you to a demo call quoted on your annual GMV. By the Numbers publishes five plans from $19 to $299 a month and installs from the App Store in about a minute.
Published on /pricing: $19 to $299 a month by order volume, every feature on every plan, 14-day trial with no card and no demo call required.
Not published. Plans (Core and Custom) are quoted on your annual GMV after a demo call. No self-serve trial of the paid product; the primary CTA across the site is "Book a demo".
At a glance
| Capability | By the Numbers | Polar Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | $19-299/mo listed | Quoted by GMV, demo first |
| Self-serve install and trial | 60-second install | - |
| Multi-source data warehouse (beyond Shopify + ads) | - | |
| Incrementality / causal testing | - | |
| RFM loyalty matrix | - | |
| Cohort retention analysis | ||
| AI segmentation + hourly sync to ad platforms | Klaviyo audiences | |
| AI chat over your store data | ||
| Predictive forecasting and goals | ||
| Contract | Monthly, cancel anytime | Annual quotes typical |
- By the Numbers
- $19-299/mo listed
- Polar Analytics
- Quoted by GMV, demo first
- By the Numbers
- 60-second install
- Polar Analytics
- -
- By the Numbers
- -
- Polar Analytics
- By the Numbers
- -
- Polar Analytics
- By the Numbers
- Polar Analytics
- -
- By the Numbers
- Polar Analytics
- By the Numbers
- Polar Analytics
- Klaviyo audiences
- By the Numbers
- Polar Analytics
- By the Numbers
- Polar Analytics
- By the Numbers
- Monthly, cancel anytime
- Polar Analytics
- Annual quotes typical
Based on publicly available information, verified 24 August 2026. Polar Analytics is a trademark of its owner; confirm current details on their site.
Where Polar wins
- Data breadth: if you need Amazon, retail, wholesale, or custom sources unified in one warehouse with a semantic layer, Polar is built for exactly that.
- Incrementality testing: Polar runs causal lift tests to validate what actually drives sales. By the Numbers does not.
- Enterprise fit: multi-brand teams with analysts get warehouse access and custom metrics Polar-side.
Where By the Numbers wins
- You know the price before you talk to anyone: five published plans against a GMV-based quote behind a demo call. Third-party roundups consistently place Polar's typical spend at several times a By the Numbers subscription.
- Time to first insight: install from the App Store, backfill overnight, Monday briefing in your inbox the same week. No onboarding project.
- Retention analytics at the entry price: the 16-cell RFM matrix, cohort curves, and predictive LTV are on the $19 plan, not gated to a custom tier.
- Built for the operator, not the analyst: every report answers a named operating question without a semantic layer to configure.
Which one fits your store?
Pick Polar if you are consolidating many data sources, have an analyst or agency who will live in the warehouse, and the budget for a quoted enterprise-style contract.
Pick By the Numbers if your data lives in Shopify plus your ad and email platforms, and you want the retention and ad-spend answers this week at a price you can see up front.
Weighing more options? See all comparisons or how stores consolidate their reporting stack.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Polar Analytics cost?
Polar does not publish pricing. Plans are quoted on your store's annual GMV after a demo call. By the Numbers publishes all five plans, from $19 to $299 a month, and the trial requires no call and no card.
Is Polar Analytics overkill for a small Shopify store?
For a single-store brand whose data lives in Shopify, Klaviyo, and two or three ad platforms, a full warehouse and semantic layer is usually more platform than the question requires. Polar earns its complexity when you are unifying many sources or running incrementality tests.
Do both apps sync audiences to marketing platforms?
Polar activates data primarily through Klaviyo Audiences and advertising signal feeds. By the Numbers builds segments from 75+ filters and syncs them hourly to Klaviyo, Meta, Google Ads, and TikTok on every plan.
Run By the Numbers next to Polar for two weeks.
Both read the same Shopify data, so the trial is a fair test. Ours never takes a card, so comparing costs you nothing.
60-second install · 14 days free · No card, no auto-charge