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Marketing · head to head

CleverTap vs Improvado

CleverTap logo

CleverTap

Marketing

Mobile-first engagement and retention analytics billed on monthly active users

From
On request
Rated
-
Improvado logo

Improvado

Marketing

Data integration platform for marketing teams

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Improvado has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CleverTap the platform assumes the mobile app is the main surface, so teams whose lifecycle runs mostly through the browser or through long B2B email sequences pay for capability they will not use.; Improvado free tier limited to 50 MCP actions per week
  • They diverge on capability: CleverTap covers Cross-channel journeys, Improvado covers 500+ data source connectors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CleverTap and Improvado actually diverge.

Attributes where CleverTap and Improvado differ
AttributeCleverTapImprovado
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, REST APIWeb, Api, Data-warehouse
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CleverTap

  • Cross-channel journeys
  • Product analytics
  • TesseractDB
  • Clever.AI
  • Experiments
  • Web and app personalisation

Only in Improvado

  • 500+ data source connectors
  • Data transformation
  • Real-time syncing
  • Data warehouse integration
  • ETL capabilities
  • Data quality monitoring
  • Historical data
  • Custom connectors

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CleverTap

  • A consumer app with millions of installs but low monthly activity that does not want to pay for dormant profilesnot Improvado
  • Reactivating lapsed users with push and WhatsApp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membershipnot Improvado
  • Running holdout tests to prove that lifecycle messaging causes retention rather than correlating with itnot Improvado
  • Consolidating a separate analytics tool and a separate messaging tool into a single event pipelinenot Improvado

Improvado

  • Marketing data integrationnot CleverTap
  • Multi-workspace data orchestrationnot CleverTap
  • Incrementality testing and attributionnot CleverTap
  • Multi-touch attribution modelingnot CleverTap

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CleverTap

  • The platform assumes the mobile app is the main surface, so teams whose lifecycle runs mostly through the browser or through long B2B email sequences pay for capability they will not use.
  • Billing on monthly active users is cheaper for dormant-heavy bases but more expensive for products with high activity rates, and the definition of an active user is set in the contract rather than by you.
  • Event volume caps sit alongside the user caps, so a chatty instrumentation plan can trigger overage charges that are negotiated rather than published.
  • Deliverability support for email is thinner than at dedicated email providers, and teams sending high email volumes often keep a separate ESP for the largest campaigns.
  • Segmentation quality depends entirely on the event taxonomy, so without an owner who governs event naming the reports and segments diverge from reality within a couple of releases.

Improvado

  • Free tier limited to 50 MCP actions per week
  • Advanced and Enterprise tiers require custom pricing quotes
  • No publicly listed Advanced or Enterprise rates

Pricing, plan by plan

CleverTap

On request
  • Essentials$undefined/year
    • Billed on monthly active users rather than stored profiles
    • Push, in-app and web messaging
    • Standard segmentation and analytics
  • Advanced$undefined/year
    • Adds email, SMS and WhatsApp channels
    • Journey orchestration and experiments
    • Higher event and MAU allowances
  • Cutting Edge$undefined/year
    • Full AI and personalisation modules
    • Extended data retention
    • Dedicated technical account management

Improvado

Free
  • Free LimitedFree
    • 50 MCP actions per week
    • 1 workspace
    • Live API requests to all sources
  • MCP Only$100/month
    • 2M rows per year
    • Daily data sync
    • 300 MCP actions per week
  • Advanced$null/custom
    • 600M rows per year
    • Up to 4x daily syncs
    • 200 actions per day
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 1B rows per year
    • 600 actions per day
    • Unlimited workspaces

Which should you pick?

Choose CleverTap if

  • You need cross-channel journeys.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
  • You also want product analytics.

Choose Improvado if

  • You need 500+ data source connectors.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Data-warehouse.
  • You also want data transformation.

Questions people ask

Is CleverTap or Improvado better?
Neither clearly leads. CleverTap starts at On request and Improvado at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CleverTap or Improvado?
Improvado has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CleverTap and Free for Improvado.
Does CleverTap or Improvado run on more platforms?
CleverTap runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API. Improvado runs on Web, Api, Data-warehouse.
Can I use Improvado for free?
Yes. Improvado has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CleverTap starts at On request.
What is CleverTap best used for?
CleverTap is most often used for a consumer app with millions of installs but low monthly activity that does not want to pay for dormant profiles, reactivating lapsed users with push and whatsapp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membership, running holdout tests to prove that lifecycle messaging causes retention rather than correlating with it, consolidating a separate analytics tool and a separate messaging tool into a single event pipeline. Of those, a consumer app with millions of installs but low monthly activity that does not want to pay for dormant profiles and reactivating lapsed users with push and whatsapp sequences triggered by behaviour rather than by list membership are not what Improvado is typically brought in for.
What can CleverTap do that Improvado cannot?
CleverTap covers Cross-channel journeys, Product analytics, TesseractDB, Clever.AI. Improvado covers 500+ data source connectors, Data transformation, Real-time syncing, Data warehouse integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CleverTap: Does CleverTap charge for users who stopped opening the app?

No. Billing is on monthly active users, so a dormant account stops counting without you deleting anything, which is the opposite of contact-based email pricing.

Improvado: What is Improvado's free tier?

Improvado Free Limited tier costs $0/month and includes 50 MCP actions per week, 1 workspace, live API requests to all sources, AI Agent, and MCP. No credit card required to start.

Source
CleverTap: Can it replace a product analytics tool?

For funnels, cohorts and retention it usually can. For exploratory analysis across many custom properties, teams tend to keep a warehouse copy and query it directly.

Improvado: What are Improvado's paid plans?

Paid tiers include MCP Only ($100/month with 2M rows/year and 300 weekly actions), Advanced (custom pricing with 600M rows/year and 50 workspaces), and Enterprise (custom pricing with 1B rows/year, unlimited workspaces, and SSO).

Source
CleverTap: What happened to Leanplum customers?

CleverTap acquired Leanplum in 2022 and migrated customers onto its own platform, so Leanplum contracts are not a live option.

Improvado: Does Improvado offer data sync frequency limits?

MCP Only tier offers daily data sync, Advanced tier allows up to 4x daily syncs, and Enterprise tier includes no stated sync frequency limits. Free tier enables live API requests without scheduled syncing.

Source
Improvado: What compliance and security features does Improvado include?

Improvado holds SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. Enterprise tier specifically includes SSO with Azure and Okta support for identity management.

Source
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