Software · head to head
mParticle vs RudderStack
mParticle
Software
The customer data platform for multi-channel marketing
- From
- $500/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only RudderStack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: mParticle no pricing is published at any level, and the page offers only a pricing request or a sales conversation; RudderStack on the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
- They diverge on capability: mParticle covers Audience building, RudderStack covers Event tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which mParticle and RudderStack actually diverge.
| Attribute | mParticle | RudderStack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $500/month | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web, Self-hosted |
| Founded | 2013 | 2018 |
Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 mParticle
- Audience building
- Segmentation
- Data governance
- Privacy management
- Analytics
- 100+ integrations
- SOC2
- HIPAA
Only in RudderStack
- Event tracking
- Audience segmentation
- Warehouse ingestion
- Data transformation
- Privacy controls
- 200+ destinations
- Warehouses
- Self-hosted option
Both cover
- Data collection
- Real-time sync
- Marketing platforms
- Analytics tools
- GDPR
- CCPA
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
mParticle
- Collecting customer event data once and routing it to many destinationsnot RudderStack
- Building a customer data platform across web, mobile and server sourcesnot RudderStack
RudderStack
- Collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and toolsnot mParticle
- Building a warehouse first customer data pipelinenot mParticle
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
mParticle
- No pricing is published at any level, and the page offers only a pricing request or a sales conversation
- No free tier, minimum commitment or cost driver is stated anywhere on the pricing page
RudderStack
- On the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
- The free plan allows 250,000 events a month
- Growth starts at $265 a month for 1 million events, with volume sold in tiers up to 25 million
- Overage is charged as the gap to the next tier's price rather than per event, so a small excess costs a full tier step
Pricing, plan by plan
mParticle
$500/month- Starter$500/month
- Basic features
- Email support
- Professional$1500/month
- Advanced features
- Priority support
- Enterprise$5000/month
- Custom solutions
- Dedicated support
RudderStack
Free- Open SourceFree
- Self-hosted
- Community support
- Cloud$100/month
- Cloud hosted
- Email support
- Enterprise$500/month
- Dedicated support
- Advanced features
Which should you pick?
Choose mParticle if
- You need audience building.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want segmentation.
Choose RudderStack if
- You need event tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want audience segmentation.
Questions people ask
- Is mParticle or RudderStack better?
- Neither clearly leads. mParticle starts at $500/month and RudderStack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, mParticle or RudderStack?
- RudderStack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/month for mParticle and Free for RudderStack.
- Does mParticle or RudderStack run on more platforms?
- mParticle runs on Web, Mobile. RudderStack runs on Web, Self-hosted.
- Can I use RudderStack for free?
- Yes. RudderStack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. mParticle starts at $500/month.
- What is mParticle best used for?
- mParticle is most often used for collecting customer event data once and routing it to many destinations, building a customer data platform across web, mobile and server sources. Of those, collecting customer event data once and routing it to many destinations and building a customer data platform across web, mobile and server sources are not what RudderStack is typically brought in for.
- What can mParticle do that RudderStack cannot?
- mParticle covers Audience building, Segmentation, Data governance, Privacy management. RudderStack covers Event tracking, Audience segmentation, Warehouse ingestion, Data transformation. Both handle Data collection, Real-time sync, Marketing platforms, Analytics tools.