SourceMedium vs Polar Analytics

An evidence-backed comparison across integrations, attribution, data freshness, SQL access, pricing, and compliance.

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Feature	SourceMedium	Polar Analytics
Integrations & Data Sources	40+ integrations across 5 business functions — commerce, ads, email, subscriptions, and ops — with documented coverage and daily reconciliation	45 connectors; SQL access and intraday refresh are paid add-ons
Data Freshness	Reconciled daily across all sources with full historical backfill — every metric traceable to its source	Pixel data real-time; Shopify 15-min on new pipeline; lower tiers may be daily
Attribution Models	Server-side multi-touch attribution — no new pixels, no cookies, works with your existing tracking infrastructure	First-click, linear, U-shaped via Shopify App Pixel deployment
Cohort / CLTV	20 pre-built analytics modules including LTV, repurchase, retention, and new customer analysis — ready to use on day one	Ecommerce KPIs via semantic layer; not explicitly positioned as CLTV product
Dashboards & Visualization	Pre-built dashboards + AI analyst that answers ad-hoc questions in natural language, backed by SQL you can verify	Custom reporting limited to 1,000 rows in-app; no visualization exports or Slack/email chart delivery
Custom Metrics	Define a metric once, use it everywhere — dashboards, SQL, and AI always return the same answer	Custom reporting available in BI product
SQL / Export / API Access	Full SQL access on every plan — query your managed BigQuery warehouse, connect any BI tool, extend with custom models	SQL on dedicated Snowflake; add-on pricing on some tiers
Legal / Compliance	Compliance documentation available on request	Public SOC/ISO attestations not clearly documented in reviewed sources

Confidence: Verified Inferred Unknown

Based on publicly available documentation, last verified February 2026.

Pricing overview

How SourceMedium and Polar Analytics pricing compares.

SourceMedium

Model: Subscription based on data volume
Starting price: Custom pricing
Limits: Custom pricing — contact for details on data retention and seat limits

Polar Analytics

Model: Quote-based, scaled by GMV; add-ons for intraday refresh and SQL access
Starting price: Varies by GMV
Tiers: Core Plan / Custom Plan
Limits: SQL access and intraday refresh are add-ons; export limited to 100K rows

Why teams choose SourceMedium over Polar Analytics

Polar's add-on pricing model is the key friction point. SQL access, intraday refresh, and deeper data capabilities cost extra — and those costs compound as your data team grows. SourceMedium includes SQL, all integrations, and custom metrics on every plan.

Where the approaches differ

Add-on pricing vs all-inclusive: Polar gates SQL access and intraday refresh behind add-on pricing. SourceMedium includes full SQL access, all 40+ integrations, and custom metrics on every plan — no surprise costs as your team scales.

Export caps vs full access: Polar limits in-app reports to 1,000 rows and CSV exports to 100,000 rows, with no visualization export or Slack/email chart delivery. SourceMedium provides full data access with no artificial row caps.

Pixel-dependent attribution: Polar's attribution models require deploying a Shopify App Pixel. SourceMedium runs server-side multi-touch attribution using existing tracking — no new pixels, no cookies.

Shopify-only vs multi-platform: Polar is optimized for Shopify-first workflows. SourceMedium connects 40+ sources across commerce, ads, email, subscriptions, and ops — designed for brands selling on multiple platforms.

When Polar Analytics might be the better fit

Polar works for Shopify-only brands that want a dedicated Snowflake instance and don't need SQL access on day one. Their incrementality testing product is a differentiator for brands specifically focused on media mix optimization.

More comparisons

See how SourceMedium compares with other ecommerce analytics platforms.

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