Some AI-driven peers, like Olyzon, still charge brands based on impressions, similar to existing SaaS adtech players like StackAdapt and Cognitiv.
Clinch’s pivot to a flat-fee model marks “a departure from how most adtechs traditionally monetize,” said Jeremy Goldman, senior director of marketing, retail, and tech briefings at eMarketer. “Traditional CPM pricing ties platform fees to impression volume, meaning advertisers pay more as their campaigns scale. Clinch’s argument about penalizing efficiency is especially valid in self-serve environments.”
Clinch’s new three-tier subscription pricing model includes unlimited ad serving baked across all tiers. From there, brands can scale up to unlock perks like custom API integrations, development work, advanced training, and more platform seats, Etzioni said, though he declined to share pricing specifics.
“It’s more beneficial to understand what the scope of work is, what the client is trying to achieve, and how much we’re going to get paid for it, and we have that security going forward,” said Etzioni.
Still, one challenge Clinch could face with its flat-fee pricing model is managing client expectations around pricing and scaling access.
As Goldman puts it, clients would often expect a certain pricing model upfront, and dramatically changing it later—especially as more data comes in—can be difficult. “Small price adjustments are manageable,” Goldman said, but a major shift driven by new data or insights could clash with client expectations. “It could create friction and make innovation around pricing tricky. That’s the dicey proposition for Clinch.”
Etzioni, however, emphasized that Clinch’s pricing won’t change based on performance data or campaign scale. “Data is always part of the scope we set with clients,” he said.
