Arcus vs. IRIS
IRIS is a marketing measurement tool built for e-commerce and performance teams. Arcus sits in a different place: it connects every piece of an entertainment or lifestyle brand’s data, from sales and CRM to ad accounts, agency reports and what people say, into one place the brand owns, and answers questions with the whole picture.
Free, no card. Pick a question and we answer it with your own numbers.
Arcus
You asked: What drove sales in week 3?
Week 3: sales up 18%. 1,240 TikTok and Reddit posts about one unpaid creator. Next: test paying them in half your regions.
- From your sales + CRM
- From TikTok + Reddit
| Compared on | IRIS | Arcus |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | E-commerce and performance teams | Brand teams at entertainment and lifestyle companies |
| Main job | Marketing measurement | Connecting every piece of your data into one place you own, and answering any question |
For IRIS’s current features and pricing, see its website.
Try it on your own numbers. Nothing changes until you decide.
When IRIS is the better pick
If you run a performance team that wants a measurement tool of its own, IRIS may be built for you.
When Arcus is the better pick
When your data sits in pieces across teams, partners and tools, and you want it connected in one place you own: every result counted once against your own numbers, what people say added in, and an answer to whatever you ask next.
What IRIS is built for
From how it presents itself, IRIS is a marketing measurement tool for e-commerce and performance teams. Tools like this tend to suit teams that run paid media closely and want numbers they can work with every day.
We haven’t used IRIS ourselves, so we won’t describe how it works. Ask them directly about setup, who does the analysis, and what results it can measure.
What Arcus is built for
Arcus is for brand teams at studios, streamers, drinks, games, music, fashion and beauty brands, often without a data department. Their data sits in pieces: sales in one system, customers in another, and ad accounts, partners and listening tools each reporting on their own. The Arcus team connects those pieces into one place you own, inside your own setup, over about three months. Then any leader can ask a question and get an answer that sees the whole picture: the answer on top, the evidence, then what to keep, test and stop.
The first question is usually simple: what worked? We line up what every channel reports against your own numbers and count each result once. Listening runs alongside it: reading and counting what your audience says on Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, Discord, reviews and more, connected to your numbers.
Results beyond online sales
Many entertainment and lifestyle brands measure success in tickets, streams, viewing, sign-ups or retail sales. Arcus works from whatever your own numbers are and says where they’re too thin to call.
If your results come through theaters, streaming platforms, distributors or retailers, ask any measurement vendor how they handle that data, IRIS included.
Who does the work
With a measurement tool, someone on your team usually connects the data, reads the output and turns it into a decision. With Arcus, our team does that, and a person reads every answer before you do.
The right choice depends on whether someone on your team wants measurement to be part of their job.
How to decide.
- Look at IRIS if you have a performance team that wants a measurement tool to use directly.
- Look at IRIS if most of your results are online sales and your team is comfortable with e-commerce measurement.
- Pick Arcus if your team is brand-side and nobody has time to set up and read a measurement tool.
- Pick Arcus if your results are tickets, streams, sign-ups, viewing or retail sales.
- Pick Arcus if what your audience says online matters as much as what your spend returns.
- Talk to both if you want a performance tool plus help with the brand-side questions and what people say.
Using both: A company with a performance team might use a measurement tool for day-to-day paid media and Arcus for the brand-side questions, listening and tests. Any measurement output becomes one more piece Arcus connects to your own numbers.
Questions people ask
More in the full FAQ, or ask us on a call.
Is IRIS a competitor to Arcus?
In part. Both help teams understand what marketing did. IRIS is described as a measurement tool for e-commerce and performance teams. Arcus connects every piece of a brand team’s data, plus what people say, does the work, and answers the question.
What does IRIS cost?
We don’t publish other companies’ pricing, so for IRIS, see their site or ask their team. Arcus is free to try. If you want everything connected after that, we scope the setup and the monthly work for your brand and quote it once you’ve seen your free answer.
Can Arcus use results from IRIS?
If you share them, yes. We line them up with your other channels and your own numbers for the same period.
Which is better for a brand without a data team?
Arcus was built for that team. To see whether IRIS fits, ask them how setup and support work.
Can we use both?
Usually, yes. Arcus works alongside the tools and partners you already have. What they produce becomes one more piece of the picture, lined up with your own numbers.
How do we try Arcus without switching anything?
Try it free. We answer your question with your own numbers and what people say. Nothing changes until you decide.
Other comparisons
Try it onyour numbers.
Pick the question you’re least sure about. We answer it with your own numbers and what people say online, then walk you through it in 30 minutes. Free, no card.