Smartly or Valkiria: which one fits your team
Smartly describes itself as an AI-powered advertising technology company built for enterprise marketers and agencies. Valkiria audits and manages Google Ads, Meta Ads and Telegram Ads accounts. Live edits stay off until you switch them on for an account, and you choose how much needs your approval. Here is how they differ, including where Smartly is the stronger fit.
Valkiria vs Smartly
Valkiria vs Smartly (smartly.io): channels, approvals, pricing model and how to start. Includes where Smartly is the better choice.
01What hurts
When a team using Smartly may look at something else
You want to try a tool before talking to sales
Smartly's site describes the start as a demo request, a short discovery call, a personalized demo and onboarding. If you would rather connect an account and look for yourself, Valkiria has a Free plan.
A spend-based fee does not suit your budget
Smartly's Terms of Use set fees in an order form. For spend-based subscriptions the fee is calculated monthly on advertising spend, with a monthly minimum unless the order form says otherwise. Some teams prefer a plan tier instead.
Telegram Ads is part of your media mix
Telegram is not named on Smartly's platforms page. Valkiria reads and edits Telegram Ads natively, next to Google Ads and Meta Ads, so those three can be handled in one place.
Scroll to see it work
Valkiria vs Smartly in four moves
- 01Scattered
Without Valkiria vs Smartly, this work is spread across spreadsheets and tabs.
- 02Connected
Valkiria vs Smartly reads the accounts and data you have already connected.
- 03Found
It highlights what matters now, with the evidence behind it.
- 04Approved
You decide what happens next: what applies on its own and what waits for approval.
02How it works
How to try Valkiria without switching anything off
- 01
Connect one account in read-only mode
Connect a Google Ads, Meta Ads or Telegram Ads account and keep read-only mode on. Your Smartly setup keeps running exactly as before.
- 02
Compare the audit with your reporting
Valkiria looks for wasted budget and checks your pixel and Conversions API. Put its findings next to the reports your team already uses and judge whether they add anything.
- 03
Test on a limited scope
If the findings are useful, draft a campaign. It is created PAUSED and live edits stay off until you switch them on for an account. Keep each campaign managed from one tool so that changes do not collide.
03What you get
Where Valkiria differs, and where Smartly is the better choice
Telegram Ads alongside Google and Meta
Native read and write for Google Ads, Meta Ads and Telegram Ads. ChatGPT Ads is available read-only. Other networks are still being connected, and their state is on our public status page.
01Live edits off by default
New campaigns are created PAUSED. Live edits stay off until you switch them on for an account, and you choose how much needs your approval: in manual mode, every edit waits for it. A read-only mode is also available. Smartly's media suite describes automated triggers and predictive budget allocation, which suits teams that want that automation.
02Audit of wasted budget
An AI audit shows where budget is being wasted and checks that pixel and Conversions API events are working, so you know what to fix before you spend more.
03API and MCP server
A public API and an MCP server let you work with your ad accounts from AI assistants and your own tools.
04Your own AI keys, your language
Eligible plans can use your own AI keys (BYOK). The interface is available in 9 languages, and there is a Free plan alongside the paid tiers.
05Where Smartly is the better choice
If you need Connected TV, programmatic buying through DSPs such as DV360 or The Trade Desk, or creative production at thousands of variants, Smartly covers this and Valkiria does not. It also lists more channels than the three Valkiria controls natively.
0604In numbers
- 3
- platforms with native two-way control
- PAUSED
- status of every new campaign
- OFF
- live edits until you switch them on for an account
Who gets what
What each type of client takes away
What you connect
- Ad accounts
- Analytics
- Website
- Bank & invoices
What Valkiria does
- 01Collect spend and results
- 02Find leaks and gaps
- 03Propose next steps
What you get
- Action plan
- Owner report
- Spend control
See every ad budget and what it returns, without opening five dashboards
Google, Meta, TikTok and the rest in one view, in your currency, with results next to costs.
Findings turn into a prioritised list of next steps with the evidence behind each one.
New campaigns are created paused. Edits to live campaigns stay off until you switch them on for an account; deletions and new spend always wait for approval.
Modules that do the work
05FAQ
Questions about Valkiria and Smartly
06See also
All modulesStart now
See what Valkiria finds in your account
Connect an account in read-only mode and compare the audit with what you already have. Your Smartly campaigns stay as they are.