AgentXray vs Quartile: Settlement-Verified Profit vs Algorithmic Ad Optimization
Last updated: 2026-08-16
TL;DR
Quartile optimizes bids hourly with its own algorithms and does not publish its prices. AgentXray never touches a bid: it verifies, from settlement line items, whether the optimization earned money — flat, from $29/mo. The faster a system changes bids, the more valuable an independent scoreboard becomes.
Quartile (quartile.com) sells algorithmic ad management — bids adjusted hourly by patented models, across Amazon and other channels, priced by quote (quartile.com/pricing lists no prices), with managed onboarding. It is a driver, and by reputation a capable one for larger brands. AgentXray is the scoreboard: it reads what Amazon actually charged and paid in the settlement and reports net contribution per advertising arm. The more autonomous and fast-moving the optimizer, the harder it is to eyeball whether its changes helped — which is precisely when an independent, flat-fee audit earns its keep. This page compares the two roles without pretending they are substitutes.
The tools compared
AgentXray
From $29/mo — Flat fee, no commission on ad sales; every feature at every tier
Measurement layer for Amazon sellers: settlement-verified profit, break-even and per-arm net contribution.
Strengths
- Profit verified against settlement line items, not estimates
- Net contribution per advertising arm — the core metric
- Flat from $29/mo — never a percentage of ad spend
- Free no-login tools; no commission
Best for: Sellers who want the ads they run — by hand or by any optimizer — audited against the money that actually landed.
Quartile
Not published — Priced by quote — quartile.com/pricing lists no prices (read 2026-09-30); hourly algorithmic bid adjustments
Algorithmic ad optimization across Amazon and other channels, enterprise-priced.
Strengths
- Patented hourly bid-adjustment algorithms
- Cross-channel: Amazon, Walmart, Google, Meta
- Managed onboarding and strategy support
- Track record with larger brands
Best for: Larger brands wanting algorithmic cross-channel ad management with hands-on onboarding.
Feature comparison
Side by side
| Aspect | AgentXray | Quartile |
|---|---|---|
| Manages bids/budgets | No — measures and flags | Yes, hourly algorithmic |
| Profit source of truth | Settlement line items | Platform metrics + estimates |
| Pricing | From $29/mo flat, public | Not published — priced by quote |
| Channels | Amazon (5 marketplaces) | Amazon, Walmart, Google, Meta |
| Self-serve | Yes — sign up and start a 14-day trial | Sales-led onboarding |
| Independent of ad spend | Yes — flat fee | Not published |
Verdict by use case
- Driving/optimizing ad campaigns: Quartile
- Verifying ads actually made money: AgentXray
- True per-unit break-even (fees as settled): AgentXray
- Optimizer plus independent audit: Both
If you want a system to drive your Amazon ads, Quartile is a credible pick in its bracket. If you want to know whether the driving made money — whoever or whatever did it — that is AgentXray: profit verified at the settlement, flat fee, no percentage of the spend it audits. The two run together without conflict.
Frequently asked questions
- Is AgentXray a cheaper Quartile?
- No — it does not manage ads at all. It is the audit layer under any manager, Quartile included. The honest comparison is role vs role: driver vs scoreboard.
- Why would a Quartile customer add AgentXray?
- Because hourly bid changes are impossible to audit by eye, and every optimizer reports its own success in ACoS terms. Settlement-verified net contribution per arm is the number that cannot be gamed by averaging or attribution windows — measured on our own account, a 'healthy 22.7% ACoS' concealed arms that lost money.
- What does AgentXray cost next to Quartile?
- From $29/mo flat (or $290/yr). Quartile does not publish its prices; it quotes after a sales conversation. They are not substitutes: one drives the bids, the other grades what the driving earned.
- Does AgentXray cover Google or Meta like Quartile?
- No. AgentXray is Amazon-first: settlement line items, FBA fees, Amazon ads. Cross-channel spend management is Quartile's territory.
Research sources
- Quartile pricing page (quartile.com/pricing) — read 2026-09-30, no prices listed
- AgentXray settlement-measured economics — internal, 2026-07