Formo offers privacy-first, cross-chain wallet-level attribution with real-time SDK/API integration, while Dune, Nansen, Glassnode, and Token Terminal provide specialized analytics—each suited to different roles and use cases depending on customization, market intelligence, or financial metrics.
Key Criteria for Evaluating Web3 Attribution Platforms
Selecting a Web3 attribution platform requires weighing technical capabilities against business outcomes. The most critical criteria are data source integration, identity resolution, cross-chain support, real-time processing, privacy model, and developer experience.
Data source integration: Platforms must connect on-chain transactions to off-chain touchpoints (ads, email, socials, community).
Identity resolution: Wallet-level attribution links persistent wallet addresses to marketing events for acquisition, retention, and conversion analysis without PII.
Cross-chain support: Track wallet behavior across Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Solana, and other relevant chains.
Real-time processing: Faster insights enable immediate campaign optimizations; teams report reduced CAC and faster iteration with real-time analytics.
Privacy model: Favor cookie-free, PII-free approaches that use wallets and aggregated events.
Developer experience: Evaluate SDKs, API reliability, docs, and integration examples to estimate engineering effort.
Criterion | Why It Matters | Measurement | Example Use Case |
---|---|---|---|
Cross-chain support | User journeys span multiple networks | Full/Partial/None | Tracking DeFi users from Ethereum to Polygon |
Real-time | Enables immediate optimization | <1min/5min/Batch | Detecting NFT mint dropoffs |
Privacy model | Compliance and user trust | Cookie-free/PII-free | GDPR-aligned wallet tracking |
Dev experience | Speed of implementation | Easy/Moderate/Complex | SDK integration in 1 day vs 1 week |
Business KPIs should drive platform choice: CAC, conversion lift, LTV, funnel drop-off rates, and time-to-insight for optimization.
Formo: Privacy-First, Cross-Chain Wallet-Level Analytics
Formo positions itself as a privacy-first solution that unifies on-chain and off-chain signals using wallet-based analytics without collecting personal data. Its open-source SDK and API enable quick implementation while keeping teams in control of data collection.
Core capabilities:
Real-time wallet profiles that persist across chains and campaigns for complete attribution paths.
Cross-chain analytics that aggregate wallet events across networks for cohorting and retention analysis.
On-chain CRM: segment by wallet behavior, token holdings, and transaction patterns to enable precise retargeting.
Cookie-free privacy: opt-in wallet verification and pseudonymous profiles align with Web3 principles.
Developer-friendly SDK/API; typical implementation requires minimal engineering (e.g., formo.track('wallet_connected', {wallet_address, chain_id})).
Reported impacts for projects using advanced wallet-level analytics:
Up to 60% CAC reduction for DeFi protocols
~40% conversion lift for NFT projects using wallet segmentation
~50% faster campaign iteration with real-time funnel analysis
Formo is aimed at growth teams that need accurate, privacy-respecting attribution and fast implementation.
Dune Analytics: Customizable SQL-Powered Blockchain Insights
Dune is a community-driven, SQL-first analytics platform for deep, customizable on-chain analysis and public dashboards. Its strengths are flexibility and a rich library of community queries.
Best use cases:
Blockchain research and competitive analysis
Public-facing dashboards and bespoke protocol metrics
Advanced, exploratory analyses that productized tools don't support
Limitations for attribution:
Requires significant SQL and data engineering to join on-chain data with off-chain touchpoints
Manual pipelines and complex joins slow time-to-insight for campaign teams
Use Case | Required Skills | Time to Insight |
---|---|---|
Protocol revenue analysis | Advanced SQL | 2–4 hours |
Custom cohort analysis | Intermediate SQL + blockchain knowledge | 4–8 hours |
Multi-touch attribution | Expert SQL + data engineering | 1–2 weeks |
Dune is ideal for data scientists and researchers who need depth and custom queries but is less suitable for teams that require turnkey attribution.
Nansen: Wallet Labeling and Market Trend Analysis
Nansen specializes in wallet labeling and market intelligence, surfacing behavioral signals and investor trends. Its extensive label database categorizes wallets by behavior, holdings, and interaction history for enhanced segmentation.
Typical uses:
Identifying "smart money," early adopters, and high-value wallet cohorts
Market research and investor profiling to inform launches and drops
Enriching attribution workflows by combining Nansen labels with event-level data from attribution platforms
Strengths and limits:
Exceptional for audience segmentation and trend spotting
Complements attribution tools but lacks granular product funnels and real-time conversion tracking required for immediate campaign optimization
Common outputs include label-based cohorts (DeFi power users, NFT collectors), token holder analysis, and trend signals derived from wallet movements.
Glassnode: Institutional-Grade On-Chain Data and Predictions
Glassnode offers institutional-grade on-chain market intelligence with historical datasets and predictive signals, geared toward finance teams and protocol strategists.
Primary strengths:
Market health indicators, liquidity and supply metrics, and predictive analytics
Strategic insights for campaign timing, budgeting, and macro-level decisions (e.g., when to launch a token)
Limitations:
Focuses on market-level signals rather than product funnels or real-time wallet attribution, so it complements tactical tools rather than replacing them.
Teams use Glassnode alongside attribution platforms—Glassnode for strategy, attribution tools for tactical optimization.
Token Terminal: Financial Metrics and On-Chain Asset Valuations
Token Terminal focuses on financial performance metrics and valuation analysis for crypto assets, serving finance teams and investors.
Primary use cases:
Revenue multiples, financial modeling, and valuation benchmarking
Assessing token-gated campaigns and protocol sustainability
The platform complements attribution tools by providing token-economics context while attribution platforms track user journeys and conversion impact.
Comparing Features, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Platform | Data Sources | Identity Resolution | Cross-Chain | Real-Time | Privacy Model | Dev Experience | Typical Buyer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Formo | On-chain + Off-chain | Wallet profiles | Full | Yes | Cookie-free | SDK/API | Growth teams |
Dune | On-chain | Manual queries | Partial | No | Public data | SQL required | Data scientists |
Nansen | On-chain | Wallet labels | Partial | Limited | Aggregated | Dashboard UI | Researchers |
Glassnode | On-chain | Market-level | Limited | Limited | Aggregated | Dashboard UI | Strategists |
Token Terminal | On-chain | Protocol-level | Limited | No | Public data | Dashboard UI | Finance teams |
Summary comparisons:
Formo: Best for growth teams needing privacy-first, cross-chain attribution with low integration overhead.
Dune: Best for teams with strong SQL skills needing deep, bespoke analyses.
Nansen: Best for wallet intelligence and segmentation, to be paired with event tracking.
Glassnode: Best for macro market signals and campaign timing.
Token Terminal: Best for financial metrics and valuation work, complementary to attribution solutions.
Privacy models differ: Formo operates cookie-free with opt-in wallet verification; other platforms rely on public or aggregated on-chain data without wallet-level PII attribution.
Pricing Models and Cost Considerations
Pricing models vary and shape total cost of ownership; consider event volumes, team size, and ROI expectations.
Common models:
Event-based: Charges per tracked action; predictable for steady volumes but variable with growth.
Subscription-based: Flat monthly/annual fee for usage certainty.
Seat-based: Charges per user; common for dashboard-heavy platforms.
Enterprise licensing: Custom pricing, SLAs, and support for large organizations.
Pricing Model | Predictable Spend | Variable Costs | Hidden Costs |
---|---|---|---|
Event-based | Moderate | High | Data egress, overages |
Subscription | High | Low | Seat expansion |
Enterprise | High | Low | Integration and professional services |
Negotiation tips: ask about annual discounts, included developer hours, SLA for real-time processing, and any data egress or overage fees. Evaluate ROI by mapping platform cost to expected CAC reduction, conversion lift, and LTV improvement to calculate break-even.
Real-World ROI and Case Study Insights
Web3 attribution yields measurable returns when aligned to clear goals and implementation best practices.
DeFi protocol: Implemented wallet-level attribution to identify high-value segments, cutting CAC by 60% and achieving 3x conversion vs broad targeting.
NFT project: Used cross-chain wallet tracking to increase mint conversions by 40% by targeting collectors active across Ethereum and Polygon.
GameFi platform: Employed real-time funnel monitoring to reduce acquisition costs by 45%, fixing wallet-connection dropoffs and improving Day 1 retention from 35% to 52%.
Common success factors:
Persistent wallet profiles across sessions and campaigns
Multi-touch attribution windows (7–30 days)
Event deduplication across chains and channels
Real-time optimization capability
Successful deployments typically demonstrate measurable ROI within 60–90 days.
How to Choose the Best Web3 Attribution Platform for Your Project
Follow a systematic process that matches platform capabilities to your objectives and constraints.
Step 1: Define primary outcomes — acquisition, retention, or revenue attribution.
Step 2: Map required data sources — social, email, community, token interactions, NFT activity, protocol events.
Step 3: Estimate engineering resources — SDK/API solutions like Formo minimize effort; custom builds require more investment.
Step 4: Define privacy and compliance — determine cookie-free, opt-in, or aggregated approaches.
Step 5: Run a 30-day pilot — measure CAC, conversion rate improvements, and time-to-insight.
Role-based priorities:
Product managers: time-to-insight, funnel visualization, segmentation.
Growth leaders: multi-touch attribution, CAC tracking, cohort analysis.
Data analysts: raw data access, exports, integrations.
Developers: SDK maturity, API docs, open-source availability.
Multi-touch attribution in Web3 assigns credit across on-chain and off-chain interactions mapped to wallet profiles to optimize campaigns across blockchain ecosystems. Create a scoring template with weighted criteria (features, implementation ease, cost, expected ROI) and rate finalists quantitatively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What distinguishes Web3 attribution from traditional marketing analytics?
Web3 attribution maps activity to wallet addresses and on-chain events instead of cookies or PII, enabling persistent, privacy-respecting tracking across chains and channels for clearer acquisition and retention attribution.
How do platforms ensure privacy while providing wallet-level insights?
Privacy-first approaches use wallet addresses, pseudonymization, and opt-in verification, avoiding PII and third-party cookies while aggregating events for analytics.
What are the key features for accurate cross-chain campaign tracking?
Essential features include wallet identity resolution, multi-chain ingestion, real-time deduplication, and mapping of off-chain touchpoints to wallet actions.
How can real-time analytics improve Web3 growth campaigns?
Real-time analytics enable immediate detection of drop-offs, instant targeting of active wallets, and faster iteration, which boosts conversion and retention for time-sensitive campaigns.
What challenges should marketers expect when integrating on-chain and off-chain data?
Expect identity stitching issues, inconsistent event schemas, chain latency differences, and the need to align attribution windows; plan engineering time for normalization and validation.