In this guide
- A tracking service runs the server, domain and certificates, and often power-ups, logs and support.
- Ask who owns the container, the domain and the data, and how you export and leave.
- Compare the plan at your request volume and the power-ups on that plan.
You can run a server container yourself, or buy it as a service. The service saves time and risk, and creates a dependency you should understand. This page explains what is usually included, how to evaluate providers and what to negotiate. It builds on sGTM hosting compared, Open Tracked as an alternative to Google Cloud and benefits of Open Tracked hosting.
What a service usually includes
| Item | Typically included | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Server and scaling | Yes | Request limits and what happens above them |
| Custom domain and certificate | Yes | How many domains, and cost for extra |
| Container files and wizard | Often | Do they match your platforms? |
| Power-ups | Varies | Which are on your plan? |
| Logs | Often limited | Retention in days and export |
| Monitoring and alerts | Higher plans | How many alerts? |
| Support | By plan | Response times and channels |
| Analytics and reporting | Sometimes | Separate cost? |
Connected in minutes
Add your domain, install the pixel, connect your ad platforms and watch the first events land.
Questions to ask a provider
Compare at your numbers
Work out your monthly requests: visits × events per visit. Price each provider at that number, including extra domains, containers and log retention. See how much a server GTM costs.
Watch events arrive, live
A sample feed. In Open Tracked you see the same stream for your own store.
How Open Tracked packages it
Plans
A free plan at 15,000 requests, then Pro, Business, Business+ and Enterprise up to 20 million (see the pricing page).
Power-ups on every plan
Custom Loader, Cookie Keeper, Data Store, Enricher, File Proxy, Visitor Location, Device Info, User ID, Click ID Restorer, Bot Detection and the Anonymizer.
Paid add-ons by plan
POAS Data Feed and Google Service Account from Pro; Block Request by IP, Request Delay and Multi-Domains from Business; Dedicated IP on Enterprise.
Beyond hosting
First-party analytics, a CRM pipeline with offline conversions, a tracking score, a setup wizard and an MCP server.
Exit plan
- Keep a recent export of your containers.
- Keep the DNS record under your control.
- Know how to delete data you stored with the provider.
- Test moving to a test subdomain once a year.
A realistic example
A mid-size store compares three options: running Google Cloud itself, a hosting provider with a mid-priced plan and Open Tracked. It estimates 1.5 million requests a month. Google Cloud would cost around $90 to $135 plus time. The provider's mid plan would cost more and hold back some power-ups for a higher tier. Open Tracked Business covers 2 million requests and includes Cookie Keeper, Data Store and Enricher, plus multi-domain and monitoring. The store also checks the exit: containers are standard exports and DNS stays under its control. It picks by the numbers and tests on a subdomain for a week before moving. Evaluating a service this way takes an afternoon, and it replaces opinions with a table.
Runs on your domain, anywhere
Your tracking runs on your own domain, so a visit from any country is handled the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is server-side tracking as a service?
A provider runs the tagging server, domain and certificate for you, and often adds power-ups, logs and support.
What should I ask a provider?
Who owns the data and container, how to export and leave, where data is processed, limits, power-ups, logs and support.
How do I compare prices?
At your own request volume, including extra domains and log retention.
Can I leave a provider easily?
Containers are standard exports and the tagging domain is yours, so yes, if you keep control of DNS.
What does Open Tracked include?
A managed server container, power-ups on every plan, logs and monitoring by plan, analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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