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Affectiva alternative for ad testing
Affectiva pioneered emotion AI for advertising, and it is now part of the Smart Eye group. Its ad testing is sold through iMotions: Affectiva's old ad testing page redirects to iMotions' Facial Coding for Ad Testing. That offer draws on a very large database. iMotions says more than 100,000 ads and over 18 million faces have been analysed in around 90 countries, and it reports emotions, valence and engagement against industry benchmarks. iMotions also sells Predictive AI, which scores ads without any respondents. If you want that scale of benchmarks or a software platform your team runs itself, iMotions is the natural route. If you want a managed study on real viewers, with every score traceable to 44 coded Action Units and a published method, EchoDepth is the alternative built for that, reporting the Cavefish Emotional Index alongside it.
Updated 17 October 2026 by Jonathan Prescott, Founder, Cavefish.
Where Affectiva ad testing lives now
Affectiva, Smart Eye and iMotions are now one group. Here is how the ad testing offer is described today.
The Affectiva homepage now leads with “Humanizing technology with Emotion AI” and no longer uses the name Affdex for Market Research. Its ad testing page redirects to iMotions’ Facial Coding for Ad Testing, described as an “All-in-One Ad Testing Platform”.
- Scale
- “More than 100,000 ads and over 18 million faces analyzed in around 90 countries”, and more than 1,400 brands including Mars, Kellogg’s and CBS. (iMotions)
- Measures
- AFFDEX reports seven core emotions plus valence and engagement, with over 30 facial classifiers including nine key indicators. (iMotions FEA)
- Predictive AI
- Scores attention, expressiveness and valence against norms with “no respondents”, in under three minutes. (iMotions Predictive AI)
- Consent
- iMotions states that facial coding runs “with explicit respondent’s opt-in consent”.
- Pricing
- Annual subscription per module, with a mandatory core module and no light version; figures are not published. (iMotions pricing)
For a broader comparison of the iMotions platform, see EchoDepth vs iMotions.
Affectiva via iMotions and EchoDepth compared
Both code facial expressions from webcams. The difference is in delivery, transparency and what you get back.
| How it works | Main outputs | Score construction published? | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iMotions Facial Coding for Ad Testing (Affectiva) | Webcam facial coding with the AFFDEX engine, benchmarked against a large ad database | Emotions, valence, engagement and attention against industry benchmarks | No | Annual subscription, on request |
| iMotions Predictive AI | Predicted from a model, no respondents | Attention, expressiveness and valence against norms | No | On request |
| EchoDepth | Measured: 44 FACS Action Units coded from each viewer's webcam, frame by frame | Emotional Response Curve (valence, arousal, dominance from 44 AUs) and the Cavefish Emotional Index from viewers' post-view answers | Yes, the method is published | Quote per study |
iMotions and Affectiva details are from imotions.com and affectiva.com in October 2026.
When iMotions is the better choice
- You need large benchmarks
- iMotions cites more than 100,000 ads analysed, so you can compare against a big norms base.
- Your team runs its own research
- iMotions is software you license, with modules for eye tracking, biometrics and more alongside facial coding.
- You want instant predicted screening
- Predictive AI scores an ad in minutes with no respondents.
When EchoDepth is the better fit
- You want a managed study, from recruitment to debrief, rather than software to run yourself.
- You want to see the Action Units behind every moment, not only emotion labels.
- You want a published method (AU-to-emotion mapping and response-curve calculation) your analysts can check.
- You want to start with one study rather than an annual platform licence.
See how the scores are built in our methodology, or read how a study runs on the ad testing page.
Questions
On the Affectiva, Smart Eye and iMotions relationship, and choosing between software and a managed study.
Is Affectiva still available for ad testing?
Yes, through iMotions. Affectiva's ad testing page redirects to iMotions' Facial Coding for Ad Testing, which uses the Affectiva AFFDEX engine. Affectiva and iMotions are both part of the Smart Eye group.
What is the difference between Affectiva and iMotions?
Affectiva built the AFFDEX emotion AI engine. iMotions is the research software platform that now sells Affectiva's ad testing, alongside other modules such as eye tracking and Predictive AI.
What is a good Affectiva alternative for ad testing?
If you want software and large benchmarks, iMotions is the direct route. If you want a managed study on real, consenting viewers with Action Unit detail and a published method, EchoDepth is an alternative built for that.
Does EchoDepth use the Facial Action Coding System?
Yes. EchoDepth codes 44 FACS Action Units on every frame, converts them into valence, arousal and dominance, and plots them second by second as an Emotional Response Curve. It also reports the Cavefish Emotional Index, a 0 to 100 score read from what viewers say after watching.
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