Amazon DSP vs. Beezwax: Walled Garden Power vs. Full Customization
The programmatic ad landscape continues to fragment, and as advertisers become more sophisticated, so do their tools. Two DSPs gaining traction for very different reasons are Amazon DSP and Beezwax.
At first glance, comparing Amazon DSP—a closed, vertically integrated ecosystem—with Beezwax—a fully customizable, open-source DSP—might feel like comparing apples to oranges. But the comparison is valid for one key reason: both platforms attract buyers who want more control over outcomes, just in very different ways.
Here’s how they stack up.
Amazon DSP (Demand-Side Platform) is a managed and self-service platform that gives advertisers access to Amazon’s owned-and-operated media (including Fire TV, Twitch, Freevee, and Amazon.com) as well as high-quality third-party publishers. The real value lies in Amazon’s first-party audience data—targeting based on shopping behavior, streaming activity, and lifestyle signals at a massive scale.
Amazon DSP is purpose-built for advertisers who want closed-loop measurement, performance visibility, and access to exclusive inventory not available on open exchanges.
Beezwax is a bidder-as-a-service (BaaS) DSP. It’s an entirely customizable programmatic infrastructure that lets agencies and brands build their own bidding logic, decision trees, and optimization rules. Unlike most DSPs, Beezwax doesn’t force you into a particular UI, data model, or buying structure.
It’s designed for advanced programmatic teams who want to own the tech stack—not rent it. You bring your own data, build your own features, and tailor the platform to your business goals.
Amazon DSP’s biggest strength is its first-party shopper data. You can target in-market consumers based on what they’re actually buying, browsing, or watching across the Amazon ecosystem. This level of deterministic targeting is impossible to replicate with third-party data.
Beezwax allows you to bring in any audience data you want—first-party, third-party, CRM, or custom models—but it doesn’t provide its own audience graph. Targeting quality depends on what you bring to the table.
Summary:
Amazon provides the data. Beezwax gives you the tools to apply your own.
Amazon DSP offers direct access to premium inventory across its platforms, including Fire TV and Amazon Publisher Services. You also get curated CTV deals and private marketplace access with top publishers. This is exclusive inventory you cannot buy through other DSPs.
Beezwax accesses inventory through SSP integrations. You can choose who you connect to, filter supply chains, and even build your own buying rules—but all inventory is sourced from the open exchange or custom direct deals you negotiate yourself.
Summary:
Amazon DSP gives you high-impact placements in closed ecosystems. Beezwax gives you flexibility and control across the open web.
Amazon DSP offers closed-loop attribution—meaning you can see if an ad exposure led to a product view, add-to-cart, or purchase, all within the Amazon environment. It’s one of the only DSPs that can show a direct link between impression and conversion without relying on cookies or third-party tracking.
Beezwax gives you full customization over attribution logic and integrations. You can plug in any analytics or measurement stack you want, from multi-touch attribution models to first-touch, last-touch, or even custom algorithms.
Summary:
Amazon DSP gives you built-in retail attribution. Beezwax lets you build your own logic—but requires more technical infrastructure.
Amazon DSP is not a plug-and-play platform, but it is structured. Media buyers can manage campaigns using the Amazon Ads console or work with managed service partners. You follow Amazon’s structure, but benefit from the power and precision of its data and reporting.
Beezwax is built for advanced teams. You’ll likely need dedicated developers, engineers, or at least highly technical media buyers to get full value from it. It’s not a beginner tool—it’s a DSP for programmatic power users.
Summary:
Amazon DSP is structured and scalable. Beezwax is flexible and technical.
It depends on your goals.
Amazon DSP is a high-performance, data-rich platform for advertisers who want results tied directly to consumer behavior. Beezwax is a sandbox for those who want to build a custom engine and control every variable.
One delivers premium outcomes within a powerful walled garden. The other opens up the programmatic black box and lets you rewrite the rules entirely.
Either way, the question is no longer what can a DSP do? It’s how much do you want to control?
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