Best Revenue Attribution Software for Early Stage Startups
Best Revenue Attribution Software for Early Stage Startups
Updated June 27, 20264,381 words10 tools compared
Revenue attribution is the foundation of intelligent spending decisions. For early-stage startups operating with limited budgets and intense growth pressure, understanding which marketing channels and sales activities actually drive revenue is critical. Without proper attribution, founders waste thousands monthly on channels that don't convert, while underinvesting in their real revenue drivers.
Unfortunately, many early-stage companies default to last-touch attribution or spreadsheet tracking—methods that distort reality and lead to poor decisions. The right attribution software bridges this gap, providing visibility into multi-touch customer journeys across email, ads, content, partnerships, and direct sales.
In this guide, we've evaluated 15 revenue attribution platforms specifically for startups with under $5M ARR. We'll cover pricing, ease of implementation, and which tools match different business models—whether you're B2B SaaS, marketplace, or subscription-based.
Quick Comparison
Product
Best For
Starting Price
Rating
Key Feature
Sisense
Data teams with complex requirements
$2,500/mo
4.4/5
Advanced SQL-based analytics and custom dashboards
Veelo
Sales-focused attribution tracking
$500/mo
4.3/5
Real-time revenue pipeline visibility
Ambition
Sales enablement with leaderboards
$3,000/mo
4.2/5
Gamification and rep performance tracking
Allbound
Partner ecosystem attribution
$1,200/mo
4.1/5
Multi-partner revenue tracking and attribution
People.ai
Account-based sales teams
$5,000/mo
4.5/5
AI-powered engagement scoring and insights
Aviso
Enterprise sales forecasting
$4,000/mo
4.4/5
Predictive revenue analytics and deal intelligence
BoostUp
Commission and incentive tracking
$800/mo
4.0/5
Automated commission calculations and payouts
Scratchpad
Lightweight CRM data capture
$300/mo
4.2/5
Minimalist deal tracking without CRM replacement
Weflow
Pipeline management automation
$600/mo
4.1/5
Workflow automation and data normalization
Dooly
Sales team productivity tools
$400/mo
4.3/5
Real-time pipeline updates and team collaboration
Salesforce Einstein Analytics
Existing Salesforce users
$1,000/mo
4.3/5
Native CRM integration with predictive models
Pavlov
Behavioral trigger tracking
$700/mo
3.9/5
Event-based attribution and customer signals
Kantata
Services business attribution
$1,500/mo
4.0/5
Project-based revenue recognition
Salesforce Revenue Cloud
Enterprise revenue operations
$3,000/mo
4.4/5
Unified revenue management platform
Zendesk Sell
Budget-conscious startups
$25/user/mo
4.2/5
Simple CRM with basic analytics
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Detailed Reviews
In-depth analysis of each platform to help you make the right choice.
#1
People.ai
Top Pick
Best For: Account-based sales teams and B2B SaaS startups with 5-50 enterprise customers
People.ai combines AI-driven engagement analytics with multi-touch attribution specifically designed for account-based sales motions. The platform automatically captures all customer interactions across email, calls, and messaging platforms, then attributes revenue impact to each touchpoint. For early-stage startups targeting enterprise accounts, People.ai reduces manual data entry by 70% while providing unprecedented clarity into which sales activities actually move deals. The platform's engagement scoring engine flags at-risk accounts and predicts deal outcomes with 85%+ accuracy.
Pricing: $5,000/month for up to 25 users; custom pricing for larger teams. ROI typically breaks even at month 4-5 through deal acceleration.
Key Features
AI-powered engagement scoring and recommendations
Multi-touch attribution across all customer interactions
Automatic activity capture from email, calls, and messaging
Deal health scoring and risk prediction
Integration with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Outreach
Pros
+Dramatically reduces manual CRM data entry—activities auto-populate
+Engagement scores surface which specific actions correlate with closed deals
+Early warning system for stalled opportunities before they die
+No training required—AI learns your team's selling patterns immediately
+Accuracy improves week-over-week as the system learns
Cons
-$5K monthly price point requires demonstrated ROI before scaling
-Setup requires 2-3 weeks of data syncing before insights emerge
-Works best with companies already using Salesforce or HubSpot
-Less useful for self-serve or low-touch selling models
Verdict
People.ai is the strongest pick for early-stage B2B SaaS companies selling into enterprise accounts. If your sales team closes deals through coordinated outreach across multiple stakeholders, this platform pays for itself immediately through deal acceleration and reduced cycle time. The AI engine compounds its value over time as it learns your unique selling patterns.
#2
Dooly
Best For: Early-stage SaaS startups (Series A-B) with 5-20 person sales teams already using Salesforce or HubSpot
Dooly sits between a CRM and an analytics tool—it makes pipeline data real-time without replacing your existing system. Built specifically for sales teams, Dooly automatically syncs deal data from Salesforce or HubSpot and creates a lightweight interface where reps can update status in seconds. The platform then provides instant visibility into pipeline health, deal progression, and attribution by source. For startup sales teams that find traditional CRM interfaces clunky, Dooly removes friction while adding critical attribution tracking that most native CRM tools lack.
Pricing: $400/month base + $30/user/month; typical 10-person team costs $700/month. Annual commitment offers 20% discount.
Key Features
Real-time pipeline visualization and updates
Deal progression tracking with automatic stage change notifications
Attribution by lead source, campaign, and rep
Slack integration for instant deal alerts
Automated forecast accuracy tracking
Pros
+Minimal learning curve—sales team adoption is typically 90%+ within week one
+Lightweight interface gets reps to update deals faster, improving data quality
+Slack notifications ensure managers stay aware without logging into separate system
+Works seamlessly with both Salesforce and HubSpot
+Affordable for teams under 20 people
Cons
-Does not replace CRM—requires parallel system management
-Attribution limited to source and rep; cannot track multi-touch campaigns
-Reporting dashboards less advanced than dedicated analytics platforms
-No native forecasting AI; relies on historical accuracy data
Verdict
Dooly is the ideal entry point for startups seeking attribution visibility without major system changes. Choose this if you need a quick win in pipeline transparency and rep accountability. Once your team scales past 20 people, plan to supplement with a more sophisticated attribution tool like People.ai or Veelo.
#3
Veelo
Best For: Mid-market SaaS and B2B service companies with 15-100 customers and variable deal cycles
Veelo specializes in revenue pipeline attribution with a focus on mid-market B2B companies experiencing multiple concurrent deals. Unlike all-in-one platforms, Veelo concentrates specifically on answering one question: which activities drive revenue forward? The platform connects to your CRM, email, and calendar to track every customer touchpoint, then calculates contribution scores for each interaction. This narrowly-focused approach appeals to startups that already have a CRM but lack proper attribution insight. Veelo's strength lies in distinguishing between vanity metrics and true revenue drivers.
Pricing: $500/month for starter plan (up to 5 users); $1,500/month for professional (up to 20 users). No setup fees or implementation costs.
Key Features
Multi-touch attribution across email, meetings, and calls
Activity impact scoring for each sales interaction
Deal velocity tracking by source and rep
Customizable attribution models (first-touch, last-touch, time decay, custom)
Integrations with Salesforce, Gmail, and Outlook
Pros
+Simple implementation—connects to existing systems in days, not weeks
+Clear attribution models let you see exactly how credit is distributed
+Affordable pricing scales well from 5 to 50 person sales teams
+No AI hype—transparent algorithms you can understand and audit
+Excellent support specifically tailored to growing companies
Cons
-Limited to CRM, email, and calendar—cannot track web events or ad attribution
-Requires accurate CRM data; garbage-in-garbage-out problem exists
-Less sophisticated than enterprise tools like Aviso or Sisense
-No forecasting capabilities beyond what your CRM provides
Verdict
Veelo deserves consideration if you operate a traditional B2B sales model with 15+ customers in your pipeline. The platform's transparent approach to attribution means you can explain to your board exactly why you're investing in specific sales tactics. This is honest, practical attribution software without unnecessary complexity.
#4
Aviso
Best For: Series A/B SaaS companies with 10-50 person sales teams seeking forecast accuracy and rep coaching data
Aviso combines revenue attribution with predictive forecasting—surfacing both what drove past deals and what will close next month. The platform ingests CRM data, email activity, and calendar events to create a complete picture of sales processes. Aviso's AI then calculates each activity's contribution to closed deals and predicts which current deals will slip. For scaling startups managing larger teams and more complex pipelines, Aviso provides the operational intelligence needed to prevent forecast misses. The platform is particularly strong at identifying which reps follow winning sales processes and which ones deviate.
Pricing: $4,000/month for basic deployment (typical for 15-25 users); enterprise pricing available. Implementation typically requires 4-week onboarding.
Key Features
AI-powered revenue forecast accuracy scoring
Activity-based contribution attribution model
Deal risk scoring and early warning alerts
Rep coaching recommendations based on top performer patterns
Forecasting accuracy benchmarking vs. industry standards
Pros
+Forecast accuracy typically improves by 25-40% within first quarter
+Rep coaching feature identifies which specific behaviors matter most
+Integrates natively with Salesforce, making adoption smooth
+Handles complex multi-threaded deals with account-level scoring
+Strong implementation team guides configuration for your sales process
-Heavy Salesforce dependency—less useful if you use HubSpot or Pipedrive
-Requires clean CRM data; poor data hygiene creates inaccurate predictions
Verdict
Aviso is the clear choice when forecast accuracy directly impacts your company's valuation and investor relations. If your board is tired of missed predictions and your CFO needs reliable monthly revenue numbers, Aviso's predictive capabilities pay for themselves. Plan this as a Series A+ investment once you've built repeatable sales process.
#5
Salesforce Einstein Analytics
Best For: Salesforce-exclusive companies with $1-10M ARR seeking native attribution without platform sprawl
Einstein Analytics is Salesforce's native analytics and attribution engine. If your company already standardizes on Salesforce CRM, Einstein Analytics provides deep attribution without additional platform integrations. The tool connects directly to your CRM data and applies machine learning to calculate which campaigns, channels, and sales activities drive revenue. Einstein's main advantage is data proximity—your attribution analysis lives inside the system your team already uses daily. This eliminates data synchronization delays and keeps information fresh. For Salesforce-committed startups, this is often the path of least resistance.
Pricing: $1,000/month for Einstein Analytics Cloud deployment; included in Salesforce Premium+ editions at $300/user/month. Most startups spend $2,000-3,000 monthly.
Key Features
Native Salesforce integration without data pipelines
Automated insights and anomaly detection
Customizable dashboards with drag-and-drop builder
Predictive lead scoring and probability forecasting
Connected to Salesforce Marketing Cloud for campaign attribution
Pros
+No data latency—attribution calculated from live Salesforce records
+Single sign-on with existing Salesforce credentials
+Reduced tools in your stack if you're already Salesforce-heavy
+Native integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud
+Included dashboards accelerate time-to-insight
Cons
-Requires Salesforce Premium tier ($300/user), increasing total cost of ownership
-Analytics interface less intuitive than specialized attribution platforms
-Limited ability to track web events or ad platform data (requires Salesforce CDP)
-Machine learning models less sophisticated than dedicated platforms like Aviso
-Requires manual dashboard creation for custom attribution models
Verdict
Einstein Analytics makes sense if you're already spending $3,000+ monthly on Salesforce and want to avoid another vendor relationship. However, if you're undecided on CRM platforms, choose a specialized attribution tool and avoid locking into Salesforce's expensive ecosystem early. This is a consolidation play, not a best-in-class attribution solution.
#6
Scratchpad
Best For: Pre-Series A and Series A startups with small sales teams (3-10 people) struggling with CRM adoption
Scratchpad takes a minimalist approach to CRM and deal tracking, eliminating the data entry burden that kills rep productivity. Rather than forcing reps into a heavyweight CRM, Scratchpad captures deal information directly from Gmail and calendar, then provides a clean interface for status updates and collaboration. The platform doesn't attempt sophisticated attribution analysis, but its focus on data hygiene means the information flowing into your CRM becomes automatically clean and standardized. For early-stage startups tired of CRM adoption struggles, Scratchpad solves the actual problem: getting reps to document deals accurately.
Pricing: $300/month for up to 5 users; $800/month for up to 15 users. Annual billing available at 20% discount.
Key Features
Lightweight interface minimizing data entry friction
Automatic deal recognition from email and calendar
Quick-action workflows and status updates from Gmail
Native Salesforce sync for teams already committed to SF
Activity capture without requiring rep data entry
Pros
+Dramatically improves CRM data quality by reducing friction to entry
+Gmail-native interface means zero adoption resistance
+Fast implementation—team productive within 24 hours
+Solves actual problem (CRM avoidance) vs. adding another tool
+Affordable for pre-Series A teams with limited budgets
Cons
-No attribution or analytics capabilities—requires separate tool
-Limited to Salesforce integration; no HubSpot or Pipedrive support
-Not suitable for teams needing sophisticated deal analysis
-Activity capture sometimes misses complex multi-stakeholder deals
Verdict
Scratchpad is the pragmatic choice for startup founders experiencing CRM adoption failure. Before investing in sophisticated analytics, fix your data foundation. If your team refuses to update Salesforce, no attribution tool will help. Scratchpad buys you clean data first, then add analytics later.
#7
Ambition
Best For: Series A SaaS companies with 8-30 person sales teams requiring performance clarity and compensation transparency
Ambition combines sales performance tracking with revenue attribution through its core leaderboard and gamification system. The platform connects to your CRM and compensation system to automatically calculate each rep's contribution to revenue, then surfaces weekly leaderboards showing who's driving dollars. Ambition's theory: transparent attribution combined with competition drives cultural change. The platform excels at identifying which specific sales behaviors correlate with revenue wins. For startups needing both visibility and motivation to change sales team composition, Ambition provides both in one tool.
Pricing: $3,000/month base + $30-60/user/month for larger teams; typical cost for 15-person team is $4,500/month
Key Features
Automated leaderboards and gamification mechanics
Revenue attribution by individual rep and team
Compensation tracking and commission calculations
Custom KPI tracking aligned to your sales process
Weekly email digests with performance highlights
Pros
+Dramatically improves sales team engagement through transparency
+Identifies top performing reps and their specific behaviors
+Compensation logic is transparent, reducing disputes
+Monthly ROI is often positive through rep performance improvements
Cons
-Gamification can create unhealthy competition if not carefully managed
-Expensive for teams under 10 people
-Requires culture buy-in; teams that resist transparency struggle
-Less useful for organizations with complex deal collaboration
Verdict
Ambition is the choice for founders ready to implement transparent, performance-driven cultures. If your sales team responds to visibility and competition, Ambition compounds this tendency through constant leaderboards. However, if your culture values collaboration over individual metrics, this tool will create friction rather than alignment.
#8
Zendesk Sell
Best For: Bootstrapped and pre-seed startups (1-8 person sales teams) requiring CRM basics without premium pricing
Zendesk Sell is a lightweight CRM designed specifically for small teams and startups that don't need Salesforce's complexity. Priced as a per-user platform, Zendesk Sell becomes extremely cost-effective for teams under 15 people. While the platform doesn't specialize in attribution, it includes basic analytics showing pipeline trends and close rates by source. For bootstrap-funded startups or pre-Series A companies operating on extreme budgets, Zendesk Sell provides essential CRM functionality without enterprise pricing. The platform handles standard deal tracking, activity logging, and basic forecasting adequately.
Pricing: $25/user/month for Sell Plus edition; team of 5 costs $125/month total. $55/user/month for Sell Pro with advanced features.
Key Features
Lightweight deal pipeline tracking
Activity and communication logging from email
Basic forecasting and pipeline analytics
Integration with Zendesk support platform
Mobile app for field sales teams
Pros
+Extremely affordable for small teams—$25/user is lowest market rate
+Works well for teams not yet generating complex multi-touch data
+Adequate for pre-product-market-fit stages
Cons
-No advanced attribution or AI analytics features
-Limited reporting compared to Salesforce or HubSpot
-Difficult to scale beyond 15-person teams
-Integration ecosystem smaller than competitors
-Customer support is self-service focused rather than proactive
Verdict
Zendesk Sell is only appropriate if you're genuinely constrained by budget and cannot access even $500/month for a dedicated tool. Most startups graduate from Zendesk to Salesforce or HubSpot within 12-18 months. Don't use this as your long-term platform—it's a temporary solution for extreme cash constraints. As soon as you close your first major deals, migrate to a platform with proper attribution capabilities.
#9
Sisense
Best For: Series B+ startups with dedicated data/analytics teams and complex, multi-source attribution requirements
Sisense is an enterprise data analytics platform with SQL-based custom reporting capabilities. While not specifically built for revenue attribution, Sisense excels at companies needing to connect multiple data sources (CRM, marketing automation, billing, support) into unified dashboards. For startups operating with multiple disconnected systems, Sisense provides the technical foundation to build custom attribution models that other platforms cannot support. The trade-off is complexity—Sisense requires data engineering resources to extract value. This is not a point-and-click tool.
Pricing: $2,500/month for entry-level deployment; enterprise customers average $5,000-10,000/month. Implementation typically requires 6-12 weeks.
Key Features
SQL-based custom query building
Multi-source data integration (CRM, marketing, billing, etc.)
Advanced visualization and dashboard design
Embedded analytics capabilities for customer-facing reports
Enterprise-grade security and compliance features
Pros
+Most flexible platform for custom business logic
+Can integrate any data source through SQL connectors
+Scales with your data infrastructure as company grows
+Powerful for cohort analysis and customer lifetime value calculations
+Strong for companies building customer-facing analytics
Cons
-Requires dedicated data engineer or analytics hire to operate effectively
-Complex implementation with 6-12 week lead times
-Steep learning curve—not accessible to non-technical users
-Expensive for teams without dedicated analytics resources
-Not ideal if you simply need standard CRM attribution
Verdict
Sisense is overkill for 95% of early-stage startups. Only consider this platform if you've hired a data analyst who specifically wants SQL-based flexibility, or if your attribution requirements are genuinely complex. Most startups get sufficient attribution capability from dedicated tools like People.ai or Veelo at 1/5th the price and implementation burden.
#10
Allbound
Best For: B2B SaaS and marketplace platforms with active reseller or integration partner programs
Allbound specializes in partner ecosystem attribution—tracking revenue that flows through resellers, integrations, and channel partners. For B2B SaaS companies with active partner programs, Allbound provides visibility into which partners drive actual revenue versus those who simply capture leads. The platform connects partner activity across multiple systems and attributes revenue back to specific partner relationships. This fills a critical gap: most attribution tools assume direct sales models and cannot track indirect revenue channels. For marketplace or platform companies, Allbound is the only solution purpose-built for partner attribution.
Pricing: $1,200/month base + $100-200 per active partner; typical cost for 10-15 partners is $2,000-2,500/month
Key Features
Partner-specific revenue attribution
Co-marketing campaign tracking and ROI
Partner portal for self-service deal registration
Multi-partner deal collaboration tracking
Integration with Salesforce and HubSpot
Pros
+Only platform specifically designed for partner attribution
+Enables accurate ROI calculation on partner investments
+Partner portal reduces friction in partner workflows
-Requires established partner program to justify cost
-Not useful if you operate direct-sales-only model
-Integration with partner systems can be complex
-Smaller ecosystem of integrations compared to mainstream platforms
Verdict
Allbound is essential if your business model depends on partners. If 20%+ of your revenue flows through channels, this platform's ROI is obvious. However, if you're still in direct-sales stage, wait until your partner program matures before adopting this tool. Adding too early creates unnecessary complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions about best revenue attribution software for early stage startups
Last-touch attribution credits 100% of a deal to the final interaction before the customer bought—usually the sales close. This approach ignores all the earlier touchpoints that actually moved the customer toward purchase. Multi-touch attribution distributes credit across multiple interactions: perhaps the first website visit gets 20%, the webinar gets 30%, the product demo gets 40%, and the final sales call gets 10%. Multi-touch is vastly more accurate for understanding which marketing and sales activities actually drive revenue. Most B2B purchases involve 5-8+ touchpoints across 2-3 months, so last-touch completely misrepresents your real revenue drivers. For startups evaluating tools, ensure they support custom multi-touch models rather than only last-touch or first-touch. RevAlign.io can help you model the specific attribution approach that matches your business model.
Time-to-ROI varies dramatically by tool and use case. Simple CRM-based tools like Dooly typically show value within 1-2 weeks through improved pipeline visibility and rep accountability. Medium-complexity platforms like Veelo or Aviso require 4-6 weeks for data accumulation before insights become reliable—you need at least one complete sales cycle of data. AI-driven platforms like People.ai become accurate after 6-8 weeks of learning your team's behaviors, but deal acceleration typically begins in week 3-4. For most startups, expect the first actionable insight by week 2-3 (which channels drive engagement most efficiently) and full ROI justification by month 4-5 through improved channel allocation or forecast accuracy. If you're buying attribution software for immediate ROI, pick a lightweight tool like Dooly. If you're building a predictive capability, expect to invest 2-3 months before the value becomes undeniable.
Most attribution platforms support both Salesforce and HubSpot equally, but specific capabilities vary. Salesforce users should consider People.ai, Aviso, or Veelo—all three connect directly to Salesforce without data pipeline complexity. If you're Salesforce-committed and already paying for Premium tiers, Einstein Analytics provides native attribution without additional vendor fees. HubSpot users have slightly fewer specialized options; People.ai and Veelo both support HubSpot well, but setup typically requires additional data API work since HubSpot's native integrations are less deep. Ultimately, avoid letting your CRM choice drive your attribution decision—pick the best attribution tool first, then ensure it supports your CRM. Don't choose Salesforce Einstein Analytics just because you use Salesforce if a better specialized tool serves your needs better. The integration work is minimal compared to the value difference between platforms.
Technically yes, but this approach almost always fails in practice. Here's why: building accurate attribution requires continuous data synchronization from 4-6 different systems (CRM, email platform, marketing automation, ads, payment system). Manual approaches work for 2-3 months, then data quickly becomes inconsistent as sources diverge. You'll spend 10+ hours weekly manually reconciling data that automated platforms handle in real-time. Additionally, true attribution modeling requires statistical rigor—calculating confidence intervals and handling missing data properly—which is beyond basic spreadsheet capabilities. Early-stage founders often believe they can DIY this, then discover 6 months later that their attribution conclusions are unreliable. Our recommendation: spend $500-1,000/month on a real attribution tool rather than 10+ hours weekly on maintenance. If budget is the constraint, start with Dooly ($400/month) while you grow, then upgrade to a more sophisticated platform as revenue scales. The time investment ROI of professional tools is almost always positive by month 2.
Expect significant data quality issues in your first 30 days—this is completely normal and doesn't indicate platform failure. Common problems: CRM contacts missing email addresses (blocking email attribution), deals attributed to wrong months due to incorrect close dates, duplicate contact records across systems, and activity logging incomplete because your team inconsistently records interactions. The solution is implementing a data cleaning process during the first 4-6 weeks of any new attribution tool. Most platforms provide clear reports identifying data quality gaps. Prioritize fixing: incorrect deal close dates (breaks attribution by month), missing email addresses (blocks email platform integration), and duplicate contacts (causes revenue double-counting). Don't wait for perfect data before starting—attribution tools actually help identify data problems. Using a tool like Scratchpad to automatically capture activity reduces data entry friction significantly. Expect improvement from 60% to 85% data accuracy by month 2-3 as your team adapts to cleaner data workflows.
Conclusion
Revenue attribution is no longer optional for early-stage startups—it's the foundation of intelligent capital allocation. Without clear visibility into which channels and sales activities drive actual revenue, you're making million-dollar spending decisions on guesswork.
For most early-stage startups (pre-Series A through Series B), we recommend this progression: Start with Dooly if you want fast pipeline visibility with minimal disruption. Move to Veelo or People.ai once you reach Series A and need deeper attribution across multiple touchpoints. Graduate to Aviso when forecast accuracy becomes critical to your investor relations. For companies with active partner channels, Allbound is non-negotiable. For existing Salesforce customers committed to the ecosystem, Einstein Analytics eliminates vendor sprawl.
Choose based on your specific motion: If you sell through direct enterprise deals with long cycles, People.ai is the clear winner. If you operate a product-led or freemium model with self-serve conversions, your attribution needs are different and Sisense with custom modeling may be appropriate. If you're pre-product-market-fit and budget-constrained, Zendesk Sell or Scratchpad buy you time until you're ready for serious analytics.
One critical insight: don't delay implementation waiting for perfect data. Even 60% accurate attribution beats 0% accuracy from spreadsheet tracking. Every month you operate without clarity, you waste thousands on inefficient channel spending. Pick a platform matching your immediate needs, implement within 30 days, then evolve your tools as your company scales and sophistication requirements increase. Your future self—the one analyzing last quarter's revenue—will thank present-day you for having this data available.
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