Arlo vs Lifetimely
Lifetimely tells you what every customer is worth. Arlo tells you what to do this week.
Only one thing changed.
Lifetimely is a cohort and P&L analytics app built around customer lifetime value and unit economics. Arlo is a weekly strategic brief that tells you what matters this week. They answer different questions: Lifetimely answers what a customer is worth over time, and we answer what you should do on Monday. Most brands benefit from both.
Side-by-side
| Feature |  | Lifetimely |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Weekly strategic brief | Cohort + P&L analytics app |
| Built for | Founder-led DTC brands | Finance-literate operators and CFOs |
| Time to first value | Minutes | Days (cohort data accrues over time) |
| Integrations needed | Shopify only | Shopify + Amazon |
| Learning curve | None (it's a brief) | Cohort-table + P&L literacy required |
| Pricing | Flat subscription | $149 to $499/mo, scales with GMV |
| Output | Ranked weekly actions | Cohort tables, LTV curves, P&L |
| Cadence | Weekly, delivered | On-demand dashboard |
The short version
Lifetimely owns the unit-economics job. If you want to know what a customer is worth at month 12, what your cohort retention looks like, or what your true P&L is after fees and shipping, Lifetimely is the right answer.
Arlo owns the weekly decision job. We read your Shopify data and write a ranked strategic brief: what changed this week, what it means, what to do. That is a different product from a cohort table.
Lifetimely pricing is $149 to $499 per month and climbs with your GMV. Arlo is a flat subscription. You will notice the difference at $5M+.
Lifetimely is a read-and-interpret tool. You open it, you scan it, you translate numbers into actions. We do that translation for you every week and deliver a written read.
Most $2M to $20M brands legitimately need both: a cohort/P&L truth layer (Lifetimely) and a weekly strategic brief (Arlo). The jobs don't overlap.
If you can afford exactly one, and you don't yet have unit economics discipline, start with Lifetimely so you have the truth layer. If your unit economics are solid and you need the weekly decision layer instead, start with us.
Who should use what
Use Lifetimely if
- You need cohort retention curves and LTV by segment.
- Your operator or CFO is building unit-economics models against it.
- You sell on Amazon alongside Shopify and need P&L across both.
Use Arlo if
- You want a weekly strategic read, not a cohort table.
- You want someone to rank your actions by impact this week.
- You value your 20 minutes on Monday more than a dashboard session.
A $5M brand with real cohort discipline has a clean case for both.
Most $2M to $20M brands run both. Lifetimely gives you the unit-economics truth layer. Arlo gives you the weekly decision layer. Different jobs, zero functional overlap, both useful.
Under $2M, if you can only afford one, start with Lifetimely if you don't yet have unit-economics discipline, or Arlo if your unit economics are solid and you need the weekly decision layer. From $2M to $20M, both earn their spot for different jobs. Above $20M the question isn't whether to run both, it's who owns each inside the team.
A month using both
- Monday 8amFounder
Reads Arlo. Decides the two or three priorities for the week and sends them to the team in one message.
- Tuesday to FridayTeam
Executes against the week's priorities. No dashboard session required from the founder.
- End of monthFounder or CFO
Opens Lifetimely. Reviews cohort retention, LTV by acquisition channel, and true P&L after fees and shipping.
- QuarterlyFounder + CFO
Uses Lifetimely cohort + P&L data to set CAC and payback targets for the next quarter. Arlo's weekly briefs then hold the team to those targets.
Who touches what
| Role | Arlo | Lifetimely |
|---|---|---|
| Founder / CEO | Reads the Monday brief. Sets the week's priorities. | Checks cohort retention and LTV monthly or quarterly. Not a daily tool. |
| CFO / finance lead | Uses the brief for Monday standup and board updates. | Lives inside Lifetimely. Owns the P&L reconciliation, CAC payback, and cohort models. |
| Growth / marketing lead | Reads the brief alongside the founder. Aligns spend to the week's priorities. | References LTV-by-channel and cohort data when setting CAC ceilings. |
Frequently asked
Is Arlo a replacement for Lifetimely?
No. Lifetimely owns unit economics: cohort retention, LTV, P&L. Arlo owns the weekly strategic brief. These are different jobs and most brands benefit from running both.
Does Arlo show cohort retention or LTV curves?
Not today. We may reference cohort-level signals in the weekly brief where relevant, but cohort analysis as a primary output is Lifetimely's job, not ours.
Can I use Arlo if I already pay for Lifetimely?
Yes. Most brands at $2M+ benefit from both. Lifetimely tells you the truth about unit economics; we tell you what to do this week with that truth.
What does Arlo cost compared to Lifetimely?
Arlo is a flat subscription. Lifetimely is $149 to $499 per month and scales with GMV. If you grow, Lifetimely gets more expensive and we don't.
Read more on the Arlo blog.