Oracle Unexpectedly Axes AddThis: 15 Million Publishers Lose Popular Sharing and Analytics Tool

Introduction

In a surprising move, Oracle recently announced the discontinuation of AddThis, a popular social sharing and insights tool that was part of its marketing cloud services. The sudden disappearance of AddThis widgets from the customers’ sites left users scrambling to find alternatives and has raised several questions about Oracle’s abrupt decision.

Background

Oracle acquired AddThis in 2016, and over time, the tool became a go-to solution for more than 15 million publishers across the globe. Offering powerful sharing functionality and insightful analytics services, AddThis became a valuable asset for businesses and gave them a better understanding of user engagement on their sites.

Reason for Discontinuation

Oracle’s notice revealed that the termination of AddThis services resulted from a “periodic product portfolio review.” Effective from May 31, the decision caught many users off guard, leaving them to wonder what the future holds for their social sharing and analytics needs.

Implications for Users

As a result of the discontinuation, users must stop using AddThis services and promptly remove all related code and technology from their websites. AddThis buttons have vanished from users’ sites, and the dashboards and support they previously had access to are no longer available. Furthermore, all features of AddThis that were previously configured to interoperate with users’ websites, other Oracle services, or third-party tools and plug-ins, have ceased to function.

Alternative Solutions

The termination of AddThis has a significant impact on millions of publishers who relied heavily on its services. As these users search for viable alternatives, it opens up opportunities for other social sharing and analytics platforms to fill the void left by AddThis.

Some popular alternatives to consider for social sharing include ShareThis, Shareaholic, and AddToAny, while Google Analytics, Matomo, and Adobe Analytics are reputable choices when it comes to web analytics. Although the decision to discontinue AddThis has disrupted the landscape for many, it also serves as an opportunity for users to explore new tools and potentially find a solution that better fits their needs.

As the dust settles on Oracle’s unexpected discontinuation of AddThis, we’d love to hear our readers’ thoughts on the situation. Are you affected by this change, and which alternatives do you plan to use for your social sharing and analytics needs? Feel free to share your views and opinions in the comments section below.