Performance marketing agencies: 13 firms compared

Paid advertising can bring in customers, but hiring someone to run the ads is only part of the decision. Your marketing team may also need fresh creative, better landing pages or a clearer view of which campaigns produce qualified sales opportunities. The agency you choose needs to take responsibility for the work that will improve those results.

A performance marketing agency manages and improves acquisition activity against measurable goals, such as customer acquisition cost or qualified pipeline. Those goals are separate from the platform charges for advertising and the agency’s fees for its work. Payment terms come from the contract; the service name does not mean you pay only when a sale occurs.

This guide compares 13 agencies by service scope, evidence and published fees, with questions for choosing a paid-acquisition or retargeting partner.

Compare the agencies

The services span media buying, creative production, landing pages and conversion-rate optimization, measurement, and affiliate management. The table maps these to specific firms. Choose an integrated scope when you need the agency to coordinate several disciplines; a narrower brief can work when your internal team covers the rest.

These 13 cover the services compared here; other capable agencies exist, and leaving one out is not a judgment about its work. This is an alphabetical, non-exhaustive comparison; potential fit is editorial judgment. Case results and service claims are the firms’ own.

Performance marketing agencies, A–Z

13 firms

Acceleration Partners

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Acceleration Partners website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Building an affiliate or influencer partner program alongside paid advertising

Acceleration Partners reports tripling partner growth for TikTok for Business through a global partnership strategy. Its affiliate and influencer services cover program development and partner recruitment, including content, coupon and loyalty publishers. APVision supplies program reporting.

Ask how the program will balance partners that introduce new customers with those that help existing prospects complete a purchase; that distinction should shape reporting and commission tiers.

Ask first

How would you set our partner mix and commission tiers, and how easily could we change them?

Sources

Acceleration Partners’ services and TikTok for Business example (opens in a new tab)

Amsive

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Amsive website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Campaigns combining direct mail with digital advertising

For Commerce Bank, Amsive reports fourfold deposit growth. Its broader offer combines paid search, programmatic and social media with direct mail, email, creative and analytics. Audience Science uses audience modeling to identify customers and reach them across channels.

Ask first

How will you measure the contribution of digital media and direct mail when the same customer receives both?

Sources

Amsive’s services and Commerce Bank example (opens in a new tab)

Disruptive Advertising

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Disruptive Advertising website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Assessing an existing acquisition program before committing to a new engagement

In a testimonial published by Disruptive Advertising, Kalli Spear, Director of Marketing at Grow.com, describes new leads from Google and Facebook campaigns and “a lot more conversions on their landing page than I was expecting,” adding that “it has only been a couple of weeks.” Disruptive’s offer combines paid media, creative and conversion optimization, starting with a free marketing audit. Its October 2026 homepage advertises measurable growth within 90 days or money back for qualifying brands.

Ask first

What makes our brand eligible, which metric and baseline establish growth, and which payments would the money-back remedy cover?

Sources

Disruptive Advertising’s services, audit and guarantee (opens in a new tab)Grow.com testimonial (opens in a new tab)

HawkSEM

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HawkSEM website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Connecting paid-search activity with conversion and customer data

HawkSEM’s homepage reports an 11x return on ad spend through Microsoft Ads for Teak HQ. Its search-led offer includes PPC, SEO, social media, conversion optimization and landing-page work.

The firm’s ConversionIQ system connects marketing channels and data tools, including Google Ads, Google Analytics, Facebook and HubSpot. For a search-heavy brief, ask for a demonstration of how customer data would change a budget or landing-page decision.

Sources

HawkSEM’s client examples, services and ConversionIQ (opens in a new tab)

inBeat

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Part of Fieldtrip, in which the author is a partner

Potential fit

Frequent creator-ad refreshes for paid social

For Hurom, inBeat reports a 65% reduction in overall cost per acquisition after addressing creative fatigue with creator content and health-focused messaging. Its paid-media service combines creative production with media buying, continuously refreshed creator assets and weekly optimization. Reporting covers revenue, customer acquisition cost and return on ad spend; services include paid social, paid search, programmatic, display and retargeting.

Ask first

What creative will we receive, how will test results shape the next batch, and what creator usage rights are included?

Sources

inbeat.agency (opens in a new tab)inBeat’s Hurom case (opens in a new tab)inBeat’s paid-media service (opens in a new tab)

M+C Saatchi Performance

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M+C Saatchi Performance website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

App acquisition that needs media, store-page work and measurement

M+C Saatchi Performance reports a 71% increase in first-time consultations for Halodoc after shifting the campaign’s core metric from cost per transaction to customer acquisition cost. Its offer combines media buying, app store optimization and measurement.

The measurement service includes attribution modeling, incrementality testing and marketing mix modeling: assigning conversion credit, testing advertising’s added effect and estimating channel contributions to outcomes.

Ask first

Which post-install outcome should guide optimization? For each measurement method you recommend, explain the data history, geographic coverage, variation in spend or exposure, budget and test duration it would require.

Sources

mcsaatchiperformance.com (opens in a new tab)M+C Saatchi Performance’s services and Halodoc example (opens in a new tab)

MuteSix

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MuteSix website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Ad production for search, social and marketplace campaigns

For an unnamed Amazon advertiser, MuteSix publishes a 55% increase in return on ad spend. Its homepage also presents campaign work across Meta, Apple Search, TikTok and Google.

Creative production, media buying and marketing science sit within its integrated offer. For a campaign spanning platforms, request a production plan showing which concepts can be adapted and which require separate assets.

Sources

MuteSix’s campaign examples and services (opens in a new tab)

NoGood

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NoGood website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

A growth program that spans paid acquisition, creative and conversion improvements

NoGood lists AWS, MongoDB and Oura among its clients. It describes a dedicated squad of strategists, consultants, creators, growth engineers and data scientists for each custom engagement. Its offer covers paid search, social ads, organic marketing, creative, analytics and conversion optimization, and it says it works exclusively in SaaS, B2B, healthcare, fintech, consumer/eCommerce and AI.

Its FAQ describes AI workflows for research, content development, analysis and reporting, alongside restrictions on AI use in most creative and strategy work.

Ask first

At our proposed scope, which specialists, deliverables and availability are included, and how will AI-use boundaries, creative rights and human approval work?

Sources

NoGood’s services, squad model and pricing FAQ (opens in a new tab)

Obility

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Obility website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

B2B technology and SaaS acquisition measured against pipeline and revenue

In a testimonial published by Obility, David Cain, identified as Sendoso’s Head of Global Marketing, says pipeline more than doubled within a few months of Obility joining the account. Obility specializes in B2B technology and SaaS, with paid search, paid social and revenue attribution.

Guide provides guidance for an in-house team; Ascent manages paid search, display and social with one strategist across channels; Summit assigns a dedicated strategist per channel. Ascent and Summit dashboards connect advertising and analytics data with the CRM. Analytics & Tracking is offered separately, including offline conversion tracking setup.

Ask first

Which opportunity stage would you optimize toward? How long after a click should we expect to measure it? What lead-quality data must sales return, and how quickly? Who sets up offline conversion imports, and is that included in our package or a tracking add-on?

Sources

Obility’s B2B services (opens in a new tab)Obility’s packages and Sendoso testimonial (opens in a new tab)

Performics

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Performics website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Shared search and social programs across countries

Performics reports more than 1,000 global clients across its business. Its OneSuite offer brings together search, programmatic, social and commerce capabilities, and its site provides market links across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.

Ask first

Which of our markets would the proposed team cover directly, and how would local teams adapt campaigns and report against shared goals?

Sources

Performics’ capabilities and markets (opens in a new tab)

Tinuiti

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Tinuiti website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Connecting retail-media investment with a wider advertising program

Tinuiti highlights a 15% increase in total Amazon sales for Ursa Major through Foundation, its offering for midsize brands. Its broader services include retail and commerce media, streaming, search and social.

Bliss Point connects audience, creative, media and measurement. Its measurement service includes experiments to test advertising’s added effect and media mix modeling to estimate how channel spending contributes to revenue.

Ask first

Can you show an experiment from a comparable retail and direct-to-consumer business, and how its result changed where the client spent next? If you propose a new design for us, explain its uncertainty and how it would guide investment beyond retailer-attributed sales.

Sources

Tinuiti’s services and Ursa Major example (opens in a new tab)Bliss Point measurement (opens in a new tab)

Upgrow

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Upgrow website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Tech-company lead-generation teams looking for paid-media management with published starting terms

Upgrow reports increasing Orca’s demo volume by 163% while decreasing costs. Its performance-marketing offer includes paid search and social, landing-page work, audience targeting and conversion optimization.

For B2B acquisition, it describes using ideal customer profiles, account-based lists and CRM lead-quality data to improve targeting. It also manages retargeting, lookalike audiences and exclusions.

Ask first

At our planned spend, what are the separate setup and recurring totals, which spend enters the percentage calculation, and what would LinkedIn cost if added as another channel?

Sources

upgrow.io (opens in a new tab)Upgrow’s performance-marketing service, Orca example and terms (opens in a new tab)

Wpromote

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Wpromote website, captured October 2026.View source (opens in a new tab)

Potential fit

Brand-building and acquisition goals sharing one plan

Wpromote reports improved media performance for Free Fly after testing and scaling Meta creative with Polaris IQ Creative Accelerator. Polaris IQ also supports forecasting, campaign monitoring and reporting. Its services span strategy, media, creative and data; the agency presents its Giant Spoon acquisition as part of that combined creative and media offer.

For a brief spanning brand and acquisition, ask how the team would allocate resources between longer-term objectives and immediate campaign goals, and review those decisions with your leadership team.

Sources

Wpromote’s integrated offer and campaign monitoring (opens in a new tab)Polaris IQ’s capabilities and Free Fly example (opens in a new tab)

What do performance marketing agencies charge?

Obility publishes separate guidance and managed-media packages, Upgrow prices media management with setup and spend-based charges, and NoGood quotes an average retainer for custom growth engagements. These examples let you compare what you are buying; they do not establish a market-wide range.

Obility’s October 2026 pricing page makes Guide month-to-month with 45 days’ notice to cancel. For Ascent and Summit, it recommends 12-month agreements and offers monthly terms at a slightly higher fee. Package prices exclude ad spend and third-party software. Its FAQ places the kickoff call typically within 4–8 business days of receiving a signed agreement; campaign launch needs its own schedule.

At Upgrow’s published rates, the 12% fee overtakes the $3,000 monthly minimum once ad spend passes $25,000 a month ($3,000 ÷ 0.12). Setup and additional-channel charges are separate; request an itemized quote for media spend, production, technology and the agency’s work.

Does “performance marketing” mean paying only for results?

Not by default. The named offers include monthly retainers and spend-based fees; the performance label describes the goal, not the payment trigger. Some agencies do advertise outcome-based fees. Blurbpoint’s performance-marketing page (opens in a new tab), read in October 2026, says clients define the goals and do not pay if it misses them. Ask which terms would govern your engagement, how the result would be verified and what remains payable if the target is missed, including media spend.

Publisher commissions are another cost. Acceleration Partners’ affiliate cost guidance (opens in a new tab) includes partner commissions, platform fees, agency fees, technology and creative costs. Agree the agency’s compensation separately from the partners’ commissions.

Upgrow’s October 2026 offer says clients seeing no results within 90 days can cancel without notice or fees. That is a cancellation remedy. Disruptive’s advertised remedy is a refund. Define the result and covered payments in the agreement.

Which agencies fit a B2B acquisition brief?

Obility is a direct starting point for B2B technology and SaaS; Upgrow documents B2B lead-generation and CRM feedback work; NoGood includes B2B within its broader growth offering. Compare them on the opportunity quality you need and the internal work they would take over.

Agree the qualifying pipeline stage with sales, the CRM integration required and the delay between a click, an opportunity and revenue. Set review dates around that sales cycle so early lead volume does not become the final measure of success.

How to choose your agency

I’d choose the team that can explain what it will change, what it needs from your company and how you will judge progress. Give finalists the same brief so differences in responsibility and cost are visible.

1. 1

   Define the outcome and the responsibilities

   Specify your target audience, what counts as a new customer and the acquisition cost your business can support. Name the delivery markets, time zones and work your internal team will retain, including creative and landing pages. Include diagnostic work if those decisions are unresolved.

2. 2

   Ask for evidence that matches your situation

   Request a case with a comparable audience, business model and campaign goal. Establish what the agency changed, what the client contributed and how the result was measured. Use a reference call to discuss the assigned team’s communication and response when a plan needed to change.

3. 3

   Agree the test and review plan

   Define a first scope, its budget and the evidence needed before expanding it. Give launch, tracking checks and revenue evaluation their own milestones, with named owners and a decision to continue, change or stop.

   The show notes for my 2021 podcast episode give a typical window of about three months to assess whether a channel is working. Set the first decision point for a new agency around that window, later if your sales cycle is longer.

Put the same questions to each finalist

Do you need a separate retargeting agency?

A separate partner is useful when your chosen acquisition team cannot cover the re-engagement work you need. Disruptive Advertising, HawkSEM, inBeat and Upgrow document retargeting capabilities. Compare their channel coverage and confirm what your proposed scope includes.

Specify who owns audience rules, creative, customer exclusions and reporting. Separate prospecting from retargeting results and ask how the team will test whether re-engagement adds sales. When agencies share audiences, assign responsibility for resolving overlap and budget decisions. The behavioral-targeting guide explains the broader targeting choices.

Before you sign

Put the agreed outcome, scope, total cost, team and review milestones in writing. The proposal should make clear what your business must supply and what evidence will justify the next investment.