Performance marketing sounds like a dream. You only pay when something works — a click, a lead, a sale.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most agencies that call themselves “performance marketing agencies” are just running your ads and hoping for the best.
The real ones — the ones who obsess over ROAS, build attribution models that actually make sense, and treat your budget like it’s their own money — are harder to find than you’d think.
We went through 50+ agencies, looked at their case studies, talked to their clients where we could, and ranked the 15 that consistently deliver measurable results. Not the ones with the fanciest websites. The ones with the best numbers.
What Makes a Great Performance Marketing Agency?
Before we get into the list, let’s set the bar.
A great performance marketing agency isn’t just good at running Facebook Ads. That’s table stakes. What separates the best from the rest comes down to a few things:
Channel depth, not just breadth. The best agencies don’t spread themselves thin across every platform. They go deep — whether that’s paid social, SEM, programmatic, or affiliate. They know the platform’s algorithm better than most people who work at the platform.
Measurement rigor. If an agency can’t tell you exactly how they measure incrementality — not just last-click attribution — run. In 2026, with iOS privacy changes, cookie deprecation (finally happening), and cross-device journeys, measurement is the real differentiator.
Pricing model transparency. Retainer? Percentage of ad spend? Hybrid? Performance-based? There’s no single right answer, but the agency should be upfront about it and explain why their model works for your situation.
Vertical specialization. An agency that’s crushed it for DTC e-commerce brands might struggle with B2B SaaS lead gen. Context matters. A lot.
The Top 15 Performance Marketing Agencies in 2026
1. Tinuiti
Tinuiti is arguably the largest independent performance marketing agency in the US, managing billions in digital media spend across Google, Meta, Amazon, and TikTok. They built their reputation on Amazon Ads before expanding into full-funnel performance.
Standout strength: Their proprietary tech stack, Mobius, connects media, analytics, and creative optimization in one platform — giving them a measurement edge most agencies can’t match.
Notable clients include Converse, Etsy, and Purple. Pricing is typically retainer-based with minimums starting around $15K/month. Best for: Mid-to-enterprise brands with significant ad budgets who need cross-channel orchestration.
2. Wpromote
Wpromote has been in the digital marketing game since 2001 — long before “performance marketing” was even a term. They’ve evolved into a full-service performance shop that’s particularly strong in blending brand and performance (the whole “brandformance” thing that’s trending).
Standout strength: Their Polaris framework connects upper-funnel brand activity to lower-funnel conversions, which means they don’t just optimize for clicks — they optimize for business outcomes.
Clients include TransUnion, Whirlpool, and Zenni Optical. Best for: Companies that want performance marketing but don’t want to sacrifice brand building in the process.
3. Metric Theory (now part of Basis Technologies)
Metric Theory made a name as one of the sharpest paid media agencies for growth-stage tech companies. Since being acquired by Basis Technologies, they’ve added programmatic firepower to their already strong SEM and paid social game.
Standout strength: SaaS and tech expertise. If you’re selling a B2B product with a long sales cycle and need someone who understands pipeline attribution, this is your agency.
Clients include GoFundMe, Lyft, and Optimizely. Best for: Growth-stage SaaS companies with $50K+ monthly ad spend.
4. Disruptive Advertising
Based in Utah, Disruptive Advertising manages over $450M in annual ad spend and has built a reputation for PPC and CRO that’s hard to argue with. They’re known for their rigorous A/B testing culture — everything gets tested before it gets scaled.
Standout strength: CRO integration. Most performance agencies stop at the click. Disruptive optimizes the entire post-click experience, from landing pages to checkout flows.
Best for: E-commerce and lead gen companies that want paid media + conversion optimization under one roof.
5. GrowthRocks
Full disclosure: this is us. But we wouldn’t include ourselves if we didn’t think we belonged here.
GrowthRocks isn’t a traditional performance marketing agency — we’re a growth hacking agency that treats performance marketing as one lever in a broader growth system. We combine paid media with SEO, CRO, viral loops, and product-led growth tactics.
Standout strength: We don’t just run campaigns. We build growth systems. Our team designs experiments across the full AARRR funnel, using data to decide what scales and what gets killed.
Clients include startups, scaleups, and enterprise brands across Europe, the US, and the Middle East.
Best for: Companies that want more than ads — they want a growth partner who thinks beyond channels.
6. MuteSix (now part of Dentsu)
MuteSix is a DTC performance powerhouse. They specialize in scaling e-commerce brands through Meta, Google, TikTok, and Amazon Ads, with a heavy emphasis on creative-driven performance.
Standout strength: In-house creative studio. They produce thousands of ad creatives per month and test relentlessly. In the post-iOS14 world where creative is the new targeting, that matters.
Best for: DTC e-commerce brands doing $1M+ in annual revenue that need to scale through paid social.
7. Jellyfish
Jellyfish is a global digital marketing agency with a strong presence in performance media. They’re one of the few agencies that hold certifications across all major platforms (Google, Meta, Amazon, TikTok) and specialize in data and analytics-led performance.
Standout strength: Global scale with local execution. If you need performance marketing across multiple markets and languages, Jellyfish has the infrastructure.
Best for: Enterprise brands with multi-market, multi-language performance needs.
8. Ladder.io
Ladder built its model around growth experimentation. Instead of locking you into a channel strategy from day one, they run rapid experiments across channels and double down on what works. It’s a very growth hacking-influenced approach.
Standout strength: Their experiment velocity. They typically run 10-15 growth experiments per month per client, which means faster learning and faster scaling.
Best for: Startups and growth-stage companies that value speed and experimentation over rigid strategy decks.
9. Power Digital
Power Digital is a growth marketing firm that combines performance media with SEO, content, influencer, and affiliate channels. Their proprietary platform, nova, uses AI to identify growth opportunities and predict performance.
Standout strength: The nova intelligence platform. It’s not just a dashboard — it models scenarios and recommends budget allocation shifts in real-time.
Best for: Mid-market brands ($10M-$500M revenue) looking for a tech-enabled growth partner, not just a media buyer.
10. Directive
Directive exclusively serves B2B and SaaS companies, which makes them unusually specialized in this list. They focus on what they call “Customer Generation” — a methodology that optimizes for pipeline and revenue, not just MQLs.
Standout strength: B2B SaaS focus. They understand long sales cycles, multi-touch attribution, and the gap between marketing and sales that plagues most B2B orgs.
Clients include Adobe, Amazon, and Uber Freight. Best for: B2B SaaS companies that are tired of agencies generating “leads” that never close.
11. Common Thread Collective
CTC is an e-commerce growth agency that lives and breathes DTC. They’re known for their thought leadership (their content on Meta Ads and e-commerce growth is genuinely useful) and their data-first approach to scaling online stores.
Standout strength: Stat-Significant creative testing methodology. They treat creative as a science, not an art project.
Best for: DTC brands doing $5M-$100M that want an agency that’s transparent about how they spend every dollar.
12. Acceleration Partners
If your performance marketing strategy involves affiliate and partnership channels, Acceleration Partners is the specialist. They’ve built one of the strongest affiliate management practices in the industry.
Standout strength: Affiliate and partner marketing expertise. They manage programs, recruit high-quality affiliates, and optimize the economics of partner channels.
Clients include Noom, Redbubble, and GoHealth. Best for: Brands that want to scale through partnerships, affiliates, and referral programs.
13. Ignite Visibility
Ignite Visibility consistently appears in top agency rankings, and for good reason. They offer a broad performance marketing stack — paid media, SEO, social, CRO, and email — with a forecasting approach that sets realistic expectations from day one.
Standout strength: Forecasting and reporting. Their Certainty Tech platform provides performance forecasts before campaigns launch, which helps align budgets and expectations.
Best for: Mid-market companies that want full-service digital performance with strong forecasting and communication.
14. NoGood
NoGood is a growth marketing agency that works exclusively with venture-backed startups and scaleups. Their team consists of “growth squads” — small, dedicated teams assigned to each client — which gives them startup-like agility.
Standout strength: Startup DNA. They understand burn rates, runway, and the pressure to show traction before the next funding round.
Clients include TikTok, Nike, and Amex. Best for: VC-backed startups and scaleups that need aggressive, experiment-driven growth.
15. Taktical Digital
Taktical Digital is a New York-based performance agency that focuses on social advertising and paid media for both DTC and B2B brands. They’re one of Meta’s preferred agency partners and bring strong creative capabilities to the table.
Standout strength: Social-first performance. If your growth depends on Meta, TikTok, or Pinterest ads, Taktical has the platform-specific expertise to squeeze more out of every dollar.
Best for: Brands with $20K-$200K monthly ad budgets focused primarily on social platforms.
Comparison Table
| Agency | Specialization | Pricing Model | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinuiti | Cross-channel, Amazon | Retainer ($15K+/mo) | Enterprise, multi-channel |
| Wpromote | Brand + Performance | Retainer | Brand-conscious companies |
| Metric Theory | SaaS, Paid Media | % of Spend + Retainer | Growth-stage SaaS |
| Disruptive Advertising | PPC + CRO | % of Spend | E-commerce, Lead Gen |
| GrowthRocks | Growth Systems | Project / Retainer | Startups, Scaleups |
| MuteSix | DTC, Creative-led | Retainer | DTC E-commerce ($1M+) |
| Jellyfish | Global Performance | Retainer | Enterprise, Multi-market |
| Ladder.io | Growth Experiments | Retainer (from $5K) | Startups, Growth-stage |
| Power Digital | AI-powered Growth | Retainer | Mid-market ($10-500M) |
| Directive | B2B SaaS only | Retainer ($7K+/mo) | B2B SaaS |
| Common Thread | DTC E-commerce | % of Spend + Retainer | DTC ($5-100M) |
| Acceleration Partners | Affiliate, Partnerships | Retainer | Affiliate-driven brands |
| Ignite Visibility | Full-service Digital | Retainer | Mid-market |
| NoGood | Startup Growth | Retainer + Performance | VC-backed startups |
| Taktical Digital | Social Advertising | Retainer | Social-first brands |
How to Choose the Right Agency for Your Business
The best agency isn’t the most expensive one or the one with the biggest client logos. It’s the one that fits your specific situation. Here’s a quick framework:
If your budget is under $10K/month: Look at Ladder.io or GrowthRocks. You need agility and experimentation, not a bloated retainer. Agencies that run rapid experiments will find your winning channels faster without burning through your budget on “strategic planning.”
If your budget is $10K-$50K/month: Disruptive Advertising, Directive (if B2B), or Common Thread Collective (if DTC) give you strong channel expertise with enough attention to your account. At this budget, you want specialists, not generalists.
If your budget is $50K+/month: Tinuiti, Wpromote, or Power Digital have the infrastructure for cross-channel orchestration and advanced measurement. At this scale, the agency’s tech stack and analytics capabilities matter more than individual campaign execution.
If you’re a startup: NoGood or Ladder.io understand your world. They know you need traction, not a 60-page strategy deck. They’ll move fast and break things (in a good way).
If you’re scaling globally: Jellyfish has the multi-market infrastructure. Running performance campaigns across 10 countries and 6 languages is a different beast entirely, and most agencies can’t handle it.
Conclusion
Performance marketing is evolving. The days of “set up a Meta campaign and wait” are long gone. Between AI-powered optimization, privacy-first measurement, and the creative-as-targeting shift, the agencies that thrive are the ones that adapt fastest.
The 15 agencies on this list represent different approaches, different specializations, and different price points — but they all share one thing: they obsess over results, not vanity metrics.
Choose the one that matches your business stage, budget, and growth ambitions. And if none of them feel right, talk to us — we’ll either help you directly or point you in the right direction.
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I write for GrowthRocks, one of the top growth hacking agencies. For some mysterious reason, I write on the internet yet I’m not a vegan, I don’t do yoga and I don’t drink smoothies.
