Best Performance Marketing Agencies for 2026

Performance marketing is the discipline of buying media against measurable business outcomes (acquisitions, revenue, qualified pipeline) rather than impressions or awareness alone. In practice it spans paid search, paid social, retail media, programmatic, connected TV, affiliate and the analytics layer that ties spend to results. The label is broad enough that two agencies can both call themselves "performance" shops while operating in completely different ways.

That breadth is exactly why choosing one in 2026 is hard. As privacy controls tighten and platform-reported numbers grow less reliable, the easy proxies (ROAS dashboards, last-click conversions, in-platform attribution) no longer tell you what they used to. An agency can show a polished dashboard and still be claiming credit for demand it did not create.

Our point of view at QRY is straightforward: the market now rewards agencies that can prove incrementality and defend blended efficiency, not ones that optimize for last-click ROAS theater. The agencies worth your shortlist are the ones comfortable running geo holdouts, lift studies and media-mix models, and the ones willing to be measured on marginal contribution to a media-efficiency ratio (MER) rather than the flattering number a platform hands them. The list below is built around that lens.

How to use this list

This is a working shortlist, not a ranking you should read top to bottom and stop. Performance marketing is contextual: the right partner for a venture-backed SaaS company chasing pipeline is rarely the right partner for a DTC brand managing contribution margin across a dozen channels. Treat the entries as starting points and pressure-test each against your own funnel, margin structure and reporting maturity. If your spend is concentrated in search and social specifically, our companion guide to the best paid media agencies is a useful cross-reference.

We evaluated each agency through a consistent set of criteria: the same lens we would apply if we were the ones hiring. For a deeper walkthrough of the selection process itself, see our guide on how to choose a paid media agency.

1. QRY

QRY is an independent paid media agency built around full-funnel performance: planning and buying across paid search, paid social, programmatic, connected TV and retail media, with incrementality testing and blended-efficiency measurement built into the operating model rather than offered as an add-on. The agency works primarily with consumer and DTC brands in the mid-market, where contribution margin is tight and platform-reported ROAS alone cannot reliably guide budget allocation. Creative strategy and audience development sit alongside the buying practice so brand investment and conversion media are managed against a shared efficiency target.

Headquarters: Jersey City, NJ

Year Founded: 2016

Team Size: 20–50

Key Services:

• Paid Search and Paid Social
• Programmatic, CTV and Retail Media
• Incrementality Testing and MER Modeling
• Creative Strategy and Audience Development

Why Choose QRY:

We were built for marketers who are tired of agencies optimizing platform ROAS while total business performance flatlines. Our practice centers on the contribution curve: knowing which dollar of media is genuinely incremental, which is just claiming credit, and where diminishing returns actually begin for your brand specifically. We invest heavily in measurement infrastructure (MMM and incrementality work alongside platform data) so the tradeoff conversations with your CFO are grounded in evidence, not platform-reported numbers. For brands that want to understand how that day-to-day model works, QRY has written openly about its paid media operating model.

We're a fit for: brands at $5M–$100M+ in media spend, marketers who want a strategic partner rather than a vendor, and CMOs who need to translate marketing performance into board-ready language. We're not a fit for: brands under $1M in spend looking for execution-only support, or marketers who want their agency to optimize purely toward last-click ROAS.

Industries:

• Retail and Ecommerce
• Consumer Packaged Goods
• Financial Services
• Healthcare and Pharma

Example Case Studies:

• Peak Design CTV Geo-Holdout Proves Incrementality
• Integrating Direct Mail & Digital Marketing to Improve HUK's Revenue by 23%
• How QRY Helped Peak Design Increase Online Revenue +66%

2. Tinuiti

Tinuiti is one of the largest independent performance marketing agencies in the U.S., with more than 1,000 employees and roughly $4 billion in digital media under management. The agency runs full-funnel programs across paid search, paid social, shopping, streaming and connected TV, retail media, and CRM, backed by proprietary measurement technology called Bliss Point. Tinuiti is particularly well-established in retail media, with deep platform relationships at Amazon, Walmart and Target, making it a strong fit for brands where marketplace spend is a significant share of total media investment.

Headquarters: New York, NY

Year Founded: 2004

Team Size: 1000+

Key Services:

• Paid Search and Paid Social
• Retail Media (Amazon, Walmart, Target)
• Streaming and Connected TV
• CRM and Lifecycle Marketing

Why Choose Tinuiti:

Tinuiti's scale is its defining advantage. The volume of media it manages gives it deep platform relationships and a large measurement dataset, and its connected-commerce model is well suited to brands selling across search, social, marketplaces and TV at once. Its Bliss Point measurement framework is a credible attempt at media-mix modeling at scale. It is most compelling for enterprise advertisers that need one partner to coordinate spend across many channels; brands outside the retail-heavy ecommerce and CPG profile may find the differentiation less central to their growth questions.

Industries:

• Ecommerce and Retail
• Consumer Packaged Goods
• Financial Services
• Travel and Hospitality

3. Power Digital

Power Digital is a data-science-driven performance marketing agency headquartered in San Diego, offering paid media, SEO, lifecycle marketing, creative and analytics under one roof. Its proprietary platform, nova, connects campaign performance to revenue outcomes by drawing on a large commerce dataset to inform channel and budget decisions. The agency serves mid-market and enterprise brands across ecommerce, B2B and consumer categories, positioning itself as a full marketing-stack partner rather than a single-channel specialist.

Headquarters: San Diego, CA

Year Founded: 2012

Team Size: 500+

Key Services:

• Paid Media and Programmatic
• SEO and Content Marketing
• Lifecycle Marketing and CRM
• Creative Production and Analytics (nova Platform)

Why Choose Power Digital:

Power Digital's differentiator is its investment in proprietary analytics and modeling: the nova platform gives it a structured way to connect spend to outcomes beyond platform-reported numbers. The breadth of services means a single partner can coordinate paid, organic and lifecycle, reducing the handoffs between channels. It tends to fit mid-market and enterprise brands that want a data-led operating partner across the full marketing stack rather than a single-channel specialist.

Industries:

• Direct-to-Consumer and Ecommerce
• B2B and SaaS
• Health and Wellness

4. NoGood

NoGood is a New York-based growth marketing agency that deploys dedicated growth squads combining paid media, creative, content and experimentation across a single account team. Its performance branding approach blends brand-building with measurable growth, serving both venture-backed startups and large enterprises. The agency has worked with well-known consumer, media and technology brands and emphasizes long client tenure as evidence of durable, results-oriented relationships.

Headquarters: New York, NY

Year Founded: 2016

Team Size: 50–200

Key Services:

• Paid Social and Paid Search
• Creative Production and Content
• Growth Experimentation and CRO
• SEO and Performance Branding

Why Choose NoGood:

NoGood pairs experimentation rigor with creative production, which suits companies that need to find growth channels quickly rather than optimize a mature mix. Its squad model concentrates senior, cross-functional talent on a small number of accounts. For VC-backed startups under pressure to demonstrate growth, and for enterprise teams that want a nimble experimentation partner alongside their internal organization, that combination tends to land well.

Industries:

• SaaS and Technology
• Consumer Apps and Fintech
• Healthcare and Consumer Brands

5. Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency built on a hybrid model: fractional senior experts paired with full-service delivery teams. Its services cover paid acquisition, lifecycle and retention, SEO and creative, assembled around the specific growth problem rather than sold as fixed packages. The agency works with well-funded growth-stage and enterprise brands that value access to operator-level talent without the overhead of building it entirely in-house.

Headquarters: Austin, TX

Year Founded: 2016

Team Size: 50–200

Key Services:

• Paid Acquisition (Search, Social, Programmatic)
• Lifecycle and Retention Marketing
• SEO and Creative
• Fractional Senior Marketing Talent

Why Choose Right Side Up:

The draw of Right Side Up is access to operator-level talent without the overhead of building it in-house. Its fractional model means the people setting strategy are often the people who have run growth at scale, which raises the ceiling on senior thinking. Pairing that with full-service teams keeps execution from stalling. It fits well-funded brands and growth-stage companies that value senior expertise and flexibility over a one-size-fits-all retainer.

Industries:

• Consumer and DTC
• Subscription and Fintech
• Technology and SaaS

6. Major Tom

Major Tom is a full-service digital performance agency with offices in Vancouver, New York, Toronto and San Francisco. It offers digital strategy, performance media, content and analytics as an integrated practice, serving mid-market and enterprise brands across North America. The agency was formed in 2018 through the merger of 6S Marketing and Drive Digital, combining two established Canadian digital shops into a single full-service operation.

Headquarters: Vancouver, BC

Year Founded: 2018

Team Size: 50–200

Key Services:

• Performance Media and Paid Acquisition
• Digital Strategy and Consulting
• Content and Creative
• Analytics and Measurement

Why Choose Major Tom:

Major Tom's strength is integration: strategy, media, content and analytics sit under one roof, so performance work is informed by brand and creative rather than disconnected from it. Its experience with large, recognizable brands indicates it can operate at scale and within complex stakeholder environments. The North American multi-office footprint supports clients across markets. Mid-market and larger brands that want a strategy-led performance partner rather than a pure media-buying desk are the natural fit.

Industries:

• Technology and B2B
• Consumer Goods and Food and Beverage
• Enterprise and Multi-Region Brands

7. Hawke Media

Hawke Media is a Santa Monica-based performance marketing agency and Google Premier Partner offering modular, fractional-CMO-style services across paid media, email, SEO and creative. The agency states it has worked with thousands of brands and provides an internal AI toolset, HawkeAI, for benchmarking and reporting across channels. Its modular model lets clients buy only the services they need and scale up or down without restructuring the full engagement.

Headquarters: Santa Monica, CA

Year Founded: 2013

Team Size: 200–500

Key Services:

• Paid Media and Paid Social
• Email and Lifecycle Marketing
• SEO and Content
• Creative and Fractional CMO Services

Why Choose Hawke Media:

Hawke Media's modular model lets brands buy only the services they need and scale up or down without restructuring the whole engagement, which lowers the barrier to entry. Its large client base gives it broad pattern recognition across categories and channels. Small and mid-market brands that value flexibility and a lower commitment threshold over a deeply embedded single-partner model get the most out of it.

Industries:

• Ecommerce and DTC
• Consumer Services
• B2B and Professional Services

8. Workshop Digital

Workshop Digital is a Richmond, Virginia-based agency and Google Premier Partner specializing in SEO, paid media and performance creative for both B2B and B2C clients. The agency positions itself around transparent reporting and a clear line of sight from spend to results, combining organic and paid intent management under one team. Its focused scope makes it a practical fit for mid-market brands where search is a primary acquisition channel.

Headquarters: Richmond, VA

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 20–50

Key Services:

• Paid Search and Paid Social
• SEO and Organic Search
• Performance Creative
• Transparent Reporting and Analytics

Why Choose Workshop Digital:

Workshop Digital's emphasis on transparency is a meaningful differentiator in a market where reporting can obscure as much as it reveals. Combining SEO and paid media lets it manage organic and paid intent together rather than in silos. Its Google Premier Partner status reflects sustained competence in search. It is a good fit for B2B and B2C brands that want a focused, accountable partner with clear reporting rather than a sprawling multi-channel program.

Industries:

• B2B Services and Professional Services
• Healthcare and Education
• Ecommerce and B2C

9. Ladder

Ladder is a New York-based growth marketing agency that uses machine learning to identify high-impact growth levers, then executes paid media across many platforms alongside funnel optimization, CRO and CRM work. The agency serves growth-stage and mid-market companies across technology, consumer and fintech categories, building its approach around systematic experimentation to prioritize which growth levers to test rather than spreading effort evenly.

Headquarters: New York, NY

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 20–50

Key Services:

• Paid Media (Multi-Platform)
• Growth Experimentation and ML-Driven Prioritization
• Conversion Rate Optimization
• CRM and Retention

Why Choose Ladder:

Ladder's model is built around systematic experimentation: using data to prioritize which growth levers to test rather than spreading effort evenly. Operating across many paid platforms plus CRO and CRM means it can address the full conversion path, not just top-of-funnel acquisition. Its broad client history gives it a large library of tested tactics to draw from. It fits growth-stage companies that want a structured, cross-platform scaling partner with conversion and retention capability included.

Industries:

• Technology and SaaS
• Consumer and DTC
• Fintech and Growth-Stage Brands

Choosing the right performance marketing agency

The best agency on a list is not the best agency for you. The right choice depends on your stage, margin structure, channel mix and how mature your own measurement is. A pre-scale startup hunting for its first repeatable channel has different needs than a margin-constrained DTC brand defending blended efficiency across a dozen channels. If your need is narrower than full-funnel performance, it is worth comparing against the best PPC agencies for search-led programs or the best media buying agencies if buying execution is the gap.

Whatever the shortlist, hold every candidate to the same standard: can it prove its work is incremental, will it manage to blended efficiency rather than vanity ROAS, and is it transparent about fees, accounts and data ownership? Ask to see how it has designed a holdout test, how it would handle a result that undercut a favored channel, and who specifically would own your account day to day. If you sell primarily online, our best e-commerce marketing agencies guide narrows the field further for commerce-specific needs.

Finally, treat agency selection as reversible but not casual. Switching has real costs: ramp time, lost institutional knowledge, account migration. So the bar for changing should be clear before you start. Our list of 7 questions to ask before switching media agencies is a good gut-check on whether the problem is the partner or something fixable in the current relationship.