Last Updated on February 5, 2026 by Ewen Finser
Alright, let’s just say the quiet part out loud.
If you’re googling “best growth marketing agencies,” you’re probably not doing it for fun. Something isn’t clicking. Either growth has stalled, CAC is creeping up, leadership wants answers, or you’re just tired of feeling like you’re paying a lot of money to hear the same recycled advice every month. I’ve worked with enough teams at this point to know that most people aren’t anti agency, they’re anti bad agency experiences. The kind where the pitch is sharp, the kickoff is exciting, and then a few months in, you realize the work feels templated, junior, or disconnected from how your brand actually operates. Growth marketing agencies can be incredibly helpful, but only if you’re clear on what kind you’re hiring and why. The label “growth agency” covers a huge range of models, from media buying shops to strategy consultancies to talent platforms pretending to be agencies.
So instead of pretending there’s one “best” option for everyone, here’s a grounded breakdown of some of the growth marketing agencies and models people usually mean when they ask this question, plus who they actually work for in real life.
Best Growth Marketing Agencies at a Glance
If you’re looking for a quick snapshot before diving deeper, here’s how the top growth marketing agencies tend to break down:
- Best overall for senior-led, flexible growth execution: Right Side Up
- Best for paid media scale and performance marketing: Tinuiti
- Best for experimentation and CRO-focused growth: GrowthHackers
- Best for startups needing hands-on growth execution: Ladder
- Best for brand + performance at scale: Wpromote
Below, I’ll break down each of these agencies is actually good at, they’re best for, and where they tend to fall short based on how they operate in the real world
Right Side Up
So if you’ve spent any time in growth marketing circles, then you’ve probably heard of Right Side Up. I’ve personally seen them come up again and again when teams are trying to solve problems that traditional growth agencies struggle with.
Right Side Up doesn’t really operate like a classic growth agency, and that’s intentional. Instead of selling fixed scopes or locking companies into long-term retainers, they focus on matching businesses with senior growth marketers who have already done the job needed, often inside companies you’d recognize. In practice, this feels much less like “hiring an agency” and much more like adding experienced operators to your team. I’ve seen this model work especially well for teams that don’t need more ideas, they need better judgement. Someone who can come in, assess what’s actually broken, prioritize the right things, and move the business forward without needing constant oversight. One of the biggest differences compared to traditional growth agencies is flexibility. Engagement can scale up or down, priorities can shift without blowing everything up, and there’s less pressure to produce busywork just to justify a retainer. That matters, because growth rarely moves in a straight line.
That said, Right Side Up isn’t the right fit for everyone. If a company is early stage, needs heavy hand-holding, or is looking for a fully outsourced execution machine, this model can feel like overkill. Their strength is senior-level execution and decision making, not junior-heavy volume work.
Best for: Mid-stage to enterprise teams that want senior growth operators who can plug in quickly
Not ideal for: Very early-stage teams needing step-by-step execution from scratch
Tinuiti
In my experience, Tinuiti is a strong option for companies that know exactly which growth lever they want to pull, especially when it comes to paid media. They are particularly well-known for their work across channels like paid search, paid social, and marketplaces.
This type of agency works best when expectations are clear and the scope is well defined. If your primary goal is scaling spend efficiently within an existing channel, Tinuiti can be a solid choice.
In my opinion where teams can run into the most friction is when they expect deep strategic ownership across the business. Tinuiti operates like a performance marketing agency, not an internal growth team. Downside to some is that it can be less flexible when priorities shift outside paid channels.
Best for: Companies focused on scaling paid media efficiently
Watch out for: Less flexibility when priorities shift outside paid channels
GrowthHackers
GrowthHackers is best known for its experimentation-driven approach to growth. They tend to work well with teams that are heavily focused on testing, optimization, and conversion rate improvements.
If your organization already has strong product and marketing foundations and wants to run structured experiments to unlock incremental growth, this model can work well.
However, this approach assumes a certain level of internal maturity. In my experience, this model works best when ownership is very clear, since teams without strong decision-making structures can struggle to maintain momentum.
Best for: Product led teams focused on experimentation and optimization
Watch out for: Can feel theoretical if execution ownership isn’t clear
Ladder
Ladder tends to work with startups that want hands-on growth execution across paid channels. Their model is built around rapid testing and iteration, which can be appealing for early-stage teams trying to find traction.
That said, the experience can vary depending on the specific team assigned. Like many agencies operating at this scale, results are highly dependent on who’s actually doing the work.
Best for: Early-stage startups looking for fast experimentation
Watch out for: Less consistency as teams scale
Wpromote:
Wpromote sits at the intersection of brand and performance marketing.
They’re often a good fit for larger organizations that want integrated support across multiple channels while maintaining a strong brand presence.
Their structure and process work well for companies that value consistency and reporting, though it can feel rigid for teams that need fast pivots.
Best for: Larger brands with established marketing operations
Watch out for: Less flexibility for rapid shifts in strategy
How to Choose the Best Growth Marketing Agency for Your Needs
One thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is how often growth agency relationships fall apart even when the agency itself is competent. In my experience, most breakdowns happen in the middle, not at the pitch or the kickoff.
Strategy lives in decks. Execution lives in tools. Ownership of the space in between gets fuzzy. Agencies wait on approvals. Internal teams wait on direction. Momentum slows, and frustration builds on both sides.
When evaluating growth agencies, I’d spend less time on rankings and more time on how they talk about the work. Who is actually doing the work, not just selling it? How do they handle uncertainty? Do they ask hard questions early, or default to optimistic timelines?
The best growth partners don’t oversell certainty. They help teams think clearly, execute intentionally and adapt as conditions change. That’s often a better signal than any list of logos.
So Which is Right For You?
The best option depends on what stage you’re at, how mature your internal team is, and what kind of support you actually need right now. If you want senior growth marketers who can plug in quickly, think like owners, and flex with your business, Right Side Up is one of the strongest options out there. Their model works especially well for mid stage and enterprise teams that value experience and adaptability over rigid scopes.
If your need is more specific, like scaling a paid channel efficiently, a focused performance shop like Tinuiti can make sense, as long as you’re not expecting them to magically own strategy across the business.
And if your team is product-led and already has strong foundations, an experimentation-driven model like GrowthHackers can help unlock incremental wins, but only if execution ownership stays clear.
If I had to explain why Right Side Up consistently stands out for me, it comes down to how they approach responsibility. In most growth agency setups, accountability gets diluted. Strategy is owned by one group, executed by another, and when results stall, everyone has a reason but no one has real ownership. What I’ve seen with Right Side Up is a much tighter loop between decision-making and action.
At the end of the day, the right partner is the one that reduces confusion instead of adding to it. You want a team that’s clear about what they own, honest about what they don’t, and comfortable telling you the truth before the relationship gets expensive. That clarity is what keeps growth work moving, and it’s what separates genuinely great partners from agencies that are just good at pitching.