Top 10 Paid Media Agencies in the USA (2026)
The top 10 paid media agencies in the USA for 2026, ranked by Growth Partner Confidence Score with cited public evidence for every pick.
Updated July 27, 2026 · Compiled and reviewed by Growth Partner Index Editorial Desk
Every paid media agency in America will tell you they drive ROAS. The honest ones will also tell you what ROAS means, which is harder than it sounds. The shops on this list earn their place by doing the unglamorous half of the job. Running incrementality tests, building out media mix models, wiring up clean-room attribution. So that when the dashboard says a campaign worked, it actually did.
We pulled the highest-scoring US agencies from the Growth Partner Index's Paid Media & Performance Marketing category and ranked them by Confidence Score. Each pick is built on public evidence: case studies, podcast appearances, press, the occasional candid LinkedIn post. The seven pillars behind the score. Outcomes, category fit, creative-media integration, reputation, operating maturity, buyer fit, and freshness. Are visible on every profile.
Treat the list as a starting point, not a verdict. The agencies that look great on paper still need to clear your specific bar on budget, named senior operators, and what you can actually measure once a campaign is in market.
The shortlist
Ranked by Growth Partner Confidence Score
- 1
9AM is a performance marketing agency specializing in media buying, creative strategy, and influencer marketing to drive profitable growth for DTC brands.
Full profileVisit website$250k–$1M/mo
- 2
Workshop Digital is a paid media agency based in Richmond, VA working with B2B and Healthcare brands. Publishes 1 case study with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Venture Richmond. Rated 4.8 from 3 reviews on clutch.co.
Full profileVisit websiteUnder $10k/mo
- 3
Brainlabs is a growth marketing agency based in New York, NY working with Retail & Ecommerce and Financial Services brands. Publishes 5 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Jo Malone London, Clinique, Henkel. Rated 5 from 1 reviews on clutch.co.
Full profileVisit websiteNot disclosed
- 4
Darkroom is a growth marketing agency based in Los Angeles, CA working with Home Goods and Fashion & Apparel brands. Publishes 3 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including OLIPOP, Crate & Barrel, Everlane.
Full profileVisit website$50k–$250k/mo
- 5
Amsive is a growth marketing agency based in New York, NY working with Healthcare and Medicare Advantage brands. Publishes 5 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Emergient / Vermont Blue Advantage, Commerce Bank, University of Tennessee (Vols Online). Rated 4.8 from 3 reviews on clutch.co.
Full profileVisit website$10k–$50k/mo
- 6
Eboost Consulting is a growth marketing agency based in El Segundo, CA working with eCommerce/DTC and B2B brands. Publishes 1 case study with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Itochu Descente. Rated 4.9 from 15 reviews on clutch.co.
Full profileVisit websiteNot disclosed
- 7
Acadia is a growth marketing agency based in Atlanta, GA working with Retail/E-commerce and DTC brands. Publishes 3 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Fresh Thyme, European Wax Center, Casey's.
Full profileVisit websiteNot disclosed
- 8
Direct Online Marketing (DOM) is a paid media agency based in Pittsburgh, PA working with SaaS and Healthcare brands. Publishes 3 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Industry West, Alsana, WatchMaxx.
Full profileVisit websiteNot disclosed
- 9
Tinuiti is a growth marketing agency based in New York, NY working with Apparel and B2B brands. Publishes 4 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Blue Apron, DSW, OLLY (OLLY Body). Rated 5 from 1 reviews on clutch.co.
Full profileVisit websiteNot disclosed
- 10
Elumynt is a paid media agency based in Stillwater, MN working with Ecommerce and DTC brands. Publishes 2 case studies with named clients and measurable outcomes, including Old World Christmas, OROS Apparel. Rated 5 from 10 reviews on clutch.co.
Full profileVisit websiteUnder $10k/mo
How we picked
We rank agencies tagged to the paid-media category by their Growth Partner Confidence Score. Scores reflect public evidence and disclosed methodology. Not pay-to-play. Sponsored placements never influence ranking.
Read the full Growth Partner Confidence Score methodology, or submit a correction if something here is wrong.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the #1 paid media agency in the USA in 2026?
- 9AM ranks #1 among paid media agencies in the USA for 2026 with a Growth Partner Confidence Score of 82/100. 9AM is based in New York, NY and is best suited to dtc and ambitious brands seeking profitable growth. Workshop Digital (77/100) ranks second.
- How were these agencies selected?
- Every agency on this list is scored against the same seven-pillar Growth Partner Confidence Score: proof of outcomes, category fit, creative-media integration, reputation, operating maturity, buyer fit, and freshness. Scores are built only from public, citable evidence such as case studies, press, and interviews. Placement cannot be purchased, and sponsored listings are labelled and never re-ranked.
- What should I look for when choosing a paid media agency?
- Ask who runs the account by name, ask for one case study that discloses budget and an incremental outcome, and ask what measurement stack they bring. Anyone quoting a ROAS target before seeing your data is guessing. Beyond that, confirm the budget band matches yours and that the senior operator named in the pitch is the person who will actually run the account.
- How much do paid media agencies charge?
- Boutique shops take retainers from roughly $5k–$15k/mo, usually with a $10k–$50k/mo media-spend floor. Mid-market agencies sit around $15k–$40k/mo or 8–15% of spend. Enterprise firms rarely engage below $500k/mo in media. Every profile in this index lists the agency's disclosed budget band so you can filter before the first call.
- What does a paid media agency actually do?
- A paid media agency plans, buys, and optimizes paid acquisition across search, social, video, and programmatic. The mature ones also build the measurement layer underneath. Incrementality tests, MMM, server-side conversion tracking. So spend decisions don't rest on platform self-reporting alone.
- How much should I budget for a paid media agency?
- Boutique shops will usually take you on at $10k–$50k/mo in media spend. Mid-market agencies cluster around $50k–$500k/mo. Holding companies and enterprise-grade firms generally won't engage below $500k/mo. Ask for the agency's published threshold before you pitch. Guessing wastes everyone's time.
- What's the difference between paid media and performance creative?
- Paid media is the buying and measurement function. Performance creative is the asset-production function that feeds it. At scale, creative volume is almost always the bottleneck, not buying skill. So strong programs treat the two as one workflow.
- How do I evaluate a paid media agency objectively?
- Ask who'll actually run the account by name. Ask for a case study with disclosed budget and an incremental outcome. Ask what measurement stack they bring and how they coordinate with your creative team. Walk away from anyone promising ROAS targets before they've seen your data.