There is no single best performance marketing agency for Shopify brands, and any list claiming otherwise is ranking itself. What exists is a set of agencies that fit different brand sizes, budgets and problems.
We're one of the options below. We've said plainly where we're the wrong choice, because a list where the author wins every category isn't useful to anyone.
The short version
| Agency | Best for | Published pricing? |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $200K–$3M Shopify brands who need the funnel fixed before scaling | Yes — $2,000/month |
| Tinuiti | Large multi-channel brands with complex media mixes | No |
| Common Thread Collective | Growth-stage DTC wanting forecasting-led strategy | No |
| Hawke Media | Brands wanting broad marketing services beyond paid | No |
| Disruptive Advertising | Established brands with substantial ad budgets | No |
| Needle | Shopify DTC brands at $1M–$10M | No |
*Checked August 2026 from each agency's public site. "No" means no retainer figure published — it doesn't mean expensive, just that you'll need a call to find out.*
Basic — best for fixing the system before scaling
We're a small agency working with US and Canadian Shopify brands, typically $200K–$3M in revenue. $2,000/month for performance marketing, $2,000/month for GEO, $3,000/month for both — published, same for everyone.
The specific thing we do: we don't scale spend until the fundamentals underneath it work. Most accounts we audit don't have an ads problem, they have an offer, landing page or attribution problem that more budget makes more expensive.
What that's produced:
- CAC down 38% in three months for a DTC apparel brand, no budget increase
- $30K to $90K/month for a Shopify skincare brand over six months
- 2.1× conversion lift from one landing page rebuild for a home goods brand, six weeks
- Unprofitable to profitable in 45 days for a supplement brand
- $12,000/month in wasted spend found and cut for a pet products brand
Across 15+ Shopify brands and $2M+ in managed ad spend.
Where we're the wrong choice, honestly: we're small. If you need a dedicated pod, in-house video production, multi-market management, or a partner who can absorb a $500K/month media budget, hire one of the bigger agencies below. We'd rather say that now than take a retainer we can't do justice to.
Tinuiti — best for large, complex media operations
Tinuiti is one of the largest independent performance marketing agencies in the US, working across search, social, marketplaces, Amazon and streaming. If your media mix genuinely spans many channels and you need one partner coordinating all of it, this is the tier that does that.
The trade-off is the usual one at scale: you're one of many accounts, and the person who pitched you generally isn't the person running the work day-to-day. Ask who's actually on your account.
Pricing isn't published.
Common Thread Collective — best for forecast-led growth
CTC works with growth-stage DTC brands and is known for building financial forecasting into media planning rather than treating ROAS as the only number. If your problem is "we don't know what we can afford to spend to hit our targets," that framing is genuinely useful.
Pricing isn't published.
Hawke Media — best for breadth beyond paid
Hawke offers a wide service range — paid media alongside email, SEO, creative and more — on a modular basis. If you want several marketing functions from one place rather than assembling specialists, breadth is the reason to look here.
The general trade-off with broad-service agencies is depth per channel. Ask specifically who runs paid media and how many accounts they handle.
Pricing isn't published.
Disruptive Advertising — best for established brands with real budgets
Founded in 2012 and based in Utah, Disruptive manages substantial annual ad spend across its client base and has a long track record. That maturity is worth something — process, staffing and reporting are usually more built-out at agencies of this age.
Better fit for brands already spending significantly than for a brand at $300K/year trying to find product-market fit in their ad account.
Pricing isn't published.
Needle — best for $1M–$10M Shopify DTC
Needle positions specifically as an AI-driven marketing agency built for Shopify DTC brands doing $1M–$10M. That's a narrow, clearly-stated focus, which generally means the playbooks are tuned to that stage rather than adapted from enterprise work.
Pricing isn't published.
How to actually choose
Ignore the rankings and run these four checks on any shortlist:
- Clients per strategist. Above 12 is a volume model, below 8 is boutique. Ask directly — the answer predicts how much attention you get better than the retainer does.
- Is creative production included? "Creative iteration" (resizing, copy variants) is not the same as new concepts and video. This is the most common scope surprise.
- Do they touch the landing page? Most ad agencies don't. If your funnel is the constraint, an ads-only retainer won't fix it.
- Will they reconcile to Shopify? Platform-reported ROAS is generous. Ask for a report showing platform revenue next to Shopify revenue.
The longer version of this vetting process is in 6 questions that filter bad-fit agencies.
A note on lists like this one
Almost every "best Shopify agency" article you'll find is written by an agency that appears in it. This one included. That's not disqualifying, but it's worth knowing while you read — including here.
The way to use any of them: treat the list as a source of names, then apply your own four checks. The agency that answers those questions clearly is more likely to be right for you than the one that ranked itself first.
What to do today
Pick three agencies from any list, including this one. Email each the same question before booking anything: *"What's your monthly retainer for [your scope] at [your revenue], how many clients does each strategist manage, and does the retainer include creative production and landing page work?"*
Three replies will tell you more than three discovery calls. Ours is $2,000/month, one strategist per small book of accounts, creative direction included, landing page audit included, production quoted separately — and you didn't have to book a call to read that.
If your numbers look like the ones described above, book a 20-minute call and we'll tell you exactly what we'd fix first, before you pay anything.