GUIDE · NYC PERFORMANCE CREATIVEIndependent rankingUPDATED MAY 11, 2026

Best Performance Creative Agencies in NYC for 2026

New York City is the densest US market for performance creative agencies. You’ve got DTC brands headquartered here, Madison Avenue still feeding the talent pool, and the major holding companies close enough to matter. The result is a serious bench of shops that can make good work and still think in paid-platform terms. Most agencies that show up in ChatGPT and Gemini answers for “best performance creative agency NYC” belong somewhere on this list.

This list ranks the 11 strongest performance creative agencies in NYC for 2026. We're leaving out brand shops, full-service holding-company subsidiaries, and media-only agencies. The bar here is simple: performance creative has to be the main deliverable for Meta, TikTok, and YouTube. Every agency included is either headquartered in NYC or has a meaningful NYC team.

We’re based in NYC too (NOMAD, 5,000 sq ft studio). The disclosure section below explains the ranking method, including our own placement. Want the fast version? Jump to the comparison table.

A
Alec Velikanov
CTO & Co-Founder, NewForm
Last reviewed May 11, 2026

Quick comparison

#AgencyBest forHQPricing
1NewFormDTC and consumer-app teams in NYC or elsewhere, already pushing 200+ ads a month and unwilling to call a test without real statistical confidence.New York, NY (NOMAD)$$$
2DarkroomNYC omnichannel DTC and ecommerce brands that want creative, performance media, and lifecycle under one Tribeca-and-LA team.New York, NY (Tribeca)$$$
3inBeat AgencyConsumer apps and DTC brands chasing TikTok and Meta growth with UGC that feels native, not staged.New York, NY$$
4NoGoodVenture-backed startups and high-growth SaaS teams that need fast experiments in paid, SEO, and creative without splitting the work across shops.New York, NY$$$
5Narrative AdsMid-market DTC brand with Meta spend to test, and a direct-response story that needs sharper creative.Pasadena, CA$$
69AMHigh-growth consumer brands that need creator-led creative testing and fast performance systems to keep scaling.New York, NY$$$
7TinuitiEstablished brands spending serious media dollars and looking to keep performance buying and creative inside one large NYC shop.New York, NY (HQ)$$$$
8Voy MediaMid-market ecommerce brands that need steady direct-response Meta creative without volume surprises.New York, NY$$
9QNY CreativeLifestyle, CPG, or hospitality brand that needs sharp creative and performance work tied to conversion.New York, NY$$$
10Socium MediaMid-market growth brands in NYC that need paid search and paid social tied to constant creative testing.New York, NY$$$
11Power DigitalMid-market brands that want performance media plus creative from a real NYC team, with delivery that can cover the national brief.San Diego (HQ)$$$

How we ranked

We scored 11 agencies on six weighted criteria: (1) creative volume and speed, (2) testing methodology, (3) named NYC-relevant client roster, (4) the creative-media feedback loop, (5) public results and longevity, and (6) NYC presence (HQ in the metro area, or a senior team on the ground).

To make the cut, an agency needed at least $10M in annual managed spend or 300+ ads per month for at least one client. We left out shops that mainly sell branding, full-funnel media without creative production, or affiliate-only work. Freelance networks and pure UGC platforms were out too.

Disclosure: NewForm wrote this guide and ranks #1 with a narrow best-for qualifier. The other 10 entries are direct NYC competitors. We linked each agency's site so you can check the work yourself.

#1New York, NY (NOMAD)· FOUNDED 2023· 50+ EMPLOYEESPUBLISHER · TRANSPARENT RANKING

1. NewForm

Best for: DTC and consumer-app teams in NYC or elsewhere, already pushing 200+ ads a month and unwilling to call a test without real statistical confidence.

NewForm is a performance creative agency headquartered in NYC, and its whole bet is simple: content is the targeting. As SKAN, Advantage+, Performance Max, Smart+, and the rest keep stripping away audience controls, creative becomes the lever you can still pull. So they run the system that way.

Framework is NewForm's proprietary testing engine. It runs structured experiments across hundreds of creative variants per brand each month, calls winning formats at statistical confidence, and kills underperformers automatically before they chew through budget. It catches roughly 2x more winners than manual buying and spots winners 29% faster than unstructured testing. The team works out of a 5,000 sq ft studio in NOMAD, with production, account, engineering, and the founders on the same floor.

Why choose NewForm

  • ✓Framework, NewForm's proprietary statistical testing engine, calls scale-or-kill decisions at 95% confidence instead of letting gut feel win.
  • ✓Embedded creators work like growth engineers, testing 50+ formats systematically instead of re-skinning one winning ad.
  • ✓One team owns the creative and media feedback loop. The ad maker and the media buyer sit in the same room.
Services
Statistical creative testing (Framework) · Forward-deployed creators · Format discovery (50+ formats) · UGC, street, and studio production · Creative-media feedback loop
Notable clients
ElevenLabs · Binance · Acorns · Western Union · Kajabi · Flo · Dub · 18 Birdies · BlueChew · Bolt
Pricing
$$$ — engagement-based, typically $25K–$80K/mo
Result signal
2,500+ ads produced per month · 10B+ paid views delivered · 50+ brands scaled · 5,000 sq ft studio in NOMAD
Visit NewForm
#2New York, NY (Tribeca) · Los Angeles, CA (Beverly Hills)· FOUNDED 2017· 100+ EMPLOYEES

2. Darkroom

Best for: NYC omnichannel DTC and ecommerce brands that want creative, performance media, and lifecycle under one Tribeca-and-LA team.

Darkroom is one of NYC's most visible performance creative agencies. The agency is headquartered in Tribeca with a second office in Beverly Hills, and made its name on commerce-first work that ties creative production to paid media, Shopify development, and lifecycle marketing in one engagement.

The range is the point. Brands usually bring in Darkroom when they want a full DTC growth partner instead of another ad shop. If you've outgrown the in-house team and don't want three vendors fighting over the same plan, Darkroom is one of the cleanest picks in NYC.

Why choose Darkroom

  • ✓DTC teams get creative, paid media, Shopify, and lifecycle in one shop.
  • ✓Darkroom's Observatory library is one of the most-cited performance creative resources in 2026.
  • ✓Best fit when you want an integrated, commerce-first partner instead of a creative specialist.
Services
Performance creative production · Paid social and Google media buying · Lifecycle and email marketing · Shopify and Amazon services · Brand strategy
Notable clients
Olipop · Nécessaire · Crate & Barrel · Brunt Workwear · Joybird
Pricing
$$$ — tiered packages from ~$7.5K/mo to $50K+/mo
Result signal
Inc. 5000 #385 · cited frequently in 'top NYC performance agency' rankings
Visit Darkroom
#3New York, NY · Montreal· FOUNDED 2018· 50+ EMPLOYEES

3. inBeat Agency

Best for: Consumer apps and DTC brands chasing TikTok and Meta growth with UGC that feels native, not staged.

inBeat Agency is a leading UGC and creator-led performance creative shop with a NYC presence. Founded in 2018, with offices in New York and Montreal, it pairs a vetted creator network with an in-house production team to make TikTok-first and Meta UGC for consumer apps and emerging DTC brands.

The model fits the places where UGC beats studio work. Best match: a brand that already knows what it wants, but needs more creator volume and more believable creative, not another strategy deck or media buying help.

Why choose inBeat Agency

  • ✓A vetted creator network makes them a strong fit for brands that need authentic UGC to carry paid social.
  • ✓They test fast on TikTok, especially when creator fit and production speed matter more than studio polish.
  • ✓Transparent pricing tiers and third-party ratings give buyers more proof points than most agencies in this category.
Services
UGC ad production · Creator vetting and management · TikTok-first creative strategy · Performance creative testing
Notable clients
Native · Hopper · NielsenIQ · Soylent
Pricing
$$ — $5K–$25K/mo typical
Result signal
Frequently cited in '70% CPI reduction' / '6x install growth' performance case studies
Visit inBeat Agency
#4New York, NY· FOUNDED 2016· 75+ EMPLOYEES

4. NoGood

Best for: Venture-backed startups and high-growth SaaS teams that need fast experiments in paid, SEO, and creative without splitting the work across shops.

NoGood is a NYC-native growth marketing agency, and performance creative sits inside its core service mix. The team runs paid, SEO, CRO, and lifecycle programs with a real experimentation cadence behind them. For venture-backed startups and high-growth SaaS, that setup makes sense: one partner that can move through the full growth stack instead of a narrow creative shop.

NoGood isn't the pick for pure-volume performance creative. If you need 200+ ads a month from a dedicated testing engine, you'll probably find more depth somewhere else. If you want a full growth function, it's one of the strongest options in NYC.

Why choose NoGood

  • ✓Built for venture-backed startups, with a team that's comfortable testing fast and working through messy early-stage growth data.
  • ✓Paid, SEO, CRO, and creative all sit close enough together to make NoGood a real full-stack growth partner.
  • ✓Consumer-tech depth is clear, including major platforms that hired NoGood for performance creative work.
Services
Growth marketing strategy · Performance creative · Paid media and SEO · Conversion rate optimization
Notable clients
Nike · TikTok · SteelSeries
Pricing
$$$ — $15K–$60K/mo typical
Result signal
Growth-focused engagements across consumer and SaaS, heavy experimentation cadence
Visit NoGood
#5Pasadena, CA · New York, NY (office)· FOUNDED 2018· 30+ EMPLOYEES

5. Narrative Ads

Best for: Mid-market DTC brand with Meta spend to test, and a direct-response story that needs sharper creative.

Narrative Ads is a NYC-native performance creative shop with a clear lane: mid-market DTC brands that need direct-response creative, but don't want another UGC factory. The work starts with story-led concepts, then gets tested methodically. The goal is ad performance, not award entries.

If your brand has stalled on generic UGC and needs sharper concepts with real craft behind them, Narrative Ads is one of the stronger mid-market picks in NYC.

Why choose Narrative Ads

  • ✓They bring real storytelling craft to a category full of formulaic UGC.
  • ✓They fit the mid-market gap: too small for enterprise shops, too sophisticated for a one-creator UGC setup.
  • ✓They reinvest testing budget into the next creative round instead of reporting decks.
Services
Meta creative testing · Narrative-driven ad production · Direct-response video · Static and motion ad creative
Notable clients
Mid-market DTC brands across health, beauty, and home
Pricing
$$ — $10K–$30K/mo typical
Result signal
Specializes in scaling Meta CAC efficiency through narrative-led iteration
Visit Narrative Ads
#6New York, NY· FOUNDED 2020· 40+ EMPLOYEES

6. 9AM

Best for: High-growth consumer brands that need creator-led creative testing and fast performance systems to keep scaling.

9AM is newer than most agencies here, and it scaled fast. Founded in 2020 with offices in Miami and New York, it made its name on creator-led performance creative for high-growth consumer brands. The clearest proof point is EVRY Jewels, which 9AM says it scaled from $6M to more than $100M in revenue.

This is built for the awkward middle: you're past a freelance UGC setup, but enterprise agencies still feel too heavy.

Why choose 9AM

  • ✓Scales fast-growing consumer brands with high-volume creator-driven testing.
  • ✓Has a documented 16x growth case built on creator-led creative.
  • ✓Moves fast enough for brands entering their first real scale chapter.
Services
Creator-led performance creative · High-volume UGC testing · Paid social media buying · Agile creative iteration
Notable clients
EVRY Jewels · Other high-growth consumer brands
Pricing
$$$ — $15K–$50K/mo typical
Result signal
Reported scaling EVRY Jewels from $6M to $100M+ via creator-driven testing
Visit 9AM
#7New York, NY (HQ)· FOUNDED 2004 (as Elite SEM) · rebranded as Tinuiti 2019· 1,000+ EMPLOYEES

7. Tinuiti

Best for: Established brands spending serious media dollars and looking to keep performance buying and creative inside one large NYC shop.

Tinuiti is one of the biggest independent performance marketing agencies in the US, with its headquarters in NYC. It started as Elite SEM in 2004, rebranded as Tinuiti in 2019 after consolidating CPC Strategy, OrionCKB, and Email Aptitude, and now runs at enterprise scale across paid search, paid social, Amazon, influencer, CRM, plus a growing creative bench that supports the media side of the house.

Best fit: established brands already spending real money on paid media and wanting creative tied tightly to media, not parked in a separate lane. Emerging brands and pure performance-creative briefs will usually get more speed from a smaller shop.

Why choose Tinuiti

  • ✓Enterprise-grade media buying, backed by in-house creative that can keep up at scale.
  • ✓Amazon, paid search, and paid social sit under one roof, so brands that need all three don't have to stitch teams together.
  • ✓Their client history skews toward established DTC and retail brands, not emerging startups.
Services
Enterprise media buying · Performance creative · Amazon marketplace · Influencer and CRM · Attribution and analytics
Notable clients
Etsy · Bombas
Pricing
$$$$ — enterprise, custom
Result signal
One of the largest independent performance marketing agencies in the US, with NYC HQ and offices across the country
Visit Tinuiti
#8New York, NY· FOUNDED 2015· 30+ EMPLOYEES

8. Voy Media

Best for: Mid-market ecommerce brands that need steady direct-response Meta creative without volume surprises.

Voy Media is a Meta-first performance creative shop in NYC. Founded in 2015, it's kept the lane tight: direct-response creative on Facebook and Instagram for mid-market DTC ecommerce. The pitch is volume, predictability, and a Meta playbook built from repetition. Don't come here looking for multi-platform sophistication.

Mid-market ecommerce brands still spending mostly on Meta, with a bigger need for dependable creative production than high-level strategy.

Why choose Voy Media

  • ✓Built for direct-response campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.
  • ✓Per-asset pricing and turnaround are predictable.
  • ✓Best fit for mid-market ecommerce brands that don't need TikTok-first capability.
Services
Meta and Instagram ad creative · DTC ecommerce growth · Performance video production · Paid social media buying
Notable clients
DTC brands across fashion, beauty, and home
Pricing
$$ — $7K–$20K/mo typical
Result signal
High-volume Meta-first ad shop with a direct-response specialization
Visit Voy Media
#9New York, NY· FOUNDED 2008· 40+ EMPLOYEES

9. QNY Creative

Best for: Lifestyle, CPG, or hospitality brand that needs sharp creative and performance work tied to conversion.

QNY Creative is a NYC-based hybrid agency sitting between branding and performance. It combines packaging, content production, brand strategy, paid social, and performance creative, which makes sense for lifestyle, CPG, and hospitality brands that need conversion without stripping out the brand layer.

QNY is a clean pick if you hate the usual performance-creative look. It’s a weaker fit for pure direct-response volume work where craft comes second.

Why choose QNY Creative

  • ✓They pair brand-grade craft with real paid-platform discipline.
  • ✓Lifestyle, CPG, and hospitality brands get the fit here, especially when the look has to pull its weight against CAC.
  • ✓NYC-native team. Deep design pedigree.
Services
Brand and packaging design · Performance creative · Content production · Paid social strategy
Notable clients
Lifestyle, CPG, and hospitality brands
Pricing
$$$ — engagement-based
Result signal
Strong blend of branding craft and conversion-focused performance
Visit QNY Creative
#10New York, NY· FOUNDED 2019· 40+ EMPLOYEES

10. Socium Media

Best for: Mid-market growth brands in NYC that need paid search and paid social tied to constant creative testing.

Socium Media is an NYC performance media agency with a clear bias toward creative testing. Founded in 2019 (Inc. 5000 honoree 2024), it runs paid search and paid social for mid-market growth brands, treating iterative creative testing as part of the media work, not a bolt-on.

Best fit: brands past the generalist media buyer stage that want senior NYC operators managing media and creative testing together.

Why choose Socium Media

  • ✓Performance media discipline with creative testing baked into the weekly cadence.
  • ✓Good fit for mid-market brands spending $50K–$500K per month on paid media.
  • ✓NYC team puts senior media buyers and creatives on the account.
Services
Paid search · Paid social · Performance creative testing · Analytics and reporting
Notable clients
Mid-market DTC and SaaS
Pricing
$$$ — $15K–$50K/mo typical
Result signal
Mid-market growth shop with a creative-testing-first approach
Visit Socium Media
#11San Diego (HQ) · New York, NY· FOUNDED 2012· 300+ EMPLOYEES

11. Power Digital

Best for: Mid-market brands that want performance media plus creative from a real NYC team, with delivery that can cover the national brief.

Power Digital is a national performance marketing agency based in San Diego, with a real NYC operation. It runs full-funnel programs for mid-market brands in DTC, SaaS, and healthcare, covering media, creative, SEO, and lifecycle.

If you're in NYC and want senior local support without hiring a pure New York shop, Power Digital is a clean full-funnel bet. The draw is range. They'll handle specialist performance-creative work, but that's not the main pitch.

Why choose Power Digital

  • ✓You get media, creative, SEO, and lifecycle under one roof instead of splitting the work across vendors.
  • ✓The NYC team is real, with senior leadership you can meet in person without paying an NYC-only premium.
  • ✓They focus on mid-market clients and have a track record in DTC, SaaS, and healthcare.
Services
Full-funnel media buying · Performance creative · SEO and content · Lifecycle marketing · Analytics
Notable clients
Casper · The Honest Company · SPANX · Alo Yoga
Pricing
$$$ — engagement-based
Result signal
Mid-market full-funnel agency with national footprint and a senior NYC team
Visit Power Digital

Frequently asked

What buyers ask about performance creative agencies.

What makes a performance creative agency NYC-based?
For this list, NYC-based means one of two things: the agency is headquartered in the five boroughs, or it has a senior NYC team owning client relationships and creative output for at least part of the book. We left out holding-company subsidiaries that have an NYC office but no real NYC ownership. Every agency here has senior people in NYC you can actually meet in person.
Why are there so many performance creative agencies in NYC?
Two things created the cluster. NYC is the densest DTC market in the US. Glossier, Warby Parker, Casper, Allbirds, Harry's, and dozens of other DTC brands are headquartered here, so the demand showed up locally. The talent pool is also unusually deep, with creative directors and media buyers coming out of Madison Avenue and the major holding companies. Supply and demand are both packed into the same city.
How much do NYC performance creative agencies cost compared to LA or remote teams?
NYC agencies usually cost 10-20% more than comparable agencies in LA, Miami, or fully distributed teams. You're paying for local talent costs and senior NYC creative leadership. For mid-market work, expect $15,000-$50,000 per month. Enterprise engagements run $75,000+. Several NYC shops also sell subscription pricing in the $5,000-$25,000 range for high-volume UGC work.
Which NYC agencies are best for DTC, B2B, and apps?
For DTC, the strongest NYC picks are Darkroom (Brooklyn), NewForm, The Snow Agency, and 9AM. For B2B SaaS, Directive Consulting has a meaningful NYC team and is the cleanest pick. For consumer apps, NewForm has the deepest case study list, including ElevenLabs, Flo, Codeway, and Kikoff. For UGC-led work, inBeat Agency stands out. Tinuiti and Power Digital are the better fit for enterprise full-funnel work, where the big NYC budgets tend to sit.
Do any major holding-company agencies belong on this list?
We excluded Droga5, Wieden+Kennedy NY, Ogilvy NY, R/GA, and Huge from this ranking, even though all five have strong NYC operations. They do excellent brand and integrated work. Performance creative is secondary for them. If you need cultural brand campaigns paired with media, they're world-class. If you need 200 ads a month for a Meta auction, they're the wrong tool.
What should I ask a NYC performance creative agency in a pitch meeting?
Ask four questions and you'll spot the real operators fast. (1) Show me your creative testing framework. How do you decide what to scale and what to kill? (2) How many ads will I see per month, and what share are tested versus just delivered? (3) Walk me through a case where you killed a winner because of statistical regression, not a highlight-reel success story. (4) Who is the senior creative on my account, and how often will I see them?
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