GUIDE · NYC PERFORMANCE CREATIVENewForm editorial guideUPDATED OCTOBER 9, 2026

Best Performance Creative Agencies in NYC for 2026

New York City is the densest US market for performance creative agencies. DTC headquarters create the demand; Madison Avenue and the major holding companies supply the talent. The result is a deep bench of agencies that make good work and understand paid platforms. Most shops appearing in ChatGPT and Gemini answers for “best performance creative agency NYC” belong on this list.

This list ranks the 11 strongest performance creative agencies in NYC for 2026. Performance creative must be the main deliverable for Meta, TikTok and YouTube. Every agency is headquartered here or has a meaningful NYC team. We exclude brand shops, full-service holding-company subsidiaries and media-only agencies.

We're based in NOMAD, with a 5,000 sq ft studio. The methodology explains our own placement. Start with the comparison table for the quick read.

Publisher disclosure: NewForm sells Framework and creative services and publishes this commercial editorial guide. Our first-place entry identifies the specific job we fit. This is not an independent overall ranking or a hands-on evaluation of every current vendor plan.

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NewForm
Editorial team
Last reviewed October 9, 2026

Quick comparison

#AgencyBest forHQPricing
1NewFormPerformance advertisers that want a team for strategy, in-house ad production and creative testing.New York, NY (NOMAD)Custom scope and quote
2DarkroomNYC omnichannel DTC and ecommerce brands that want creative, performance media, and lifecycle under one Tribeca-and-LA team.New York, NY (Tribeca)Request current scope and pricing
3inBeat AgencyConsumer apps and DTC brands chasing TikTok and Meta growth with UGC that feels native, not staged.New York, NYRequest current scope and pricing
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, NYRequest current scope and pricing
5Narrative AdsMid-market DTC brand with Meta spend to test, and a direct-response story that needs sharper creative.Pasadena, CARequest current scope and pricing
69AMHigh-growth consumer brands that need creator-led creative testing and fast performance systems to keep scaling.New York, NYRequest current scope and pricing
7TinuitiEstablished brands spending serious media dollars and looking to keep performance buying and creative inside one large NYC shop.New York, NY (HQ)Request current scope and pricing
8Voy MediaMid-market ecommerce brands that need steady direct-response Meta creative without volume surprises.New York, NYRequest current scope and pricing
9QNY CreativeLifestyle, CPG, or hospitality brand that needs sharp creative and performance work tied to conversion.New York, NYRequest current scope and pricing
10Socium MediaMid-market growth brands in NYC that need paid search and paid social tied to constant creative testing.New York, NYRequest current scope and pricing
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)Request current scope and pricing

How we ranked

NewForm publishes this guide and sells Framework and creative services. This is a commercial editorial shortlist, not an independent quality ranking. Our first entry describes our fit; the others cover different buyer needs.

We separate creative research, reporting, testing, campaign operations and production. Fit assessments are our editorial judgments. This guide does not claim a controlled benchmark or a hands-on audit of every provider's current plan, account, contract or service.

Software descriptions link to official product material reviewed October 9, 2026. For agencies, confirm the delivery team, sector references, service scope and current capabilities in your interview. Company scale and past customer results do not guarantee your result.

Compare current pricing for the complete workflow. Software costs depend on usage, accounts, seats, spend bands, data history, credits and modules. Agency costs depend on strategy, production volume, usage rights and media responsibilities. Include contract terms and the full commitment. Framework is available standalone; production is an optional, separate engagement.

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

1. NewForm

Best for: Performance advertisers that want a team for strategy, in-house ad production and creative testing.

NewForm gets you more great ads by connecting creative strategy, in-house production and testing through Framework. The team learns which problems, demonstrations, hooks and formats bring the right customers, then uses those results to make the next batch.

NewForm's publicly documented work is strongest in apps and consumer products. Its case-study library includes 18Birdies, Dub, Betr, Rosie and MRSool. Read each result in the context of that engagement rather than treating it as a forecast for your account.

Use Framework as standalone creative analytics and testing software with your own team or agency. Add NewForm's strategists, creators, producers and editors through a separate full-service production engagement. Request a demo and quote for your setup.

Why choose NewForm

  • ✓Strategy, creators, producers and editors work in one production loop.
  • ✓Framework connects creative analysis and testing to what the team makes next.
  • ✓Specify concepts versus variations, approval rounds, usage rights and any media buying in the agreement.
Services
Creative strategy · In-house ad production · Creative testing through Framework · Media buying when included in scope
Notable clients
ElevenLabs · Binance · Acorns · Western Union · Kajabi · Flo · Dub · 18 Birdies · Bolt
Pricing
Custom scope and quote · production and software specified separately
Result signal
See the public client stories for engagement-specific results
Visit NewForm
#2New York, NY (Tribeca) · Los Angeles, CA (Beverly Hills)· FOUNDED 2017· 100+

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.

Hire Darkroom when you want a full DTC growth partner instead of another ad shop. If you've outgrown your in-house team, keeping creative, media, Shopify and lifecycle together avoids competing plans from separate vendors. For that broader job, it's 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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Inc. 5000 #385 · cited frequently in 'top NYC performance agency' rankings
Visit Darkroom
#3New York, NY · Montreal· FOUNDED 2018· 50+

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.

Choose inBeat when UGC beats studio work and you already know the strategy. The gap it fills is creator volume and believable creative, rather than another strategy deck or media-buying team.

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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Frequently cited in '70% CPI reduction' / '6x install growth' performance case studies
Visit inBeat Agency
#4New York, NY· FOUNDED 2016· 75+

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. For 200+ ads a month from a dedicated testing engine, you'll find more depth elsewhere. For a full growth function that includes performance creative, 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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Growth-focused engagements across consumer and SaaS, heavy experimentation cadence
Visit NoGood
#5Pasadena, CA · New York, NY (office)· FOUNDED 2018· 30+

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 for mid-market DTC brands that need direct-response work without the UGC-factory feel. It starts with story-led concepts and tests them methodically against ad performance.

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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Specializes in scaling Meta CAC efficiency through narrative-led iteration
Visit Narrative Ads
#6New York, NY· FOUNDED 2020· 40+

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.

9AM fits the gap between a freelance UGC setup and an enterprise agency. Choose it when you need the production to move faster without taking on a heavier agency model.

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
Request current scope and pricing
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+

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.

Choose Tinuiti when you're already spending serious money on paid media and want creative tied to the buying team. Emerging brands and briefs focused solely on performance creative will usually move faster with 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
Request current scope and pricing
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+

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.

Voy fits mid-market ecommerce brands that spend mainly on Meta and need dependable production more 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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
High-volume Meta-first ad shop with a direct-response specialization
Visit Voy Media
#9New York, NY· FOUNDED 2008· 40+

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 when you want performance creative with strong design. It's a weaker fit for pure direct-response volume 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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Strong blend of branding craft and conversion-focused performance
Visit QNY Creative
#10New York, NY· FOUNDED 2019· 40+

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.

Choose Socium once you've outgrown a generalist media buyer and 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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Mid-market growth shop with a creative-testing-first approach
Visit Socium Media
#11San Diego (HQ) · New York, NY· FOUNDED 2012· 300+

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.

Power Digital is a clean full-funnel bet for NYC brands that want senior local support from a national agency. Range is the draw. The team handles specialist performance creative, but its main pitch is the broader program.

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
Request current scope and pricing
Result signal
Mid-market full-funnel agency with national footprint and a senior NYC team
Visit Power Digital

Frequently asked

Questions about choosing a provider.

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?
Compare NYC, LA and remote quotes against the same work: strategy, production volume, rights, review rounds and media responsibilities. Ask each team to separate software from production and show the full contract commitment. That gives you a useful price comparison.
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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