# Influencer Marketing Agency vs Platform: Cost and Control > What an influencer marketing agency does and how agencies charge, compared with hiring influencers yourself on Octoclip: €0 a month, no retainer fee. Source: https://octoclip.io/compare/influencer-marketing-agency Updated: 2026-10-19 --- Comparison Updated 19 Oct 2026 # Influencer marketing agency vs platform: hire influencers yourself, with no retainer fee. An influencer marketing agency finds creators, negotiates with them and runs your campaigns, usually for a retainer fee every month or a project fee, plus what the creators are paid. Most teams now hire influencers themselves (66.33% run influencer marketing entirely in-house in Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2026 survey), and on Octoclip you post a job free, influencers apply and you pay only when a creator accepts your offer. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) - Free until you hire - Fixed price per video - You approve every video ## In short influencer marketing agencies details checked 18 Oct 2026 | Point | OCTOCLIP | An influencer marketing agency | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | A UGC marketplace where creators apply to your job | A company that runs influencer campaigns for you | | Monthly fee | €0 | Often a retainer fee | | How you pay | Per hire, when a creator accepts your offer | A retainer fee or a project fee, on top of creator fees | Of the 10 points compared influencer marketing agencies figures as influencer marketing agencies publishes them **7** Octoclip ahead **3** Equal See all 10 points What they are ## What is an influencer marketing agency, and what is Octoclip? An influencer marketing agency is a company that plans influencer campaigns for a brand, picks the creators from its network, negotiates their fees and reports on the results, usually for a retainer fee or a project fee. Octoclip is an influencer marketplace where brands hire creators directly at a fixed price per approved video. Octoclip Octoclip is built for brands that want to start without a commitment. It costs €0 a month, posting jobs and reviewing applicants are free, and you pay only when a creator accepts your offer. Creators apply to your job, every applicant shows a delivery record, and each creator confirms your must-include points before sending a video. Influencer marketing agencies Influencer marketing agencies typically plan the campaign, choose creators from their own roster or network, handle contracts and payments, and charge a retainer fee every month or a project fee on top of the creators’ fees. Terms differ by agency, so confirm them with each. Octoclip (octoclip.io) is a UGC marketplace and is not related to the clipboard app of the same name. ### How a hire works on Octoclip The first three steps are free. 1. Free **Post a job** Type, price per video, volume, deadline and the brief, with the must-include points every video is checked against. 2. Free **Review applicants** Creators apply with a note. You see their profile, connected account and record on Octoclip. 3. Free **Send offers** The contract is generated from your job’s terms. Hire one creator or twenty from the same brief. 4. You pay here **Hire and approve** When a creator accepts, you pay and they start. You approve every video before the creator is paid. Side by side ## Influencer marketing agency vs Octoclip, side by side on 10 points Octoclip is ahead on 7 of the 10 points compared, and equal on the other 3. Yes or strong No Not published *A typical influencer marketing agency compared with Octoclip on price, creators, briefs and rights.* | Point | OCTOCLIP | An influencer marketing agency | | --- | --- | --- | | Price Octoclip ahead on 2 | | | | Octoclip ahead Agency retainer fees A fee you pay an agency every month to keep it working for you, whether or not anything is posted that month. | Yes: None, €0 | No: Often, or a project fee instead | | Octoclip ahead Pay only for the posts you hire Each hire is priced on its own, with no minimum. | Yes: Yes, a fixed price per approved video | No: Usually a retainer fee or a campaign budget | | Creators Octoclip ahead on 4 | | | | Octoclip ahead Creators apply to your job The creators who want the job come to you. | Yes: Yes | No: The agency picks for you | | Octoclip ahead You choose every creator Send offers only to the people you want on your brand. | Yes: Yes, you send offers to the ones you want | No: From the agency’s roster or shortlist | | Octoclip ahead You keep the creator relationship Rehire the influencers who delivered, directly. | Yes: Yes, on Octoclip’s roster | No: The relationship sits with the agency | | Octoclip ahead Delivery record before you hire Videos delivered, on time and approved first time, counted from real jobs. | Yes: On every profile Videos delivered, on time, approved first time | Not published: Rarely shared | | Briefs and review Octoclip ahead on 1 · Equal on 1 | | | | Equal One brief for many creators Write it once. Every creator gets the same brief and terms. | Yes: Yes, each with their own dates | Yes: Yes, the agency briefs creators | | Octoclip ahead Must-include checklist Creators confirm each point before sending, so fewer videos miss the brief. | Yes: Confirmed by each creator | Not published: Varies by agency | | Rights and payments Equal on 2 | | | | Equal A contract on every hire Built from the job’s terms and accepted by the creator. | Yes: Automatic, built from your job’s terms | Yes: Handled by the agency | | Equal Payments and receipts handled Creators are paid as you approve, with a receipt in your history. | Yes: Secured before work starts A receipt for every payment | Yes: One invoice from the agency | **Posting a job is free.** You’re charged only when a creator accepts. influencer marketing agencies details checked 18 Oct 2026 [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) influencer marketing agencies details come from its public [Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report 2026](https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/) pages, checked 18 Oct 2026. influencer marketing agencies may change them, so [tell us](mailto:support@octoclip.io) if anything is out of date. Cost ## How much does an influencer marketing agency cost? Octoclip costs €0 a month, with no retainer fee: you pay only when a creator accepts your offer. Influencer marketing agencies often charge a retainer fee every month or a project fee, on top of the creators’ fees, and the amount varies by agency. ### Octoclip pricing No plan and no minimum. You pay only when you fund a hire, and you see the full amount before you send an offer. Always free - Posting jobs - Reviewing applicants - Sending offers - Revisions - Contracts and receipts Every hire includes - A contract Built from your job’s terms and accepted by the creator - Payment secured before work starts The creator is paid for each approved video - Must-include points, confirmed Each creator ticks every point before sending - 5 days to review Then the video approves itself - Usage rights worldwide, with no end date Spark Ads and partnership ads included - A receipt for every payment In your history An example. You choose the price and the number of videos, and you see the full amount before you send an offer. ### How does each way of working differ? An agency is a service: it runs the influencers for you, for a fee. A marketplace is a tool: you hire the influencers directly and the platform runs the contracts and payments. This describes how agencies typically work, not any one agency. Confirm the terms with each. *Influencer marketing agency and Octoclip compared* | The difference | OCTOCLIP €0 plan, pay per hire | An influencer marketing agency Typical terms | | --- | --- | --- | | How you pay | Per hire, when a creator accepts | Often a retainer fee or project fee | | Who picks the influencers | You, from the ones who apply | The agency, from its network | | Who manages the influencers | You, with the platform running contracts and payments | The agency | | How long a post stays live | At least 90 days, in every contract | Agreed per campaign | | Starting small | One creator, one video | Depends on the agency’s minimum | ### How influencer marketing agencies charge Influencer marketing agency pricing varies widely. Many charge a retainer fee every month or a project fee on top of creator fees. Ask each agency for its minimum, what the fee covers, and who keeps the creator relationship. Who each one suits ## Why choose Octoclip instead of an influencer marketing agency? Choose Octoclip instead of an influencer marketing agency if you want to stay in control, pay only when you hire, and keep the creators who deliver. - €0 **No plan to pay for** Post jobs and review applicants for free. You pay when you hire, not every month. - 1 **Start with one video** No minimum: hire one influencer for one video, then hire again. - 5 days **Every review has a deadline** Approve in one click, and a video you do not review within 5 days is approved for you. An agency is the right shape when you want someone else to run the programme. Octoclip is for brands that want to stay in control: you write the brief, choose the influencers, approve every video and rehire the ones who delivered, while the platform runs the contracts and payments. There is no retainer fee and no minimum. ### Octoclip suits you when… **You hire some months and not others** A month with no hires costs €0 **You want to choose from who applied** Every applicant shows videos delivered, on time and approved first time **You can say what the video must show** At least 2 must-include points, confirmed by each creator **You want the full amount before you commit** It’s on the offer before you send it **You need short portrait videos** 9:16, for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts ### Look elsewhere when… **You want someone to pick creators for you** That’s what an agency does. Here, you choose **You want views or sales guaranteed** Nobody can promise reach, and Octoclip doesn’t **You need landscape or long-form video** Every video is short and portrait, 9:16 **You expect round after round of changes** 1 revision per video, tied to a must-include point **You need a crew or a studio shoot** Each video is filmed by one creator If something goes wrong ## Built for the parts that usually go wrong. The same rules run on every Octoclip hire, for brands and creators alike. 1. **A video misses the brief** Ask for **one revision**, tied to the must-include point it missed. The creator has 3 days to send the new version. 1 revision 2. **You can’t review in time** You have **5 days**, and we remind you 24 hours before they’re up. After that the video approves itself, so the creator is paid on time. 5 days 3. **A creator doesn’t answer your offer** **Nothing is charged.** You give every offer an answer-by date of 1 to 7 days. Nothing charged 4. **You want to turn a video down** Only for an objective reason, such as a missed deadline or a must-include point still missing after the revision. **Low views or a change of mind don’t count.** Judged on the brief 5. **You and the creator disagree** **A person at Octoclip** looks at both sides and decides within 5 business days. A person decides 6. **You want to stop** Stop posting jobs. A month with no hires costs **€0**, and there’s nothing to cancel. €0 a month FAQ ## Influencer marketing agency vs platform: common questions Straight answers, with influencer marketing agencies’ figures as it publishes them. **A person answers.** Weighing Octoclip against influencer marketing agencies? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Talk to us](mailto:info@octoclip.io) ### What does an influencer marketing agency do? An influencer marketing agency plans the campaign, picks influencers from its network, negotiates their fees, handles contracts and payments, and reports on the results. You pay the agency for that work, usually as a retainer fee or a project fee. ### How much does an influencer marketing agency cost? Influencer marketing agency pricing varies widely: many charge a retainer fee every month or a project fee on top of creator fees, and the amount depends on the agency and the volume. Octoclip has no retainer fee: a month with no hires costs €0, and you pay only for the hires you fund. ### Do most brands use an influencer agency? No. In Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2026 benchmark survey of 600+ respondents, 66.33% run influencer marketing entirely in-house, 10.71% use a mix of in-house and agency, and 10.71% run it through an agency partner. ### What is the difference between an influencer agency and an influencer platform? An agency runs influencer campaigns for you, usually for a retainer fee, and picks the creators from its network. A platform such as Octoclip lets you hire influencers directly: you post a job, creators apply, you send offers, and the platform runs contracts and payments. ### Is an influencer platform cheaper than an agency? Octoclip has no retainer fee and no minimum, so a month with no hires costs nothing and you pay only for the hires you fund. An agency’s fee covers running the campaign for you, so compare what each includes before you decide. ### What are the best influencer marketing agencies? The right agency depends on your product, your budget and how much management you want. If you would rather hire influencers yourself, Octoclip is the alternative: creators apply to your job, every applicant shows a delivery record, and you send offers to the ones you want. See the [best influencer marketing platforms](https://octoclip.io/compare/best-influencer-marketing-platforms). ### Can I run influencer marketing without an agency? Yes. On Octoclip you post a job, see which influencers apply, and hire them directly. There is no agency fee, no retainer fee and no minimum. The [influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/influencer-marketing) guide walks through the steps. ### How do I hire UGC creators on Octoclip? Post a job by choosing a creator post or a UGC video, the platform, how many videos and the fixed price per video, and write the brief once. Creators apply, and you send offers to the ones you want. When a creator accepts, the hire is paid and work starts once payment is secured. Review each video within 5 days, ask for one revision if a brief point is missed, and approve. ### Can I choose my own creators on Octoclip? Yes. Creators apply to your job and you send offers to the ones you want. Nobody is assigned to you. ### Does Octoclip have a minimum spend or a contract? No. Octoclip has no monthly plan, no minimum spend and no contract. You can start with one creator and one video, and you pay only when a creator accepts your offer. ### Can I use Octoclip and an influencer agency together? Yes. Octoclip has no minimum, so you can keep an agency for strategy and hire influencers on Octoclip for volume, or post one job and compare the results. **A person answers.** Weighing Octoclip against influencer marketing agencies? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Talk to us](mailto:info@octoclip.io) Sources ## Where the influencer marketing agency figures come from. Every influencer marketing agencies figure on this page is influencer marketing agencies’ own, from its public pages, checked on 18 Oct 2026. influencer marketing agencies may change them. - Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report 2026 [influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report](https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/) Checked 18 Oct 2026 Published 19 Oct 2026 Updated 19 Oct 2026 Octoclip’s own figures come from its [Terms](https://octoclip.io/terms). Spotted something out of date? [Tell us](mailto:support@octoclip.io). More comparisons ## Compare Octoclip with others. Each page sets Octoclip against one platform, with the other side’s figures dated and sourced. [See all comparisons](https://octoclip.io/compare) Free to post ## Try Octoclip on your next brief. Posting is free and no card is needed. You only pay when a creator accepts your offer. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) [Sign in](https://octoclip.io/login) [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand)