Refine Labs and Directive are good at what they do. The problem is the size of company they are built for.
This guide is for B2B SaaS teams from Seed to Series C that want similar results at their stage. It explains why buyers look for alternatives and compares ten agencies on scope, price and fit. The last section lists the questions to ask before you sign.
Why do B2B SaaS companies look for Refine Labs and Directive alternatives?
Most buyers look for alternatives because of price and company stage. In 2025 and 2026, both agencies also changed in ways that a buyer should know about.
Refine Labs
Refine Labs made demand creation popular in B2B SaaS. Its founder, Chris Walker, argued that paid social should create new demand. At the time, many teams used it only to collect MQLs, and the idea changed how they planned their budgets.
Its clients include Clari, Algolia, BeyondTrust and Cognism. Its homepage says it serves companies with $50M+ ARR. Its pricing page starts at $14,000 a month for paid media and $26,000 for full service, and both need a six-month minimum.
The ownership changed in July 2025. Megan Bowen became the majority owner, and Grandin Holdings invested. Chris Walker sold his remaining shares and now runs Passetto. The team and the positioning stayed the same.
Directive
Directive is larger than Refine Labs, and its scope keeps growing. It runs content, paid media, creative and RevOps from six offices, and it has 56 Clutch reviews at 4.8. It added a Commerce division in April 2026 and a Communications division in September 2026.
Its prices are harder to find. It has no rate card, and its startup package now sits behind a form.
Most Clutch reviews are strong, but changes to the account team come up often. One reviewer at iCIMS wrote: "we have had a lot of change with regard to our account team in the past six months". Directive's 152 employee reviews on Glassdoor average 3.7.
What this means for a Seed to Series C company
A company with $1m to $30m ARR and two marketers has a problem here. One agency asks for $26,000 a month for six months. The other asks for a proposal before it shows a price. The entry fees on this list start at $4,500 a month.
How we compared these agencies
We compared the ten agencies on five points.
- The agency runs paid media with its own people, because paid media is what most buyers get from Refine Labs.
- The scope goes past the ad account, into landing pages, the CRM and the handoff to sales.
- The agency serves companies smaller than the $50M ARR that Refine Labs names on its homepage.
- The senior people from the pitch do the weekly work.
- The agency publishes a price, or Clutch lists a minimum project size.
We checked every price on each agency's site and on Clutch in September 2026, and we label every third-party estimate. We check every price and claim every three months. To report an error, email hello@tojupiter.com with a link to the source.
Refine Labs and Directive alternatives compared
| Agency | Best for | Scope | Starting monthly fee | Closest to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ToJupiter | Seed to Series C B2B SaaS, $1m to $30m ARR | Paid media, webinars, CxO dinners, creative, landing pages, CRM workflows and reporting, email follow-up, sales enablement | £7,500 for the full programme, £4,500 for paid media only | Both |
| Hey Digital | Series A to C SaaS with $10,000+ a month of ad spend | Paid media, ABM, ad creative and video, landing page design | Not published. Third parties say about $5,000 | Refine Labs |
| Gripped | SaaS past £2m ARR, Series A and B | Paid media, ABM, SEO and GEO, content, websites and landing pages | £3,500 for advice, £7,500 for performance | Both |
| Powered by Search | SaaS teams that want paid media, SEO and RevOps from one vendor | Paid media, SEO and LLM ranking, part-time RevOps, web | $5,000 on a quarterly plan, $6,000 monthly | Directive |
| Omni Lab | Series A to C SaaS with a CMO measured on pipeline | Paid media and ad creative, with CRM reporting | $4,800 at $10,000 of spend | Refine Labs |
| SaaS Hero | Seed and Series A SaaS that wants a flat fee | Paid media, landing pages, programmatic SEO as an add-on | $4,500 | Refine Labs |
| Dapper | European scale-ups in SaaS, hardware and services | Content and creative, LinkedIn and Google media, measurement, training | €6,240 | Refine Labs |
| KlientBoost | Any stage, with a flexible scope | Paid media, ABM, CRO, SEO, landing pages, HubSpot RevOps | Behind a form. Third parties say $4,000 to $6,000 | Directive |
| TripleDart | Scale-ups that want the full funnel at offshore rates | Paid media and ABM, SEO and GEO, RevOps and attribution, AI tools | Not published | Directive |
| Kalungi | $5M to $50M ARR SaaS that wants to outsource the marketing team | Full outsourced marketing department, with HubSpot, content, web and brand | $50,000 for full service, with lower tiers | Directive |
Media spend is extra at every agency on the list.
Top 10 alternatives to Refine Labs and Directive for B2B SaaS in 2026
1. ToJupiter
| At a glance | ToJupiter |
|---|---|
| HQ | London, UK |
| Best for | Seed to Series C B2B SaaS from $1m to $30m ARR, with one to three marketers |
| Model | Senior operators embedded in your team. Three-month minimum, then rolling |
| Starting monthly fee | £7,500 with paid media included, or £4,500 for paid media only |
| Scope | Paid media, webinars, CxO dinners, creative, landing pages, CRM workflows and reporting, email follow-up, sales enablement |
| Verticals | Cybersecurity, martech, fintech, AI and HR tech |
ToJupiter is a B2B SaaS demand generation agency. Its senior operators work as an extension of your team.
How the team works. The operators join your Slack and work inside your HubSpot and ad accounts. These scrappy, senior marketers can rebuild a landing page on Tuesday and show the board the pipeline on Thursday. No account manager sits in the middle, and nobody has to raise a change request.
What you get. You get a full demand generation team for one published monthly fee. The same people run paid media, webinars, executive dinners, creative, CRM workflows, reporting, email follow-up and sales enablement. The people who pitch are the people who do the work.
Where the work is deepest. Most of the work is in cybersecurity, with usecure, Cakewalk, Hunters, Eye Security and Netacea. Martech clients include Reachdesk, SearchPilot and Sequel. Zone & Co makes finance software, Deck and Cakewalk build AI products, and ToJupiter also works with HR tech companies.
Results.
- Reachdesk's paid programme produced $3.77M of new pipeline and 126 discovery demos, at a 1:13 spend-to-pipeline ratio.
- SearchPilot's webinars passed 9,800 registrations and $1.27M of pipeline, at 1:25.
- Cakewalk's paid pipeline grew 2.8 times, and its cost per lead fell 71%.
- Eye Security's paid programme returned $24 of pipeline for every $1 of spend.
Packages and pricing. Both packages are on the pricing page. The minimum term is three months, and then the contract rolls.
- The Embedded Marketing Revenue Team costs £7,500 to £10,000 a month, and it fits companies from $1m to $30m ARR. It covers paid search, LinkedIn ads, GTM stack work, webinars, executive dinners and CRM reporting.
- The Paid Media Growth Package costs £4,500 to £5,500 a month. It covers paid media, landing pages, creative testing and the same reporting. Above $30m ARR, most companies run strategy and content in-house, so this package is the usual fit.
What it does well.
- It is the only agency on this list that runs webinars and CxO dinners inside the fee. Refine Labs clients often need a second agency for events.
- There is no red tape, because the operator who finds a problem fixes it in your CRM and ad accounts.
- The case studies cover cybersecurity, martech, finance software and AI, and you can call the named clients.
- Prices for both packages are public.
What to weigh.
- ToJupiter does not sell PR, SEO on its own, or SDR outsourcing.
- The team is in London and has US clients. Its working day overlaps with the morning on the US East Coast, so ask about this if you are on the West Coast.
Best for Seed to Series C B2B SaaS from $1m to $30m ARR, with one to three marketers and a board that watches CAC payback.
2. Hey Digital
| At a glance | Hey Digital |
|---|---|
| HQ | Tallinn, Estonia. Remote-first across Europe and North America |
| Best for | Series A to C B2B SaaS with $10,000 or more a month of ad spend |
| Model | Monthly retainer with no long contract. A senior strategist leads each account |
| Starting monthly fee | Not published. Third parties say about $5,000 |
| Scope | Paid media, ABM, ad creative and video, landing page design |
Hey Digital is the closest match to Refine Labs' paid media service, at a lower entry price. It works only with SaaS companies, and it runs more ad channels than any other agency on this list, including Capterra and G2. It manages more than $2.3M of ad spend a month.
It has more than 45 staff in 22 countries. Its 200 or so SaaS clients include PostHog, Toggl, Hotjar and Instantly, and it makes creative and video ads in-house. It says it is a poor fit for companies that spend less than $10,000 a month on ads.
What it does well.
- It runs Capterra, G2 and Reddit next to LinkedIn, Google and Meta.
- There is no long contract, which is a clear difference from Refine Labs' six-month minimum.
- Its Toggl case study shows ad spend down 52% and deal value up 159%.
What to weigh.
- It does not offer content, events or RevOps.
- Clutch shows five reviews at 4.5, the lowest rating on this list. One reviewer describes a slow start.
- It does not publish prices, and three sources give three different start years.
Best for Series A to C SaaS companies that spend $10,000 or more a month on ads and do not want a long contract.
3. Gripped
| At a glance | Gripped |
|---|---|
| HQ | London, UK |
| Best for | B2B SaaS, AI and tech companies past £2m ARR, Series A and B |
| Model | Monthly rolling retainer in 30-day sprints, with three months' notice, an account manager and a strategist |
| Starting monthly fee | £3,500 for advice, £7,500 for performance, £15,000 for scale. Most clients pay £8,000 to £12,000 |
| Scope | Paid media, ABM, SEO and GEO, content, websites and landing pages |
Gripped has more verified reviews than any other European agency on this list, with 32 Clutch reviews at 4.9. It started in 2017 and has about 25 staff.
It has worked with more than 160 SaaS, AI and tech companies, including Ravelin, Ideagen, Epicor and Duetto. It is a HubSpot Partner and a Google Partner. Each plan includes an account manager and a strategist, and the team works in 30-day sprints.
What it does well.
- It publishes its fee tiers and the ad budgets it expects.
- Its 32 reviews give specific results.
- It builds websites and landing pages in-house.
What to weigh.
- Gripped says it does not usually work with pre-Series A or seed-stage companies.
- Its prices are in pounds and it works UK hours. One third-party review flags this for US clients.
- An account manager sits between you and the specialists. Ask who works in your ad account each week.
Best for Series A and B SaaS companies past £2m ARR that want a UK agency with public prices and many reviews.
4. Powered by Search
https://www.poweredbysearch.com
| At a glance | Powered by Search |
|---|---|
| HQ | Toronto, Canada |
| Best for | B2B SaaS teams that want paid media, SEO and RevOps from one vendor |
| Model | Retainer, with a lower price on a quarterly plan |
| Starting monthly fee | Paid media from $6,000 a month, or $5,000 on a quarterly plan. Up to $21,600 for enterprise |
| Scope | Paid media, SEO and LLM ranking, part-time RevOps, web |
Powered by Search is the closest match to Directive that publishes a full price list. It started in 2009. Its paid media plans cost $6,000, $14,400 or $21,600 a month, with lower prices on a quarterly plan. SEO and LLM ranking starts at $9,000, and part-time RevOps starts at $7,200.
Its homepage guarantees 30% more sales-ready opportunities in 90 days. Its clients include Varonis, Basecamp, Elastic, SentinelOne and Fortra. It is a Meta Business Partner and a Google Partner.
What it does well.
- It publishes a rate card for every service.
- It offers a written guarantee, and no other agency on this list does.
- SEO, AI search and RevOps sit next to paid media, so one vendor can cover a scope as wide as Directive's.
What to weigh.
- It has no verified Clutch reviews.
- We could not find the terms of the guarantee.
- The lower prices need a quarterly commitment, and a scope with several services soon passes $20,000 a month.
Best for B2B SaaS teams that want paid media, SEO and RevOps from one vendor with a public rate card.
5. Omni Lab
https://www.omnilabconsulting.com
| At a glance | Omni Lab |
|---|---|
| HQ | Austin, Texas |
| Best for | Series A to C B2B SaaS with a CMO or VP Marketing measured on pipeline |
| Model | Monthly retainer based on the previous month's ad spend |
| Starting monthly fee | $4,800 at $10,000 of monthly spend, or $6,000 with creative. $10,000 minimum spend |
| Scope | Paid media and ad creative, with CRM reporting |
Omni Lab is a paid media agency with nine staff. Jonathan Bland and Jason Steele started it in 2020, and they still run it. It serves B2B SaaS marketing leaders at companies past Series A.
Its prices are public and exact, and the fee rises with ad spend. The Core plan costs $4,800 a month at $10,000 of spend, and the Premium plan adds creative for $6,000. Its clients include Drata, Thoropass, ShareGate and Billd, and its ShareGate case study shows SQLs up 44% in a year.
What it does well.
- Its fee follows ad spend, so you can predict the cost as the account grows.
- The founders work in the accounts.
- Drata and Thoropass are clients.
What to weigh.
- It has one Clutch review, at 3.5, which is the thinnest third-party record on this list.
- It does paid media only, and its creative work is for ads only.
- With nine staff, only a few accounts get the founders' time.
Best for Series A to C SaaS companies with $10,000 or more a month in paid media and a marketing leader measured on pipeline.
6. SaaS Hero
| At a glance | SaaS Hero |
|---|---|
| HQ | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Best for | Seed and Series A B2B SaaS that wants paid media for a flat fee |
| Model | One 90-day agreement, billed monthly, then month to month |
| Starting monthly fee | $4,500 for the Growth Team, or $6,000 with creative. The fee stays the same up to $200,000 of spend |
| Scope | Paid media, landing pages, programmatic SEO as an add-on |
SaaS Hero is the lowest-cost option on this list, and its review record is clean. Aaron Rovner started it in 2018. It is a Google Premier Partner and a Microsoft Advertising Partner, with 11 Clutch reviews at 5.0.
It charges a flat $4,500 a month for paid media, for any spend up to $200,000. Its case studies report net new ARR, such as $504,758 for TripMaster and an 80-day payback for TestGorilla.
What it does well.
- It publishes flat prices, including a price for each landing page.
- After the first 90 days, the contract runs month to month.
- Its 11 reviews are all 5.0, and reviewers praise its openness and speed.
What to weigh.
- It focuses on paid media, and programmatic SEO is its only other service.
- One reviewer says the creative could be stronger.
- Its pricing page and its older articles show different prices.
Best for Seed and Series A SaaS companies that want flat-fee paid media from a Google Premier Partner.
7. Dapper
| At a glance | Dapper |
|---|---|
| HQ | Rotterdam, Netherlands, with an office in Lisbon |
| Best for | European scale-ups in B2B SaaS, hardware and services |
| Model | A dedicated Demand Team that works with the in-house team. Three-month minimum, and most clients stay six to twelve months |
| Starting monthly fee | €6,240 |
| Scope | Content and creative, LinkedIn and Google media, measurement, training |
Dapper is the European agency on this list whose approach is closest to Refine Labs'. It won European B2B Agency of the Year at the European Agency Awards 2025. It has more than 70 staff in Rotterdam and Lisbon.
Its "Niche Famous Framework" combines content and creative with LinkedIn and Google ads. Its clients include Logitech, Ultimaker, Storyteq and OPP, and it has 13 Clutch reviews at 4.8.
What it does well.
- It publishes an entry price of €6,240 a month.
- It won an independent award in 2025.
- It runs demand creation and paid media in one team.
What to weigh.
- It names only LinkedIn and Google as paid channels, with no mention of Meta, Microsoft or review sites.
- One Clutch reviewer mentions team changes and a loss of continuity.
- It also serves hardware and services companies, and it works European hours.
Best for European scale-ups that want a dedicated demand team with LinkedIn-led media at a published fee.
8. KlientBoost
| At a glance | KlientBoost |
|---|---|
| HQ | Costa Mesa, California |
| Best for | Companies at any stage that want a flexible scope and many reviews |
| Model | Retainers tied to outcomes, with extra resources at no cost if results fall behind target |
| Starting monthly fee | Behind a form. Third parties say $4,000 to $6,000 |
| Scope | Paid media, ABM, CRO, SEO, landing pages, HubSpot RevOps |
KlientBoost has more reviews than any other agency in this category, with 405 Clutch reviews at 4.9. Johnathan Dane started it in 2015, and it now has 100 to 130 specialists.
It runs paid media, ABM, CRO, SEO, landing pages and HubSpot RevOps. Its homepage says it met 83% of client goals in Q2 2026. Third-party lists name Airbnb, Bloomberg, Gong, Upwork and SAP as clients.
What it does well.
- It has 405 verified reviews, and no other agency in this space comes close.
- If results fall behind target, it adds resources at no extra cost.
- Its scope is as wide as Directive's, from paid media to CRO to RevOps.
What to weigh.
- Its pricing page asks for your details before it shows a price, and it does not publish contract terms.
- It works for many sectors besides B2B SaaS, including education and ecommerce.
- One long-term client gave a 0.5-star review about contract terms. Read it next to the other 404 reviews.
Best for companies at any stage that want a flexible scope tied to outcomes and a large review record.
9. TripleDart
| At a glance | TripleDart |
|---|---|
| HQ | Bengaluru, India, with an office in Plano, Texas |
| Best for | Scale-ups that want full-funnel work at offshore rates, with AI tools |
| Model | Embedded operators and its own AI systems, in a 90-day cycle of audit, deploy and scale |
| Starting monthly fee | Not published. Typical client ad spend is $10,000 to $500,000 a month |
| Scope | Paid media and ABM, SEO and GEO, RevOps and attribution, AI tools |
TripleDart publishes its own growth numbers, which few agencies do. In August 2026 it reported $7M in annual recurring revenue at a 50% EBIT margin, with no outside funding. It has 120 staff and more than 300 clients, and it has managed more than $200M of ad spend.
Its clients include SentinelOne, Glean, Freshworks, Zuora and Sage. It calls itself an AI-native agency and runs its own platform, Slate. Its founders worked at Freshworks, Zoho and HubSpot, and it has eight Clutch reviews at 4.9.
What it does well.
- The trade press reports its revenue and margin.
- Its scope covers the full funnel, including RevOps and attribution.
- It has partnerships with Meta, LinkedIn and Clay.
What to weigh.
- It does not publish prices. Its Clutch hourly rate of $50 to $99 suggests offshore delivery.
- Its clients include consumer brands in India, so it is not B2B-only.
- Its team works across the US, Europe and Asia, and one reviewer asked for more strategic commitment.
Best for scale-ups that want full-funnel work at offshore rates and accept a scoping call before they see a price.
10. Kalungi
| At a glance | Kalungi |
|---|---|
| HQ | Kirkland, Washington |
| Best for | $5M to $50M ARR B2B SaaS that wants to outsource the whole marketing team |
| Model | Three tiers. A full-service department, the Syntropy tier that works with your team, and the T2D3 programme |
| Starting monthly fee | $50,000 and up for full service. Coaching costs about $6,500 |
| Scope | Full outsourced marketing department, with HubSpot, content, web and brand |
Kalungi is the closest match to Directive's outsourced department, and the most expensive option on this list. Its full-service tier costs $50,000 a month or more. It replaces eight to twelve in-house hires with a team of ten or more, for companies from $5M to $50M ARR.
Two lower tiers exist. Syntropy serves companies from $1M to $5M ARR, and the T2D3 programme serves companies under $1M. Kalungi is a HubSpot Diamond Partner with more than 150 SaaS clients. In March 2026, Antoine Vial became CEO, and Brian Graf moved to the board.
What it does well.
- It offers a real outsourced department, at a published price of $50,000.
- Its lower tiers let smaller companies buy the method without the full team.
- It is a HubSpot Diamond Partner and a Google Partner, and its T2D3 method is public.
What to weigh.
- $50,000 a month is more than Refine Labs charges.
- It has no Clutch reviews, and a third party reports twelve-month contracts.
- Its CEO changed in March 2026.
Best for $5M to $50M ARR SaaS companies that want to outsource the whole marketing team and have the budget for it.
How to choose the right alternative
Use these five checks on every agency you talk to, including the ten on this list.
- Name the result you wanted. Refine Labs buyers usually want demand creation. At Seed to Series C, most new demand comes from events, content and the founder's voice, and paid media makes those louder.
- Check whether one team covers the scope. Directive buyers usually want a wide scope. Find out if one team delivers it, or if the work goes to a software platform or an outsourced department.
- Find out who does the weekly work. Ask for the name of the person who will work in your ad accounts and CRM. Account team changes are the most common complaint about Directive on Clutch.
- Compare the minimum terms. Refine Labs asks for six months. Ask each agency for its minimum term and notice period, and who owns the ad accounts if you leave.
- Look for proof at your stage. Ask for case studies from companies with your ARR and team size. Then speak to one of those clients.
What we could not verify
- Refine Labs' prices. Third-party articles still quote $20,000 and $31,000, and its live pricing page shows $14,000 and $26,000. We used the live page.
- Directive's startup package price. Third parties quote $6,500 a month, and its page no longer shows a price.
- Hey Digital's start year, which its site, third parties and Clutch give as 2017, 2018 and 2019. We also could not find the $50,000 minimum MRR that one source gives.
- Kalungi's twelve-month contract, which a third party reports and its own site does not.
- KlientBoost's base retainer, which its pricing page shows only after you submit a form.
- Reddit comments about Refine Labs or Directive. Our research tools could not reach Reddit, so this page makes no claim about it.
Final thoughts
Refine Labs and Directive earned their reputations, and both do good work. The mistake is to hire them too early. If you already have $50M ARR and paid media running, they are built for you.
For a company from Seed to Series C, ToJupiter is a strong alternative to both. Its senior operators work inside your team and CRM. One published fee covers paid media, webinars, executive dinners and the work after the click.
Hey Digital, Omni Lab and SaaS Hero are good choices if you want paid media only. Powered by Search publishes a rate card for a wide scope, and Kalungi runs a whole outsourced department. Hire for the stage you are at, and move up when the numbers support it.
