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Scaley vs a media-buying agency
When to hire an agency, when to plug in Scaley, and the honest tradeoffs between them.
A good media-buying agency is a team of people who run your Google Ads for a monthly retainer. Scaley is software that runs your Google Ads for 4% of ad spend. Both can work. They just win in different situations.
| Dimension | Agency retainer | Scaley AI |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 4-8 weeks | Under 5 minutes |
| Monthly cost | €3-8k retainer | From $199/mo |
| Scales with spend | Linearly - more clients, less focus | Handles any account size |
| Transparency | Black box reports | Every change logged + explained |
| Lock-in | 3-6 month contracts | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| Speed of iteration | Weekly at best | 24/7 continuous |
| Account ownership | Partial - they keep the setup | Yours, always. Read-only access. |
Pick Scaley if
- You spend €5K/month or more on Google Ads and the account needs daily attention
- You want every change logged, explained, and reversible
- You don't want a 3-6 month contract or a migration clause
- You value owning your account (Scaley is read-only until you approve writes)
- You'd rather pay a flat 4% of spend than a €3-8k/mo retainer
Pick an agency if
- You want a strategic partner, not an operator - someone to set catalog-wide direction
- You need creative strategy, brand positioning, or media planning beyond Google Ads
- You prefer a weekly call with a human over a Slack digest
- You don't have anyone in-house to review what an AI suggests
Bottom line
Most brands end up using both, not one instead of the other. Scaley handles the operator work (setup, scaling, exclusions, reporting). A senior marketer or fractional agency handles strategy and creative. The retainer tends to drop when the operator work gets automated.
Operators who made the call
What brands said after leaving their agency.
Scaley found €4K/month of wasted spend in our first audit. The auto-scaling rules have been better than our old agency. Honestly wild.
Mark V.
Founder, DTC apparel brand
4.2x ROAS (up from 2.1x)
We stopped hiring junior buyers. Scaley handles the account and our lead just reviews the suggestions. Saves us like 15 hours a week.
Nina R.
Head of Growth, home decor brand
15 hrs/week saved
Stop paying agencies for grunt work.
Connect your Google Ads, run the free audit, turn on what you want. Your media buyer starts working the moment you sign up.
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