Best Understory Alternatives for B2B SaaS in 2026

Understory has built a distinct model in B2B SaaS. They call it "allbound": paid media across LinkedIn, Google, Meta, and Reddit, coordinated with Clay-powered outbound and in-house creative, all run from a single playbook instead of separate vendors.

As a Clay Enterprise Partner with a client roster that includes Clay, Expensify, and HockeyStack, they've made a real case for running paid and outbound as one connected system. For a SaaS team that wants paid and cold outbound working together, that's a genuinely differentiated offering.

But the bundled model isn't right for every team. If you're evaluating alternatives, it's usually because of one or more of these reasons:

• You want paid media depth, not a bundle. Understory's paid media sits alongside outbound and GTM engineering. If paid is the channel you need to get right and you don't want to pay for a coordinated outbound layer, a paid media specialist will go deeper on the channel that matters to you.

• Cold outbound doesn't fit your brand or compliance. Clay-powered outbound is central to the allbound model. For teams in regulated categories, or those whose brand strategy rules out aggressive cold outreach, that core piece is a liability rather than an asset.

• You want a longer track record in pure paid. Understory is a newer agency that grew up around the allbound system. If you want a partner whose entire history is paid media performance for SaaS, the more established specialists below have a deeper bench.

This guide covers eight agencies that approach those gaps differently. Most go deeper on paid media as a standalone discipline. Each is a realistic alternative depending on what your SaaS team actually needs.

Summary Table

Understory Alternatives

1. Hey Digital

Hey Digital is a B2B SaaS performance marketing agency that works exclusively with SaaS companies. Where Understory wraps paid media into a wider allbound system, we put our entire focus on paid: LinkedIn, Google, and Meta, backed by in-house creative and CRM-connected attribution. If your reason for looking past Understory is that you want paid media run by a specialist, without paying for a bundled outbound layer, we're the most direct answer, with the SaaS depth and channel focus to back it.

We also run paid ads for our own pipeline. We use LinkedIn, Google, and Meta to attract our own B2B SaaS clients, testing the same formats, audiences, and creative angles we run for the companies we work with. When a platform shifts its algorithm or changes targeting, our team feels it firsthand, not secondhand from a report.

How we approach B2B SaaS performance marketing

For B2B SaaS, paid media has to answer one question: is this spend producing qualified pipeline and revenue? Hitting that target takes account-based targeting, the right channel mix, creative built for SaaS buyers, and attribution that follows a deal all the way through the CRM, run by a team that treats paid as its whole job.

Key elements of our approach:

• ABM and sales alignment. We build campaigns using company lists, CRM data, and account intelligence from our clients' sales teams. On LinkedIn, targeting is layered around specific ICPs and account tiers. On Meta and Google, audiences come from CRM data, not broad demographics.

• Pipeline and revenue measurement. We use Fibbler and Factors to connect ad platform data to CRM pipeline. Reporting shows which campaigns produce deals that progress and revenue that closes, so a skeptical CFO can see the line from ad to opportunity.

• Structured experimentation. Every account runs on a defined experiment plan. We test creative, messaging, audiences, and formats on a regular cadence with documented hypotheses and results, so campaigns keep improving instead of stalling after launch.

• In-house creative built for SaaS buyers. Our in-house writers and designers produce static ads, motion, video, and landing pages. The tight loop between strategists and designers means faster iteration and more experiments per quarter than a model that hands creative to a separate function.

How we're different

• Exclusive focus on B2B SaaS, no other industries

• 200+ B2B SaaS clients supported

• Senior B2B SaaS strategist as your dedicated account owner

• Dogfooding, we run paid ads for our own pipeline

• Pipeline, revenue, and CRM-connected attribution (Fibbler, Factors)

• In-house creative team (static, motion, video, landing pages)

• Structured systems on ClickUp, proactive Slack communication, regular strategy calls with recaps

Services

• Paid media strategy and management (LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

• Ad creative production (static, motion, video)

• Landing page design and optimization

• Reporting and attribution setup

Clients

We work with Series A to Series C+ B2B SaaS companies across MarTech, FinTech, data infrastructure, and productivity software. Notable clients include Instantly, PostHog, Toggl, Hotjar, Todoist, UserTesting, and Adjust.

Notable for

The combination of B2B SaaS exclusivity, in-house creative, pipeline-connected attribution via Fibbler and Factors, and the dedicated paid media depth that comes from making paid our whole focus rather than one part of a bundled system.

2. Directive

Directive is a large B2B marketing agency built around a "Customer Generation" methodology that optimizes for pipeline over MQLs across paid media, SEO, CRO, RevOps, and strategic consulting. They've served 420+ brands with a claimed $1B+ in attributed revenue. Where Understory coordinates paid with outbound, Directive coordinates paid with SEO and RevOps at enterprise scale in the US. They work across B2B sectors rather than SaaS exclusively, and their pricing skews enterprise, so they fit larger companies that want an integrated partner spanning channels and revenue operations.

Services:

• Paid media management (search and social)

• SEO and content strategy

• Conversion rate optimization

• Revenue operations and consulting

Clients: Amazon, plus 420+ B2B brands across multiple industries.

Notable for: Enterprise-scale "Customer Generation" methodology with RevOps capabilities.

3. Getuplead

Getuplead is a SaaS PPC and paid social agency with 10+ years of experience, working exclusively with B2B SaaS. Their team is made up of senior specialists with no junior account managers, many of whom have held in-house Marketing Director roles. They run LinkedIn and Reddit on the paid social side, plus Google and Bing, so they're the closest match to Understory's Reddit coverage without the bundled outbound layer. For a team that liked Understory's reach into technical communities on Reddit but wants paid media as the sole focus, Getuplead is a strong, senior-led option.

Services:

• LinkedIn Ads management

• Reddit Ads management

• Google and Bing Ads management

• SaaS-focused paid media strategy

Clients: Adobe, Siemens, Snowflake, and rapidly-growing SaaS startups.

Notable for: Senior-only team with LinkedIn and Reddit paid social expertise for B2B SaaS.

4. KlientBoost

KlientBoost is a well-established performance marketing agency with wide channel coverage: Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Amazon, plus in-house landing page design and CRO. They serve multiple industries, including SaaS, e-commerce, education, and real estate, which gives them operational scale but less SaaS-specific depth. If you're moving off Understory because you want paid execution paired with dedicated landing page optimization rather than outbound, KlientBoost's in-house CRO team is the differentiator. The trade-off is a generalist roster rather than a SaaS-only one.

Services:

• PPC management (Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Amazon)

• Landing page design and CRO

• Email marketing

• SEO

Clients: Airbnb, SAP, Bloomberg, Stanford University, Segment.

Notable for: Combining paid ads with in-house landing page design and CRO at scale.

5. Refine Labs

Refine Labs works exclusively with B2B SaaS (mid-market and enterprise) and built its reputation challenging the MQL model. Their "Demand Gen 2.0" methodology prioritizes demand creation through paid social, dark social influence, and self-reported attribution over gated content and form fills. If you're drawn to a different philosophy than Understory's outbound-led system, one that leans on creating demand rather than chasing it, Refine Labs offers that strategic frame. They've served 300+ B2B brands. The model is methodology-heavy, so it suits teams that want a strategic partner as much as execution.

Services:

• Demand generation strategy and execution

• Paid media management (social and search)

• Creative services

• Training and advisory (The Vault)

Clients: Clari, Vena, Splash, Zappi, Loxo.

Notable for: Demand creation methodology with self-reported attribution for B2B SaaS.

6. Aimers

Aimers is a SaaS performance marketing agency that has scaled 100+ SaaS and tech brands with $30M+ in managed ad spend. They hold Google Premier Partner, Microsoft Ads Certified, LinkedIn Certified, and Meta Business Partner status, covering Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Meta with CRO and landing page support. If you want to put paid media with a certified specialist rather than inside an allbound system, Aimers offers that focus plus the option of month-to-month contracts. They serve both B2B and B2C SaaS, so their focus is broader than B2B-only agencies.

Services:

• Paid search management (Google, Microsoft/Bing)

• Paid social management (LinkedIn, Meta)

• CRO and landing page design

• Campaign analytics and reporting

Clients: Mixpanel, ShipBob, CrowdSync, Originality.AI, Upper Hand.

Notable for: Platform certifications across all four major ad networks with month-to-month flexibility.

7. TripleDart

TripleDart is a B2B SaaS marketing agency based in India that offers full-funnel services: paid media, SEO, content, ABM, and CRO. They've built a recognizable SaaS roster with names like Freshworks and Sprinto, and their India-based operations let them price competitively against US and UK agencies. If you want broader marketing coverage than Understory's paid-plus-outbound focus, at a lower price point, TripleDart's full-funnel model is worth a look. The trade-offs are timezone alignment for US and EU teams and the fact that paid media is one of six services rather than the sole focus.

Services:

• Paid media management (LinkedIn, Meta, Google)

• SEO and content marketing

• Account-based marketing

• CRO

Clients: Freshworks, Sprinto, Atlan, Airmeet, Rocketlane.

Notable for: Full-funnel B2B SaaS marketing at a cost-effective price point.

8. Impactable

Impactable is a LinkedIn Ads agency that works exclusively on LinkedIn for B2B companies, combining paid campaigns with organic LinkedIn strategy and ABM targeting. If LinkedIn was the channel doing the work inside your Understory program and you'd rather double down with a single-platform specialist than run a coordinated multi-channel system, Impactable goes deep on LinkedIn. The trade-off is the absence of Meta, Google, or Reddit coverage, and they're B2B broadly rather than SaaS-specific.

Services:

• LinkedIn Ads management and strategy

• LinkedIn organic content support

• ABM targeting on LinkedIn

• LinkedIn audience building

Clients: B2B companies across multiple verticals (specific names not publicly listed).

Notable for: LinkedIn-only specialization with combined paid and organic strategy.

How to Choose the Right Understory Alternative

Decide whether you want a system or a specialist. Understory sells a coordinated allbound system across paid, outbound, and creative. If that integration is the point, compare it against other system-led partners. If paid media is the channel under pressure, a focused specialist will go deeper than any one slice of a bundled program.

Pressure-test the outbound fit. Clay-powered outbound is central to Understory's model. Before you replace it, decide whether cold outbound suits your brand, your category, and your compliance requirements. If it doesn't, prioritize an alternative built around paid media rather than outreach.

Confirm SaaS depth and channel coverage. An agency that lives in B2B SaaS understands buying committees, product-led motions, and long sales cycles. Map your priority channels, including Reddit if you target technical buyers, and confirm each alternative actually runs them at depth.

Check creative production. Paid social burns through creative fast. Ask whether creative is built in-house, how quickly the team iterates, and how many experiments they run per quarter, so you're not the bottleneck on new ads.

Demand pipeline attribution, not platform metrics. A demo request from outside your ICP costs the same as one from a VP at a target account, but only one becomes pipeline. Ask each alternative how they connect ad spend to CRM pipeline and revenue, and what tools they use to do it.

Work With Hey Digital

We're built for B2B SaaS teams that want paid media done right: dedicated focus, in-house creative, pipeline-connected attribution via Fibbler and Factors, and a senior strategist who owns your account. With 200+ SaaS clients and the operational credibility of running our own paid campaigns, we bring the channel depth and accountability that a bundled allbound system spreads across outbound and GTM engineering.

If paid media is the channel you need to get right, and you'd rather have a specialist than one part of a coordinated system, schedule a call to see if we're the right fit.