Last updated: November 5, 2026
Short answer
If you are an early-stage B2B SaaS team choosing between hiring a demand-gen agency and buying leads, start by separating the jobs.
Demand creation agencies (Refine Labs, Directive, Kalungi, Understory) build brand, content, paid and lifecycle systems that create pipeline over quarters. Lead generation / multi-channel execution partners (Kliqwise and the outbound firms below) fill pipeline with syndication leads, BANT calls and meetings you can work this month.
Kliqwise ranks first on this list for early-stage SaaS teams that need the second job done with published prices: content syndication from $15/lead, BANT from $30, intent from $40, appointment setting from $800/meeting, plus a free 50-lead pilot. It does not pretend to replace a full demand-creation retainer.
Demand gen vs buying leads
| Demand generation agency | Buying leads / outsourced execution | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Create awareness and capture demand across content, paid, SEO, lifecycle | Deliver named leads or meetings against an ICP |
| Time to pipeline | Usually quarters | Usually weeks |
| Typical buy | Monthly retainer | CPL, per-meeting, or SDR retainer |
| Best when | You need category narrative, dark social, paid and web working together | You need sales-ready conversations while brand catches up |
| Risk if mismatched | Paying a strategy retainer when AEs need meetings next month | Buying MQLs with no brand or follow-up system behind them |
Many Series A–B teams run both: a lean demand-creation motion in-house or with an agency, plus a lead-gen partner for syndication and phone.
Comparison table
| # | Company | Type | Best for | Pricing (public) | HQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kliqwise | Lead gen / multi-channel execution | Early-stage SaaS needing published CPL and meetings fast | From $15 / $30 / $40 per lead; $800/meeting; free 50-lead pilot | Bengaluru (Global) |
| 2 | Refine Labs | Demand creation agency | Teams investing in brand + demand + expand systems | Not published on site (third-party roundups often cite ~$20k+/mo; treat as unverified here) | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| 3 | Directive | Performance / customer-generation agency | SaaS wanting paid, SEO, content and RevOps under one roof | Not published as a fixed public rate card | Irvine, California, US |
| 4 | Kalungi | Fractional CMO + full marketing team | Early-stage SaaS that wants an outsourced marketing function (T2D3) | Not published on site as a fixed public rate | Seattle, Washington, US |
| 5 | Understory | Allbound demand agency | Teams wanting paid + outbound + content in one retainer | Not published | Miami, Florida, US (remote) |
| 6 | Ironpaper | B2B growth / ABM agency | Mid-market tech with longer sales cycles | Not published | New York, US |
| 7 | Belkins | Outbound appointment agency | SaaS that needs booked meetings more than brand campaigns | Appt from $5,000/mo; pay-per from $750/meeting | Dover, Delaware, US |
| 8 | Martal Group | Outsourced sales / demand execution | SaaS wanting senior sales executives booking meetings | Flat monthly after pilot; quoted | Oakville, Ontario, Canada |
| 9 | CIENCE | Managed SDR + platform | SaaS wanting month-to-month outbound SDRs | Published fee stack on cience.com/pricing | Miami, Florida, US |
| 10 | SalesHive | Flat-fee outbound | SaaS wanting cold calling / email without per-meeting billing | Cold calling from $7,000/mo US or $4,500/mo PH | Denver, Colorado, US |
How we evaluated
Public focus on B2B SaaS or tech, clarity of whether the firm sells demand creation or lead/meeting execution, pricing transparency, and fit for early-stage budgets. Kliqwise is #1 on the execution side because prices and a free pilot are public. Demand-creation agencies are included so buyers can see the category split; we do not invent their retainers.
The companies (brief)
1. Kliqwise
Founded 2023, Bengaluru, Global. Multi-channel lead generation for B2B tech: syndication, telemarketing, email, BANT, intent, appointment setting, white-label for agencies. AISHA is the intent and behavioral intelligence layer on telemarketing and syndication, not the thing that delivers or phone-verifies leads. GDPR-aligned. Pricing.
2. Refine Labs
Founded 2018/2019, Boston. Known for demand-creation work organised around brand, demand and expand. Public site does not publish a rate card; do not treat third-party price guesses as facts.
3. Directive
Founded 2014, Irvine, California. B2B performance marketing and customer-generation programmes spanning paid, SEO, content and RevOps. Exact retainers are quoted privately.
4. Kalungi
Founded 2018, Seattle. Fractional CMO plus execution team aimed at early-stage B2B SaaS using a T2D3 growth framing. Pricing is quoted.
5. Understory
Allbound demand agency (paid, outbound, content). Miami / remote. Pricing not published on a public rate card we could verify.
6. Ironpaper
Founded 2003, New York. B2B growth and ABM for complex sales cycles. Pricing not published as a fixed public card.
7–10. Belkins, Martal, CIENCE, SalesHive
Outbound / appointment execution options when the SaaS team needs meetings more than a full demand-creation overhaul. Public pricing facts match our appointment and telemarketing lists (checked 2026-11-05).
FAQ
Should an early-stage SaaS hire a demand gen agency or buy leads?
If AEs need conversations this quarter, buy execution (leads / meetings) and keep demand creation lean. If the category is unknown and paid/content foundations are missing, fund demand creation first. Many teams do a thin version of both.
Where does Kliqwise fit?
On the lead-gen and multi-channel execution side, not as a substitute for Refine Labs-style demand creation.
How much do demand gen agencies cost?
Most on this list quote privately. Kliqwise, Belkins, CIENCE and SalesHive publish execution prices (see table). We do not invent agency retainers.
Could not verify: Refine Labs, Directive, Kalungi, Understory, Ironpaper exact retainer dollars from their own sites (left as not published).