LTK vs IMA: What Happened to IMA
One of these is not a live option. IMA is a retired brand: it merged into MediaMonks in 2019 and the work sits inside Monks. LTK is the side you can actually brief.
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Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose LTK if
- You sell retail products through creators
- You want shoppable links and commerce
- You want a published-tier brand platform
Look up IMA if
- You are tracing where the work moved
- You are checking whether IMA still trades
- You arrived on this name and meant Monks
Choose Flinque if
- You want verified creators and fake-follower checks with no sales call
- You want flat published pricing you can start free
- You want a lean discovery tool, not a commerce platform or agency
LTK vs IMA vs Flinque
The factors below are set out for both. Only LTK is a live option. IMA no longer trades under its own name; the 2019 merger put the work inside Monks. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | LTK | IMA | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Retail and commerce brands | Not available, brand retired | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Creator-commerce platform | Full-service influencer agency | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Published brand-platform tiers | Custom, enterprise scope | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | From ~$5K/year, scaling | Undisclosed | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | self-service platform | None, nor any at Monks | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | ~350,000 curated creators | Global creator access | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | Shoppable links, retail focus | All social platforms, global | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Creator commerce, affiliate sales | Strategy, creative, production | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | Self-service or managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Shoppable-link economy | S4 Capital and MediaMonks scale | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Retail-sales attribution | Largest in Europe | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Best for retail commerce | Not available | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | Dallas, founded 2011 | Amsterdam, until 2019 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | Sign up on the brand platform | After scoping and strategy | Shortlist in minutes on the free plan |
How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site plus public reporting and client reviews, cross-checked and dated June 2026. Where an agency hides its pricing we say undisclosed rather than guess a number. The verdicts are ours, not the agencies'.
What each agency actually does
What is LTK
LTK turned the shoppable link into a whole economy. Launched in Dallas in 2011 by Amber and Baxter Box under the rewardStyle name, later the company behind the LIKEtoKNOW.it app and now just LTK, it brands itself the originator of creator commerce: a system where creators publish shoppable posts and earn when their followers buy, wiring social content straight to retail purchases. The approach is commerce-led, anchored by a curated network it counts near 350,000 creators plus a shopping app where people browse and buy creator-picked products. The pull for brands is measurable retail results, because the setup attributes sales back to creator content instead of merely counting impressions. It operates as a self-service brand platform with published tiers, unusual in a market full of custom quotes. Against IMA's full-service agency model, LTK is the creator-commerce platform.
Pricing is rare in its openness here: the Brand Platform lists published tiers, historically opening near a 5,000 dollar yearly fee then climbing to enterprise plans, while creators take commission on the sales they drive. What you are buying is creator commerce wired to retail: shoppable links, a near-350,000-creator network and sales attribution that ties content to purchases, all run through a self-service platform. For a retail or e-commerce brand chasing measurable sales, that model is the draw. The tradeoffs follow the focus. It is commerce-first, so a brand wanting broad awareness storytelling rather than shoppable retail gets a narrower tool, the self-service platform expects your team to run campaigns. And it is built around retail categories. No current position exists for IMA on this.
What LTK does well
- Brands itself the originator of creator commerce
- A curated network near 350,000 creators
- Shoppable posts wiring content to retail buys
- Published tiers on a self-service platform
Where it falls short
- Commerce-first, narrower for awareness work
- Self-service expects your team to run it
- Built around retail categories
- Less suited to pure brand storytelling
What IMA was
Anyone who came here for it should know IMA cannot be engaged today. MediaMonks, part of S4 Capital, merged with it in August 2019. The proof sits on the companies' own pages: the agency's own domain forwards to Monks and no IMA-branded page survives anywhere on it.
The category mix was broad, from fashion and beauty to automotive and travel. No rate card or minimum appears on the Monks influencer page; it routes to an enquiry form. Its origins were Amsterdam in 2010, where Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts started it before Anneke Schogt became chief executive in 2016.
Where the work went is Monks. No current network figure exists for the Monks influencer practice, so the 2019 number should not be updated by guesswork.
What IMA was known for
- A matchmaking platform of its own
- Fashion, retail, travel and consumer electronics work
- Amsterdam base until the 2019 merger
- Full-service influencer campaigns out of Amsterdam
Why it is not a live option
- The brand no longer exists to hire
- No current network size is published
- Every figure on record is dated 2019
- imagency.com redirects to Monks
Head to head
The two sides of this are not equivalent. IMA is not a supplier you can appoint. MediaMonks, part of S4 Capital, merged with it in August 2019. The record is clear: the old domain now lands on Monks, while monks.com/ima is a 404. Only LTK can take a brief, so the question worth answering is what became of IMA.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You are researching IMA
If you came here for IMA, the live answer is Monks.
→ Read the historyYou want a leaner discovery tool
No commerce platform, no scoping call. You want 10M+ verified creators across four platforms with a fake-follower check on each. Start free on Flinque and upgrade at $49 only if you keep using it.
→ Pick FlinqueYou want verified creators without a platform fee
IMA is not a live option, so it cannot be weighed against LTK on this point. Flinque's free plan lets you find and vet verified creators with no card, then scales at a flat $49 a month.
→ Start with FlinqueFlinque: verified discovery at a flat price
If both feel like too much retainer and too little control, Flinque does one job and does it well. Find and vet real creators yourself, fast, then run the campaign in-house. No pitch deck, no monthly retainer, no discovery call to learn the price.
- 10M+ verified creators
- 4 platforms: IG, YouTube, TikTok, X
- 200 data points per creator
- 12 search filters
- Fake-follower check on every profile
- Free, $49, $150, published
See Flinque in action
Short walkthroughs on pricing, discovery and vetting from the Flinque team.
What Are Influencer Networks? Why Most Brands Pick the Wrong Creators
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Common questions about LTK and IMA
What is the main difference between LTK and IMA?
Which is more affordable, LTK or IMA?
Which should I pick for retail sales?
Does LTK offer self-service?
How does each find creators?
What is IMA best for?
Who should pick LTK over IMA?
Is there a software alternative to both?
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