Open Influence vs SmartSites: Which to Pick
One of these is an influencer agency through and through. The other is a web and search firm that also offers creator outreach. Open Influence works globally and matches creators on data, doing nothing else. SmartSites is an SEO, PPC and web-design shop where influencer is a small add-on. A pure specialist against a bolt-on service.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose Open Influence if
- You want creators treated as the whole job
- Your campaign is influencer-led and global
- You want depth, not a bolt-on service
Choose SmartSites if
- You want SEO, PPC and web design first
- Creator outreach is a small extra for you
- One digital vendor for many services appeals
Choose Flinque if
- You want to find and vet creators yourself with no sales call
- You want flat published pricing you can start free
- You want to run discovery in-house, not hire an agency
Open Influence vs SmartSites vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from a pure influencer agency to a web and search shop. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | Open Influence | SmartSites | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Influencer as the whole business | SEO, PPC and web with add-on outreach | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Type | Influencer-only agency | Digital marketing firm | Self-serve software |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California | Paramus, New Jersey | Remote, serving 25+ countries |
| Core focus | Global influencer marketing | SEO, PPC and web design | Discovery and vetting |
| Influencer role | The entire business | A small add-on service | The whole product |
| Founded | Not stated here | 2011, by the Melen brothers | Not published |
| Reported clients | Minimal public data | Minimal public data | Self-serve, no client gate |
| Selection | Data and tech-led matching | Outreach, not a specialism | Verified, you filter |
| Creator pool | Matched globally | Not its focus | 10M+ verified creators |
| Depth in creators | Deep, it is all it does | Shallow, an extra service | You run discovery |
| Published pricing | None | None | Free $0, Starter $49, Enterprise $150 |
| Self-serve search | No | No | Yes |
| Free tier | No | No | Yes, no card |
| Data per creator | Not published | Not published | 200 data points reported |
How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site and 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 Open Influence
Open Influence treats creators as the whole business, not an extra line item. A Los Angeles influencer-only agency working globally, it matches creators to brands on a data and technology-led basis and runs the campaign, so influencer marketing is the thing it does rather than a service attached to something else. For a brand that wants creator work handled by people who do only that, the appeal is depth: the team is not splitting attention between web builds, search and a bit of outreach.
The trade is scope. Open Influence will not build your website or run your search campaigns, since it is a pure influencer agency rather than a broad digital vendor. Its public record is also thin, with no substantial client list, so lean on references. That suits a brand whose creator campaign is the main event and wants specialist depth behind it. If your actual need is a website and SEO with a little creator outreach on top, a dedicated influencer agency is far more depth than that add-on requires.
What Open Influence does well
- Creators are the entire business
- Data and tech-led matching
- Specialist depth, not a bolt-on
- Global reach in the discipline
Where it falls short
- Will not build sites or run search
- Minimal public data to assess
- More depth than a minor add-on needs
- No published pricing and no self-serve search
What is SmartSites
SmartSites is a web and search firm first, with creator outreach as a minor extra. Based in Paramus, New Jersey and founded in 2011 by the Melen brothers, its core is SEO, PPC and web design, with influencer outreach offered as one add-on service inside that broader digital menu. For a brand whose real need is a website, search visibility and paid media, that makes SmartSites a single vendor covering several jobs, with a bit of creator work available rather than a creator specialism.
The flip side is that influencer is not where its depth lies. SmartSites is a digital-marketing shop, so a brand wanting a serious, creator-led campaign is buying outreach from a firm whose expertise is search and web rather than influencers. That is fine when creator work is a small part of a larger digital brief and a poor fit when it is the main event. Confirm exactly what its influencer outreach covers and who runs it, since a web shop's add-on rarely matches a specialist's depth.
What SmartSites does well
- One vendor for SEO, PPC and web
- Established since 2011
- Creator outreach available as an add-on
- Suits a broad digital brief
Where it falls short
- Influencer is a minor add-on, not a focus
- Shallow creator depth versus a specialist
- Minimal public data to assess
- No published pricing and no self-serve search
Open Influence vs SmartSites head to head
The difference is a specialism against an add-on. Open Influence is influencer marketing end to end, run by a team that does only that. SmartSites is a web and search shop that also offers creator outreach as one service among SEO, PPC and web design. If creators are the main event, the specialist gives you depth a bolt-on cannot. If your real project is a website and search with a little outreach attached, the digital firm covers more of the brief in one place. Match the choice to whether influencer is your campaign or a footnote to a digital one.
There is a way to handle the creator part yourself, whichever describes you. Flinque indexes 10M+ verified creators across 4 platforms, each with a fake-follower score and 200 reported data points, at $0 to start and $49 a month after, so you can run discovery and vetting in-house and add a specialist agency only when the creator work genuinely calls for one.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
Creators are the main event
You want a team whose whole business is influencer marketing. That is Open Influence.
→ Pick Open InfluenceYou want web and search first
You mainly need SEO, PPC and web, with a little creator outreach. That is SmartSites.
→ Pick SmartSitesYou want to run creators yourself
At any scale, on data. Flinque reports 200 data points per creator, free to start with no card.
→ Pick FlinqueYou want a knowable price
Neither publishes pricing. Flinque is $0 to start and $49 a month, so you can begin without a sales call.
→ 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.
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Find Influencers for $49 a Month: Flinque vs Modash and HypeAuditor (2026)
Common questions about Open Influence and SmartSites
What is the difference between Open Influence and SmartSites?
Is influencer marketing central to SmartSites?
Why pick a dedicated influencer agency?
Which suits a creator-led campaign?
Which suits a web and SEO brief?
Do both do influencer marketing to the same depth?
How much do they cost?
Is there a software alternative to both?
Written & reviewed by Flinque Research Team
Influencer Marketing Research · View team →
Our research team specialises in influencer marketing strategy, creator analytics and platform comparisons. Details on this page were verified against agency sites, public reporting and client review platforms in June 2026.
Disclaimer: Information here is collected from publicly available sources, third-party review sites and vendor pages. Pricing and features change, so confirm current details with each provider before buying. This content is for informational purposes only.
More comparisons
Open Influence vs Americanoize
A global data-led agency against a Miami boutique.
Read article →ComparisonsFresh Content Society vs SmartSites
A B2B social agency against a web and search firm.
Read article →ComparisonsSmartSites vs Go Fish Digital
Two broad digital shops compared on fit.
Read article →