Stargazer vs IMA: Which to Pick in 2026
Performance against brand. Stargazer chases CPA, installs and sales for apps and ecommerce off proprietary matching. IMA runs full-service brand strategy inside Media.Monks. Direct response versus brand building. Here is which fits, plus a flat-price route to search creators yourself.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose Stargazer if
- You want installs and sales
- You measure on CPA
- You market an app or ecommerce brand
Choose IMA if
- You want full-service brand strategy
- You want a global agency network
- You have budget past a five-figure minimum
Choose Flinque if
- You want verified-creator discovery
- You want flat published pricing you can start free
- You want a fake-follower check on every profile
Stargazer vs IMA vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from agency type to real minimums. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | Stargazer | IMA | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | App and ecommerce advertisers | Brands wanting full-service delivery | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Direct-response agency | Full-service agency | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | CPA-focused creator campaigns | Strategy, casting, delivery | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Undisclosed | Project minimum around $10,000 | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | fully managed | fully managed | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | 2M+ creators in network | 20,000+ creator network | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok | Major social platforms | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Direct response, creator matching | Strategy, matchmaking, dashboards | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | part:service plus matching tech | part:service plus own platform | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Performance-led | Project fees | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | $100M+ sales, 10M+ installs | Part of Media.Monks since 2019 | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Offices in SF and Miami | 20,000+ network, seven offices | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | San Francisco, founded 2016 | Amsterdam, founded 2010 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | Talk to sales | Book a demo | 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 Stargazer
Stargazer is built for installs and sales. Antoine Forest founded the agency in San Francisco in 2016 around direct response, working CPA goals for app and ecommerce brands. It runs across YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok off a network past 2M creators with proprietary matching tech. It reports driving more than $100M in sales and over 10M app installs. Offices sit in San Francisco and Miami.
Pricing is private and performance-led. Against IMA, Stargazer is the direct-response performance shop where IMA is a full-service brand agency. IMA is profiled next. A brand that would rather run its own creator search at a flat price has a third route.
What Stargazer does well
- CPA-focused for apps and ecommerce
- 2M+ creator network
- Proprietary matching tech
- $100M+ sales, 10M+ installs
Where it falls short
- No public pricing
- Performance lean not awareness
- Managed service not self-serve
- Not a discovery tool
What is IMA
The full-service brand agency in this matchup is IMA. It opened in Amsterdam in 2010 under founders Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts, scaled across Europe, then landed inside Media.Monks when S4 Capital absorbed MediaMonks in 2019. Today more than 20,000 creators sit in its network, paired with a proprietary matchmaking platform and daily campaign dashboards. Around 85 people work from seven offices on brands such as Diesel, NIVEA and Samsung, with strategy owned end to end rather than handed to a tool.
Project minimums sit near $10,000. So where Stargazer optimises for CPA on apps, IMA owns the brand campaign end to end. One chases response. The other builds brand. For a brand that wants verified discovery at a flat price, there is a third path.
What IMA does well
- Full-service brand strategy
- 20,000+ creator network
- Own matchmaking platform
- Part of Media.Monks
Where it falls short
- Project minimum around $10,000
- Managed only, no self-serve
- Agency overhead
- Not a self-serve search tool
Head to head
Stargazer and IMA sit at opposite ends of intent. Stargazer chases CPA, installs and sales for apps and ecommerce off proprietary matching. IMA runs full-service brand strategy inside Media.Monks. Direct response versus brand building. If you want installs, Stargazer is the side. If you want a brand campaign, IMA is. Your goal, performance or brand, picks the agency.
Flinque sits to one side of both. It gives you 10M verified creators across four platforms, each with a fake-follower score, at one published price, so you search and vet yourself without a retainer or a demo call.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You want installs and sales
You want CPA-focused creator campaigns for an app or ecommerce brand. Stargazer works that way.
→ Pick StargazerYou want brand strategy
You want full-service strategy and delivery from a global agency. IMA fits.
→ Pick IMAYou want verified discovery at a flat price
No retainer, no demo gate. You want 10M verified creators with a fake-follower check on each. Start free on Flinque and pay $49 only if you keep using it.
→ Pick FlinqueYou are testing creator marketing
Both are quote-led agencies. Flinque 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.
Influencer Analytics Tool Built for Brands That Expect Real Campaign Results
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Common questions about Stargazer and IMA
What is the difference between Stargazer and IMA?
What is Stargazer known for?
What is IMA known for?
Which is better for app installs?
How much do they cost?
Do either let me search creators myself?
Do both run managed campaigns?
Is there a flat-price 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
Stargazer vs Go Fish Digital
Stargazer is an app influencer agency, Go Fish Digital is a search-led marketing agency.
Read article →ComparisonsStargazer vs MG Empower
One is a CPA-focused direct-response agency, the other a global integrated shop.
Read article →ComparisonsCure Media vs IMA
Cure Media is a data-driven Nordic agency, IMA is a large Amsterdam agency.
Read article →