The Shelf vs Cloutboost: Which to Pick
One of these runs full-funnel influencer work in any category. The other does nothing but games. The Shelf is a category-agnostic full-funnel influencer agency. Cloutboost is a data-driven agency working only with video-game and gaming creators. Any-category reach against a gaming specialism.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose The Shelf if
- You want full-funnel influencer in any sector
- Your brand is not a game
- Category breadth matters more than gaming depth
Choose Cloutboost if
- Your product is a video game
- You want Twitch and YouTube gaming creators
- Gaming depth matters more than category breadth
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
The Shelf vs Cloutboost vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from a category-agnostic full-funnel shop to a gaming specialist. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | The Shelf | Cloutboost | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Any-category full-funnel influencer | Video-game creator campaigns | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Type | Full-funnel influencer agency | Gaming influencer agency | Self-serve software |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia | Richardson TX or San Jose, reported | Remote, serving 25+ countries |
| Category | Any, agnostic | Video games only | Any niche you filter for |
| Focus | Full-funnel influencer marketing | Twitch and YouTube gaming | Discovery and vetting |
| Reported clients | Nordstrom and ROAR Organic | Samsung, Sony and Rovio | Self-serve, no client gate |
| Signature | Full-funnel measurement | Gaming-only, proprietary tech | 200 data points per creator |
| Creator pool | Full-funnel creators | 1.3M gaming channels, reported | 10M+ verified creators |
| Scale | Full-funnel specialist | Gaming vertical specialist | 10M+ verified creators |
| Published pricing | None | None, custom managed | Free $0, Starter $49, Enterprise $150 |
| Reported project cost | Not published | $10,000 to $24,999, third-party | Published flat tiers |
| 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 The Shelf
The Shelf works any category. An Atlanta agency running full-funnel influencer marketing, it takes creator campaigns from awareness to conversion across sectors rather than specialising in one vertical, with reported clients like Nordstrom, Savers Value Village, ROAR Organic and Peelz Citrus. For a brand outside gaming that wants influencer measured across the funnel, that category-agnostic breadth is the appeal: a shop that does not need you to be a game to be a good fit.
The limit is the flip side of being general. A gaming brand wanting creators steeped in Twitch and YouTube gaming, served by an agency fluent in that world, gets no particular depth there from a category-agnostic shop. The Shelf is the wrong hire when the product is a video game and the right one when the brief is full-funnel influencer in almost any other sector. Its strength is funnel performance across categories rather than one niche.
What The Shelf does well
- Full-funnel influencer in any category
- Measured from awareness to conversion
- Reported clients are recognisable brands
- No vertical requirement to fit
Where it falls short
- No particular gaming depth
- Wrong fit for a video-game brief
- General rather than niche
- No published pricing and no self-serve search
What is Cloutboost
Cloutboost does nothing but games. A data-driven influencer agency working exclusively with video-game and gaming creators, it runs campaigns with Twitch and YouTube gaming talent, drawing on a reported network of around 1.3 million gaming channels and proprietary optimisation tech. Reported clients like Samsung, Sony, Rovio and Wargaming fit that gaming focus. For a game publisher or studio, that exclusive specialism is the reason to look at Cloutboost over a general agency.
The figures come with the usual caution: the 1.3 million-channel network and the reported project range of roughly 10,000 to 25,000 dollars are third-party and undated, so treat them as indicative rather than confirmed, while noting its founding year and headquarters are reported inconsistently. Its whole value is gaming, so a brand outside that world is buying the wrong specialism. That suits a games brand. If your product is not a game, a gaming-only agency is answering a brief you do not have.
What Cloutboost does well
- Exclusive video-game specialism
- Twitch and YouTube gaming creators
- Reported clients are major games brands
- Proprietary campaign optimisation
Where it falls short
- Gaming only, wrong for other sectors
- Network and cost figures third-party
- Founding and HQ reported inconsistently
- No published pricing and no self-serve search
The Shelf vs Cloutboost head to head
The choice is any-category reach against a gaming specialism. The Shelf runs full-funnel influencer campaigns across sectors from Atlanta, which suits a brand outside gaming that wants creator work measured across the funnel. Cloutboost works only with video-game and gaming creators, which suits a game publisher or studio that wants deep Twitch and YouTube gaming expertise. If your brand is not a game, the general shop fits. If it is, the gaming specialist does, since a category-agnostic agency cannot fake that gaming fluency.
There is a way to find the right creators for either brief yourself. 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 shortlist gaming or any other creators on data and decide whether a full-funnel shop or a gaming specialist is worth adding.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
Your brand is not a game
You want full-funnel influencer in any sector. That is The Shelf.
→ Pick The ShelfYour product is a video game
You want a gaming-only specialist on Twitch and YouTube. That is Cloutboost.
→ Pick CloutboostYou want to find creators first
In any niche, 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 The Shelf and Cloutboost
What is the difference between The Shelf and Cloutboost?
Does The Shelf work with gaming brands?
What makes Cloutboost a gaming specialist?
Which suits a video-game launch?
Which suits a non-gaming brand?
How reliable are Cloutboost's numbers?
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.
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