Whalar vs Arch: Which to Pick in 2026
A broad global agency against a narrow performance specialist. Whalar runs creator campaigns at enterprise scale, now joining Accenture Song. Arch does one thing, installs and ROAS for games and apps. Breadth versus depth. Here is which fits, plus a software route.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose Whalar if
- You run global, always-on programs
- You want enterprise scale and measurement
- You want a partner inside Accenture Song
Choose Arch if
- You sell a game or mobile app
- You want installs, CPI, ROAS and retention
- You want multi-language performance campaigns
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
Whalar vs Arch vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from agency type to real minimums. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | Whalar | Arch | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Enterprise brands wanting global scale | Game and app brands wanting installs | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Global creator agency, joining Accenture Song | Gaming and app performance agency | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Managed, enterprise campaigns | Managed, performance based | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Undisclosed, enterprise level | Undisclosed, budget discussed upfront | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | No | No | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | Global creators, 170+ staff | 5,000+ influencers worldwide | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and more | YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Strategy, creators, production, measurement | Performance campaigns for games and apps | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | fully managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Per campaign | Per campaign | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Part of campaigns | Performance-driven activations | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Advanced, media-mix modelling | Installs, CPI, ROAS, retention | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | New York and London, founded 2016 | Zagreb, founded 2019 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | After scoping and planning | After scoping and budget | 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 Whalar
Whalar is the broad global player. The lead agency of Whalar Group since 2016, it has pushed past $600 million in creator campaigns across 40 countries, with 170-plus staff working out of the US, UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain. The enterprise stack is all there: always-on worldwide programs, award-winning creative and analytics deep enough to feed media-mix models. Then in June 2026 Accenture struck a deal to bring the Whalar agency into Accenture Song, the biggest creator-economy acquisition on record, keeping co-CEOs Emma Harman and Jo Cronk in place.
So a brand hiring Whalar gets a creator specialist with a consultancy behind it, working across every major platform for clients in almost any category. Pricing was never public and the model is managed enterprise work. Against a narrow specialist like Arch, Whalar is the scale-and-breadth choice, freshly absorbed into a much larger parent. Arch plays the opposite role, as the next section shows. A brand that would rather run its own creator search has a third route.
What Whalar does well
- $600M+ in creator campaigns across 40 countries
- Now backed by Accenture Song
- Advanced measurement and modelling
- Award-winning creative across categories
Where it falls short
- Enterprise scale, not for small budgets
- No public pricing
- Just absorbed into a large consultancy
- Managed only, no self-serve search
What is Arch
Arch does one thing and does it hard: performance influencer marketing for games and apps. Founded in 2019 in Zagreb by Ivan and Davorin Smit, it chases measurable outcomes for game and app brands, installs, cost per install, ROAS and retention, rather than awareness for its own sake. Its edge is specialism plus reach: it has worked with more than 5,000 influencers across both Americas, Europe, MENA and Australia, running multi-language campaigns at scale on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram. Clients include Wargaming, Surfshark, Revolut, Binance and SuperPlay.
It is a small bootstrapped team that has never raised funding, with budget discussed upfront and every activation pointed at performance numbers. Pricing is not published and the work is fully managed. So where Whalar is broad, global and enterprise, Arch is narrow, performance-obsessed and built for one category. A brand outside games or apps is not its target. For brands that would rather search creators themselves, there is a third path.
What Arch does well
- Tight specialism in games and apps
- Performance metrics: installs, CPI, ROAS
- 5,000+ influencers, multi-language reach
- Named games and app clients
Where it falls short
- Narrow vertical, games and apps only
- No public pricing
- Small bootstrapped team
- Managed only, no self-serve search
Head to head
Whalar and Arch are breadth against depth. Whalar runs enterprise creator programs at global scale, now with Accenture Song behind it, across every platform and category. Arch does one thing, performance campaigns for games and apps, measured on installs and ROAS. One brings resources and reach. The other brings deep specialism in a single vertical. Your category mostly decides this: games and apps lean Arch, everything else leans Whalar.
There is a route that skips the agency question. Flinque is software: 10M verified creators across four platforms, each with a fake-follower score, at one published price. You run the search in-house, no enterprise retainer and no performance scoping call.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You run global always-on programs
You want scale, advanced measurement and a consultancy's resources. Whalar, now part of Accenture Song, is built for that.
→ Pick WhalarYou sell a game or app
You want installs, CPI, ROAS and retention from a performance specialist that knows gaming and apps. Arch is built for that.
→ Pick ArchYou want to run discovery yourself
No retainer, no scoping call. You want to search 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 influencer marketing
Whalar runs enterprise campaigns and Arch is a performance specialist. 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.
What Are Influencer Networks? Why Most Brands Pick the Wrong Creators
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Common questions about Whalar and Arch
What is the difference between Whalar and Arch?
Is Whalar being acquired?
Which is better for a game or app launch?
How big is each agency?
What metrics does Arch focus on?
Do they publish pricing?
Which suits a non-gaming brand?
Is there a software alternative to both agencies?
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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