Polarix vs a typical agency
A table across eight items: fee, account ownership, reporting, data access, fraud, replacing sources, timelines, contract exit. No names — just mechanics.
Eight differences that matter
| Polarix | Typical agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | A fixed fee per flight, a percentage of the budget or a monthly rate — a separate line in the contract. Buying at the platform price, confirmed by invoices. | The markup is baked into the placement price. How much went to the platform and how much the agency took is invisible. |
| Account ownership | Ad accounts and the tracker are set up under the client entity. We work with access, we do not own it. | Accounts belong to the agency. On termination the data, audiences and pixels stay with the contractor. |
| Reporting | A weekly report line by line for every source and GEO: spend, actions, cost per action. The format is fixed in the contract. | A presentation once a month with aggregate numbers. A breakdown by source is available on request, "if the CRM allows it". |
| Tracker access | Read access from day one. The client checks any number in the report without asking the manager. | Access "on request" — in practice in a week or two. Data arrives filtered by the manager. |
| Fraud control | Six signals, a same-day stop when two coincide. Rejected traffic is deducted from the invoice before payment. | "We will optimise" — no concrete criteria and no right to deduct disputed traffic from payment. |
| Replacing sources | A source that missed the target for two weeks is switched off; the budget moves to the next one in the media plan the same day. | A new proposal and re-approval. While they approve, the budget runs on a failing source. |
| Launch timeline | A media plan in 48 hours, first deposits in the first month. | One to two weeks for the proposal, another week for signing. First results in six to eight weeks. |
| Contract exit | Fourteen days' notice. Unspent budget is refunded or carried over at the client's choice. | A quarterly contract with auto-renewal. Early exit means a penalty or paying through the end of the period. |
Polarix pricing · What the weekly report looks like · Six fraud signals
Where we are not the best choice
Budget below $10,000 a month
At this volume the agency fee eats a share that could test one more source. Better to start with one channel on your own and come to us when it is time to scale.
You need branding or PR
We buy traffic for an action: deposit, trade, active address. We have no media-relations department, no brand strategists and no exhibition stands. Image tasks need a different agency.
One source and one country at a budget above $300,000
In this case an in-house team of two or three is cheaper than the fee and closer to the product. We honestly recommend building in-house and help with an audit at the start.
You need rev-share with no fixed fee
We work on a fixed fee or a percentage of the buying budget. Rev-share means the agency bears the product risk, which is only possible with full funnel control that a contractor does not have.
How to check any agency
Seven questions worth asking before signing a contract — to us or to anyone else.
Who owns the ad accounts?
If the agency owns them, on termination you lose pixels, audiences and optimisation history. The right answer: your entity.
How are the fee and buying budget separated?
If it is one sum, you do not know how much went to the platforms. The right answer: separate lines, backed by platform invoices.
When will I get read access to the tracker?
If "after launch" or "on request", the data will be filtered. The right answer: from day one, before the first placement.
What happens to traffic that fails the check?
If "included in the price", you are paying for fraud. The right answer: deducted from the platform invoice before payment.
How quickly is a source switched off when the cost per action exceeds the target?
If "at the end of the month", three weeks of budget burn for nothing. The right answer: two weeks without results means a stop and the budget moves to the next source.
What is the report format and frequency?
If "a monthly presentation" without a breakdown by source, you cannot see where the money went. The right answer: weekly, line by line for every source and GEO.
What if I want to stop the campaign tomorrow?
If a penalty or payment through the end of the quarter, you are locked in. The right answer: fourteen days' written notice, unspent budget refunded.
Calculated for your GEO and budget
Describe the product, GEO and budget — we come back with a media plan in 48 hours. Free and without obligation.
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