How much do marketing agencies charge per month in Canada?

Most agency price conversations start with "it depends". This page skips that and lists what agencies actually charge per month in Canada, one service at a time, plus the setup fees and contract terms that change the real cost. If you want to know whether to hire an agency at all, read are marketing agencies worth it in 2026 first; for comparing two full quotes, see our cost of hiring a marketing agency guide.

How much do marketing agencies charge per month for each service?

Agencies price each channel separately, then bundle. The table pairs Canadian agency figures (CAD) with Clutch's average monthly project cost from verified client reviews (USD, all regions), so you can see both the small-business range and the wider market.

Checked October 2026. Sources: Curve Communications, Marvel Marketing, Clutch pricing guides (updated September 21, 2026). Fees exclude GST/HST and ad spend. AGNT/01 pricing is at agntone.ca/#pricing.

Marvel Marketing in Calgary is one of the few Canadian agencies to publish ranges for every channel: social media at $800 to $2,500 a month, Google Ads management at $1,000 to $2,000 on top of ad spend, local SEO at $1,200 to $3,000, and full-service retainers starting at $2,500 and scaling to $5,000 or more. Curve Communications puts a focused local SEO plan at $1,000 to $2,500 a month. Clutch's guides put average monthly project costs at $3,199.19 for SEO, $7,165.33 for pay-per-click and $5,107.28 for social media.

Do marketing agencies charge hourly, a retainer or a percentage of ad spend?

All three, and sometimes a mix. Clutch lists four models for paid search: a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, performance-based pricing or a hybrid. For SEO the monthly retainer dominates: in the Ahrefs survey of 439 providers, 78.2% charge this way.

Hourly rates explain most of the price gap between quotes. Clutch reports Canadian agencies at $100 to $149 an hour for social media work, the same band it shows for Canadian PPC and SEO firms, compared with under $25 an hour for agencies in India or the Philippines (all US dollars). At those rates a US$1,500 retainer buys roughly 10 to 15 hours of work a month, which is a useful sanity check on any promised deliverables list.

How much are agency setup fees?

Many agencies charge a one-time onboarding fee for audits, tracking and account setup. ThinkProfits publishes its fees: $1,680, $1,950 and $3,040 depending on the plan, on top of the first month. Budget for that in month one, and ask what the setup actually produces: an audit document, tracking you can see in your own accounts, a keyword list. If the setup has no deliverable, negotiate it away.

What contract terms do marketing agencies use in Canada?

Terms range from month to month to a full year. ThinkProfits advertises no long-term contracts, while Digitad in Montreal offers 12-month, 6-month or no-commitment terms. Clutch's client reviews show typical engagements of 12 months for SEO, 12 months for social media and 14 months for paid search.

Before you sign, get these five terms in writing:

• Minimum term and notice period. How many months, and how many days' notice to leave.
• Ownership. Your ad accounts, analytics, website, content and data stay in your name, and are handed over without a fee.
• Price changes. Whether the monthly fee can rise during the term, and by how much.
• Review point. A month-three check against one agreed number, with a right to change scope or exit.
• Messages sent in your name. If the agency sends email or texts for you, it must follow Canada's anti-spam law. See our CASL email rules checklist.

Why is Google Ads management priced separately from ad spend?

Because they go to different places. The management fee pays the agency; the ad spend goes to Google. Clutch states plainly that agency fees are separate from ad spend. Marvel Marketing puts a typical starting ad budget for an Alberta service business at $1,500 to $3,000 a month, on top of a $1,000 to $2,000 management fee. Add the two and a local Google Ads programme on those figures costs $2,500 to $5,000 a month in total. Always ask for both numbers together, and make sure the ad account is billed to your card.

How much should a small business spend on marketing each month?

Marvel Marketing suggests 7% to 12% of gross revenue during a growth phase and 5% to 7% when holding steady; for a trades business doing $1.5 million a year, the growth end works out to roughly $8,750 to $15,000 a month. Clutch cites a similar 7% to 10% for all digital marketing. Those are ceilings for a business pushing hard, not targets. A business under $1 million in revenue usually gets more from fixing response time and reviews first, which is why our missed calls guide comes before any ad budget.

What should the monthly price include before you sign?

Turn the quote into units you can check each month: hours, pages, posts, campaigns, reports. Then ask who answers the leads the agency creates, and how fast. Agencies drive enquiries; they rarely pick up the phone. If that gap is yours, compare the agency spend with an always-on system in AI employees vs marketing agency, and use how to choose an AI automation agency if you go that route. For search alone, see how much SEO costs per month in Canada.