Clutch vs GoodFirms for agencies: paid plans, contract terms, and review checks
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Clutch Reviews · Updated September 28, 2026 · Published plans and terms; Trustpilot data pulled September 27, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews Clutch and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. We say below where GoodFirms is the better pick.
Clutch Verified, at $499 a year paid upfront, costs less than GoodFirms PRO at $49 a month billed annually ($588 a year), but it locks you into 12 months with no early cancellation. GoodFirms publishes a sponsorship starting price of $300 a month; Clutch doesn't publish its sponsorship prices.
Clutch describes its review check in more detail: reviewers sign in with LinkedIn, Google, or a company email, and an editor reads each review before it's published. On Trustpilot reviews that arrived on their own, GoodFirms is slightly ahead, with 3.68 from 34 against Clutch's 3.49 from 135. Pick GoodFirms if you want a sponsor slot at a listed price or the month-to-month renewal its terms of use describe; pick Clutch for the cheaper badge and a review process it spells out.
Clutch vs GoodFirms at a glance
| Compared on | Clutch | GoodFirms |
|---|---|---|
| Free listing | Basic profile, free | Free, by application; GoodFirms says it accepts about 23% of applicants |
| Paid listing tier | Verified: $499 a year, billed upfront | PRO: $49 a month, billed annually at $588 a year |
| What the paid tier adds | Badge after a credit check, placement above unverified firms, a link to your site, no competitors on your profile | Featured placement above free listings and below sponsors; Verified Business badge after you submit company documents |
| Contract and renewal | 12 months, no early cancellation, renews automatically; cancel in writing at least 5 business days before renewal | Terms of use: renews month to month; cancel by email at least 5 business days before the next billing date; no refund clause |
| Sponsorship | Price not published; 12-month agreement, billed monthly | From $300 a month for a spot from #1 to #15 on chosen category pages |
| Lead model | Pay Per Lead: bids from $25 a lead, $1,000 monthly minimum, Verified or ad plan required | No pay-per-lead product; buyers can post a project for 3 to 5 hand-picked agencies |
| Review checks (as each describes them) | Sign-in with LinkedIn, Google, or a company email; an editor reads every review | Business email and social info such as LinkedIn; phone or video calls to random samples |
| Size claims | "350K service providers"; audience figures differ across its own pages | Firm and country totals conflict across its own pages |
| Trustpilot overall | 3.9 from 289 reviews | 4.6 from 35 reviews |
| Trustpilot, organic reviews (like for like) | 3.49 from 135 (200 visible, May 2023 to Sep 2026) | 3.68 from 34 (all 35, Jun 2020 to Sep 2026) |
| Trustpilot, via the company's review link | 5.00 from 65 | 5.00 from 1 |
| G2 | 3.0 from 29 reviews (Feb 2026) | 4.4 from 8 reviews (Dec 2025) |
| Company and HQ | Clutch Co, LLC, Washington, DC; independent by its own account | Alphazero Technologies Inc, Las Vegas, NV (named in its footer and terms) |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-09-28. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
What Clutch and GoodFirms charge agencies
Both list agencies for free. GoodFirms reviews each application first and says it accepts about 23% of applicants, usually deciding within 5 to 10 business days. A free Clutch profile gets no link to your site from directory pages, and competitors can appear on it.
The paid tiers buy similar things. Clutch Verified ($499 a year, one upfront payment) adds a badge after a CreditSafe credit check, placement above unverified firms, a link to your site from directory pages, and no competitors on your profile. Paying doesn't guarantee the badge: a firm that fails the check can ask for a partial refund, minus an $85 investigation fee, within 30 days of being notified. GoodFirms PRO ($49 a month, billed annually at $588) adds featured placement above free listings and below sponsors, plus a Verified Business badge once you submit company documents.
The contracts differ more than the prices. Clutch Verified runs 12 months with no early cancellation and renews automatically unless you cancel in writing at least five business days before the renewal date. GoodFirms' terms of use say subscriptions renew on a month-to-month billing cycle and can be cancelled by email at least five business days before the next billing date, and they include no refund clause. The PRO page still quotes an annual bill. We couldn't confirm whether PRO can be cancelled partway through the year, so get the term in writing before you pay.
For sponsorship, GoodFirms lists slots from $300 a month for any position from #1 to #15 at the top of chosen category pages, though its get-listed page calls sponsor pricing "Available on Request". Clutch doesn't publish sponsorship prices. Its help center says they vary with the tier and the number of pages sponsored, on a 12-month agreement billed monthly. Clutch also sells leads through Pay Per Lead, with bids from $25 a lead and a $1,000 monthly minimum; GoodFirms has no pay-per-lead product.
“Their pricing is fair and they have had a meaningful positive impact on our business.”Amish G., Clutch review on Trustpilot, June 2023
“And what’s worse there’s no way to cancel the agreement early.”SCD Company, Clutch review on Trustpilot, June 2025
“I purchased one Subscription plan From this company Website for Marketing my Business Listing and they are even not Start my subscription plan”Vinod K., GoodFirms review on Trustpilot, October 2020
How Clutch and GoodFirms check reviews, and how each is rated
Clutch says reviewers log in with LinkedIn, Google, or a company email address, a human editor reads every review before it's published, and it rejected 10% of submitted reviews in 2025 for signs of falsified information. Agencies can't preview or approve reviews, and only verified reviews count toward a firm's Ability to Deliver score. GoodFirms says it verifies reviewers with a business email and social information such as LinkedIn, and that random samples get a phone or video call from its research team.
On Trustpilot, Clutch's 3.9 TrustScore includes 65 five-star reviews from 2025 and 2026 that came through a review link Clutch shares; its 135 organic reviews, the ones that arrived on their own, average 3.49 (May 2023 to September 2026). GoodFirms' 4.6 comes from 35 reviews, 34 of them organic, and those 34 average 3.68 (June 2020 to September 2026). On organic reviews GoodFirms is slightly ahead, on a much smaller sample.
Most of GoodFirms' critical reviews date from 2020 to 2023 and describe profiles created without consent and hard to delete, unresponsive support, and a paid subscription that didn't start. Clutch's recent record is weaker than its average: its 27 organic reviews from the last 12 months average 2.89. Our Clutch Trustpilot reviews page has the full set.
“There are honest and detailed reviews on the platform which helped me in making a good decision.”Aditya S., GoodFirms review on Trustpilot, March 2026
“Very bad experience with companies rated almost 5. I tried to rate it bad but the site is not showing my review.”Waleed A., GoodFirms review on Trustpilot, December 2020
“Reviews on Clutch are very impactful as they are done either via customer interviews and/or are vetting by the Clutch.co team.”Michael C., Clutch review on Trustpilot, July 2023
Placement and ownership: Clutch vs GoodFirms
Both sell position above the free listings. Clutch's default directory order puts sponsors first, then Premier Verified, then Verified, then everyone else by Clutch Rank, and Clutch says sponsorship doesn't change a company's underlying Clutch Rank score. GoodFirms sells sponsor positions from #1 to #15 at the top of chosen category pages, and PRO listings sit above free ones and below sponsors.
GoodFirms gives conflicting totals for how many firms and countries it covers, and Clutch's figures don't line up either: its homepage says buyers can browse 350K service providers, and its audience figures range from 1 million a month to 15 million a year across its own pages.
GoodFirms' footer and terms of use name Alphazero Technologies Inc of Las Vegas, Nevada, and its terms apply Nevada law. Its about page says it was founded in 2015, and a 2022 press release called it "a Washington, D.C.-based research firm". Clutch Co, LLC is based in Washington, DC, and says it is independent; our Is Clutch legit? page covers its record.
“A few months in, they changed their sponsorship opportunities which caused me to fall to 6th place and then down to 10th by the end of my term.”Jack H., Clutch review on Trustpilot, August 2024
“Goodfirms are reliable B2B listing. They carefully rank companies in their speciality.”365 Digital Consulting Pty Ltd, GoodFirms review on Trustpilot, March 2026
Where GoodFirms wins
- It publishes a sponsorship starting price: from $300 a month for a position from #1 to #15 on chosen category pages. Clutch doesn't publish its sponsorship prices.
- Its terms of use describe month-to-month renewal, cancellable by email at least five business days before the next billing date, where Clutch's paid plans run 12 months with no early exit. The PRO page quotes an annual bill, so confirm the term before paying.
- Slightly better organic Trustpilot reviews: 3.68 from 34 against Clutch's 3.49 from 135, and most of GoodFirms' critical reviews date from 2020 to 2023.
- A higher G2 score, 4.4 from 8 reviews against Clutch's 3.0 from 29, though both samples are small.
Who should pick Clutch over GoodFirms
Clutch suits an agency that has client reviews, or can collect them, and wants buyers to see how those reviews were checked. Its paid badge costs less than GoodFirms PRO, and Verified also makes you eligible for Pay Per Lead if you later want to buy leads. Verified is billed upfront for 12 months with no early exit, so start with the free Basic profile and read our Clutch free vs paid breakdown before you pay.
If you already list on GoodFirms and want to move, our GoodFirms alternatives page covers other directories.
See Clutch pricingHow we sourced this: prices and terms come from each company's own pages (live or archived copies), checked September 27 and 28, 2026. Trustpilot figures come from each company's public Trustpilot page, pulled September 27, 2026: the 200 Clutch reviews visible without logging in and all 35 GoodFirms reviews. Organic reviews arrived on their own; link reviews came through a review link the company shares, which Trustpilot also labels "Unprompted". Quotes are verbatim, including the reviewers' spelling.
Clutch vs GoodFirms FAQ
Is Clutch or GoodFirms cheaper for agencies?+
Both list agencies for free. Clutch Verified costs $499 a year, paid upfront, and GoodFirms PRO costs $49 a month, billed annually at $588 a year, so Clutch's paid tier is the cheaper of the two. For sponsorship, GoodFirms lists slots from $300 a month; Clutch doesn't publish its sponsorship prices.
Can you cancel GoodFirms PRO or Clutch Verified early?+
Clutch Verified can't be cancelled early. It runs 12 months and renews automatically unless you cancel in writing at least five business days before the renewal date. GoodFirms' terms of use say subscriptions renew month to month and can be cancelled by email at least five business days before the next billing date, with no refund clause. Its PRO page quotes an annual bill, so ask GoodFirms which applies before you pay.
How do Clutch and GoodFirms compare on Trustpilot?+
GoodFirms shows 4.6 from 35 reviews and Clutch 3.9 from 289, but Clutch's score includes 65 five-star reviews that came through a review link Clutch shares. Counting only reviews that arrived on their own, GoodFirms averages 3.68 from 34 and Clutch 3.49 from 135, as of September 27, 2026. GoodFirms is slightly ahead, on a much smaller sample.
Who is behind GoodFirms?+
GoodFirms' footer and terms of use name Alphazero Technologies Inc of Las Vegas, Nevada, and its terms apply Nevada law. Its about page says it was founded in 2015. Clutch is run by Clutch Co, LLC in Washington, DC, which says it is independent.