Marketing Agency Software · Retainers, Creative Proofing & Portals

Marketing agency software with built-in retainers & client portals.

Stop unbilled scope creep and scattered client approvals. Real-time retainer hours burn ledgers, ad creative visual reviews, campaign intake briefs, and milestone reporting in one 100% white-label portal.

Start 14-Day Free Trial Compare Agency Economics

No credit card required5 agency seats included for $49/moUnlimited free client users

What is Marketing Agency Software? Direct Industry Definition

Marketing agency software is an integrated operations platform built specifically for digital, growth, SEO, and paid media agencies to manage client communication, monthly retainer contracts, creative asset approvals, and recurring billing. Unlike generic task managers that disconnect hours from revenue, specialized marketing agency software pairs real-time retainer capacity ledgers with coordinate-accurate ad creative proofing, structured intake brief questionnaires, and automated Stripe billing, preventing scope creep and giving clients complete transparency into deliverable progress.

Engineered for Performance & Retainers

How Stackon Powers High-Growth Marketing Agencies

Built to protect your margins, speed up ad approvals, and automate client retainer reporting.

Retainer Burn Ledgers

Track hours, deliverables, and service credits in real time. Automated threshold warnings alert your team before retainers burn into unprofitable territory.

Ad Creative Pin Proofing

Upload Meta ad mockups, Google Display banners, and copy decks. Clients drop numbered coordinate pins to comment on specific headlines, images, or callouts.

Campaign Intake Briefs

Capture structured campaign goals, target audience specs, asset attachments, and budget guidelines via embeddable intake forms with file upload support.

Out-of-Scope Change Orders

Convert sudden client requests outside original retainer contracts into paid add-ons. Stackon generates deposit invoices settled directly via Stripe.

Milestone Deliverable Gates

Lock high-resolution campaign assets, media plans, and final analytics reports behind client approval gates and milestone invoice settlements.

100% White-Label Portal

Deliver a world-class client experience under your own custom domain (e.g., portal.youragency.com) with custom logos, colors, and zero vendor branding.

The Agency Standard

The 5-Step Marketing Retainer Cycle

How high-margin marketing agencies manage client campaigns without scope leakage.

Step 01

Campaign Intake

Clients submit structured campaign goals, target audience personas, and media assets through portal forms.

Step 02

Hours Allocation

Project manager verifies the brief against monthly retainer capacity and assigns tasks with estimated burn hours.

Step 03

Creative Proof

Ad mockups and copy decks are published. Clients leave coordinate pins and inspect revisions with split-screen diff.

Step 04

Formal Sign-Off

Client approves final creative. Timestamp and approver identity are recorded to eliminate campaign launch disputes.

Step 05

Retainer Ledger

Retainer burn updates automatically in the client portal, displaying remaining monthly capacity and rollover hours.

Factual Feature & Cost Breakdown

Stackon vs Fragmented Marketing Software Stacks

Compare Stackon's unified agency OS against juggling separate time trackers, project boards, and proofing tools.

Capability

Stackon Studio

Productive

Harvest + Asana

ManyRequests

Included Team Seats

5 Seats Included ($49/mo Studio)

$28/user/mo ($140/mo for 5)

$35.79/user/mo ($179/mo for 5)

$139/mo Core (1+4 seats)

Retainer Capacity Ledgers

Native Real-Time Burn & Rollover

Advanced budgeting included

Basic time tracking only

Basic request limits only

Ad Creative Pin Proofing

Built-in (Images & Multi-Page PDFs)

No visual proofing tool

None (Requires separate MarkUp)

Basic file attachments only

Client Portal Magic Links

Zero-Password 1-Click Access

Standard password login

No client portal

Standard password login

White-Label Custom Domain

Included on All Plans ($49/mo)

Enterprise plan only

Not available

Locked behind $99/mo Pro plan

Annual Cost for 5-Person Agency

$468 / year (Studio Annual)

$1,440 / year (Standard)

$1,900+ / year (Split tools)

$1,668 / year (Core + seats)

Frequently Asked Questions

Got Questions About Marketing Agency Operations?

Why do marketing agencies switch from disconnected PM tools to Stackon?

Most digital marketing agencies use a fragmented toolchain: Asana or ClickUp for internal tasks, Harvest or Toggl for time tracking, Google Drive or MarkUp for ad approvals, and QuickBooks or Stripe for invoicing. This creates data silos and leads to unbilled scope creep. Stackon replaces this stack with an integrated agency OS that unites retainer hour ledgers, ad creative proofing, client intake forms, and white-label client portals starting at $49/mo flat for 5 team seats.

How does Stackon prevent marketing retainer over-servicing?

Stackon includes a native retainer capacity ledger that tracks hours, deliverables, and service credits burned against monthly client agreements. When a client approaches their monthly budget ceiling, automated alerts notify account directors before work proceeds, allowing agencies to convert extra requests into paid change orders or rollover hours according to contract terms.

Can clients review social ad mockups and banner creative directly?

Yes. Account managers upload Meta ad mockups, Google Display banners, TikTok creative drafts, and multi-page strategy decks directly to deliverable rooms. Clients drop coordinate pins directly onto visual assets to leave pinpoint feedback, and review version diff sliders to verify revisions before signing off.

How does Stackon handle out-of-scope client requests?

When a client submits a request that exceeds their monthly retainer allowance or initial Statement of Work, account teams can convert the brief into an out-of-scope add-on with 1 click. Stackon generates a deposit invoice via Stripe that the client can approve and settle directly inside their client portal.

Can we brand the client portal with our agency domain and colors?

Yes. 100% white-labeling is included on all plans. Marketing agencies can map their custom domain (e.g., portal.growthagency.com), upload custom branding, icons, and accent colors, and remove all Stackon references so clients experience your portal as an in-house proprietary platform.

How does zero-password magic link authentication benefit marketing clients?

Marketing clients frequently manage multiple vendor logins and forget passwords, causing delivery delays. With Stackon's passwordless magic links, clients enter their portal or review rooms directly from their email notification in 1 click, eliminating login friction and accelerating approval turnaround times by up to 55%.

Does Stackon charge per client or client contact?

Never. Stackon includes unlimited client accounts, unlimited guest reviewers, and unlimited client portal workspaces on all plans. You only pay for your internal marketing staff seats, keeping your operational overhead predictable as your agency client roster scales.

How does Stackon integrate with Stripe for monthly retainer invoicing?

Stackon integrates directly with Stripe with 0% platform transaction fees. Agencies can bill fixed monthly retainers, milestone deposits, and hourly overage invoices. Clients can securely view invoice histories, update payment methods, and settle invoices directly from their branded portal.

Ready to upgrade your marketing agency's client operations?

Join hundreds of growth agencies running cleaner retainer tracking and faster ad approvals on Stackon. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Start 14-Day Free Trial Sign In to Workspace

14-day free trial · Instant access · Subscriptions processed securely by Dodo Payments