Methodology
A transparent, category-aware scoring system that evaluates what actually matters in martech.
Purpose
The List by The Agile Brand Guide is a dynamic index of marketing technology platforms, publishing monthly rankings of the top platforms. We evaluate platforms beyond financial metrics and marketing hype, focusing on what actually matters: product capabilities, organizational health, proven customer success, and strategic vision for the future.
What the rankings mean
Every platform on The List carries two rankings and a tier label. Here's how to read them.
Where a platform stands across the entire market we track — measured against every other platform on The List, regardless of what it does. This is the big-picture view: how a platform compares to the field as a whole.
Where a platform stands among its direct competitors — the other platforms that do the same job. A CDP is measured against other CDPs, a DXP against other DXPs. This is the most useful view when you're shortlisting tools for a specific need, because it compares like with like.
A platform can look different on the two rankings. A specialist might be a standout in its own category while sitting mid-pack overall, simply because the overall view spans the whole market.
The tiers
The strongest performers. Leaders show consistent strength across everything we look at — product depth, organizational health, real customer adoption, and forward-looking vision. These are the platforms setting the pace in their space.
Platforms with clear upward momentum. A Trending tier signals a platform that's moving in the right direction — gaining ground through new capabilities, customer growth, or rising market attention — and is worth watching closely.
Well-established, dependable options. A Strong Choice platform performs solidly and reliably across the board. It may not top its category, but it's a credible, safe pick that delivers on its promises.
Platforms that meet our bar for inclusion and are actively tracked on The List. Being Ranked means a platform has cleared our qualification criteria and earned a place in the market view, even if it hasn't yet reached the higher tiers.
Newly added platforms that we're still gathering signals on. A Just Added platform has earned a place on The List but hasn't yet accumulated enough data to settle into one of the tiers above — check back as the picture fills in.
Market Context Adjustments
Not all platforms operate in equal conditions. Some serve particularly complex markets, manage higher-scale challenges, or address more demanding use cases. Our methodology includes modest adjustments to recognize these market realities.
For example, platforms serving enterprise customers typically require more sophisticated capabilities, deeper compliance features, and more complex integration ecosystems. Similarly, platforms serving consumer-facing use cases must handle significantly higher scale and different technical challenges than their B2B-only counterparts.
These adjustments are applied consistently and transparently, ensuring that platforms are rewarded for successfully navigating more challenging market conditions while maintaining the integrity of our core scoring methodology.
Inclusion Criteria
Minimum bar: Evidence of paying customers (count disclosed or verifiable customer references).
Both suites (multi-product platforms) and standalone products are listed. Suites receive special labels and roll-up views. Each platform is tagged with regions served (NA, EU, APAC, LATAM, MEA).
Questions?
If you have any questions, you can contact us for more details.