There is no public pricing for most Indian digital marketing agencies — every quote is custom, every founder we meet has been quoted three wildly different numbers for the same scope. This post is the cheat sheet we wish existed when we were on the buyer side: real bands by service, what differentiates a ₹40K and ₹1.5L retainer, and the questions to ask before you sign anything.
Three tiers exist in India in 2026
- Freelancer / two-person studio — ₹15K to ₹60K per month per service. Best for pre-revenue founders who need execution and can give creative direction themselves.
- Mid-market agency — ₹75K to ₹2.5L per month, multi-service retainers. Best for ₹1Cr to ₹15Cr ARR brands. Quality varies wildly — references matter more than the deck.
- Senior-led / category shops — ₹2.5L to ₹15L+ per month. Strategy-first, fixed scope, senior team on every call. Best for ₹10Cr+ ARR brands or VC-funded D2C scaling fast.
Realistic pricing by service (monthly retainer)
Meta + Google Ads management
₹35K–₹1.5L/month plus a percentage of ad spend (typically 8–15%) above ₹3L/month spend. Anyone offering "Meta ads management" for ₹15K/month is either an algorithm bot or about to become one.
Social media management (organic)
₹40K–₹1.25L/month for 12–20 posts plus 8–12 reels. The variable is reels production cost — if shoots are included, expect ₹1L+. If you supply footage, ₹40K is realistic.
SEO retainer
₹35K–₹1.5L/month. SEO is the most over-promised service category in India — beware fixed "guaranteed page-one" pitches. A real SEO retainer includes technical fixes, 4–8 content pieces, link acquisition, and monthly reporting.
Brand identity (one-off project)
₹1.5L–₹8L for logo + style system + brand guidelines. ₹8L–₹25L for full brand build including naming, voice, packaging direction, and brand collateral. Anyone quoting under ₹50K for "complete brand identity" is selling you templates.
Website development
₹2L–₹6L for a 6–10 page Next.js or Webflow build with custom design. ₹6L–₹15L for a full e-commerce build with Shopify/Storefront customisation. Below ₹1L, you will get a template site that costs you in conversion later.
What you are actually paying for
A common mistake — retainers are priced on hours, deliverables, or headcount. The honest answer: you are paying for senior judgment plus an execution team. The price floor is set by what it costs to keep one strategist, one creative lead, and one executor on your account week after week. If a retainer cannot fund those three roles even at junior rates, the work is being subcontracted to freelancers — and you should know.
Five questions to ask before signing
- Who specifically will be on my account weekly — names, titles, time allocation?
- What is the minimum engagement length and the exit clause?
- How is success measured — and what number do you walk away from in month 4?
- Show me three references from brands of my stage (ARR, category, team size).
- Is the scope fixed-price or hourly? If hourly, what is the cap?
Where Oivee sits on this map
We are a senior-led shop. Foundations projects start at ₹2.5L for full brand + launch site; Growth retainers start at ₹1.25L/month with a 90-day minimum. Every engagement is fixed-scope, in writing, before we start. If your budget is below those bands today, we will say so on the first call and point you to the right partner — that conversation is free.