Marketplace, managed service, agency or generalist site: four families, four pricing logics. The criteria that matter, and how to choose without regret.
The four families of platform
Marketplaces, where you choose the creators yourself. Managed services, where a provider handles everything. Agencies, which produce and steer the distribution. And generalist freelance sites, where UGC is one category among hundreds. Names mentioned elsewhere are examples only: their terms change and are checked on their own sites.
What a marketplace brings
Seven characteristics.
You choose the creator yourself.
You see their portfolio before ordering.
You filter by category, language and country.
The price is visible before any exchange.
The order keeps a record of the brief.
Payment is framed.
And you can order again from the same creator.
What a managed service brings
Six characteristics.
You have nobody to choose.
The brief is handled by the provider.
The turnaround is standardised.
Quality is consistent.
The price is often a flat fee.
And you lose the direct link with the creator.
What an agency brings
Six characteristics.
Strategy on top of production.
Steering of the distribution.
The capacity to produce at volume.
A single point of contact.
A higher cost.
And a stronger dependency.
What a generalist site brings
Six characteristics.
A very wide choice of providers.
Very low displayed prices.
Unpredictable quality.
Rights rarely specified.
A long sorting job left to you.
And a UGC category drowned among others.
The criteria that really matter
Seven criteria, in this order.
What the usage rights cover.
The full cost of a runnable video.
The real turnaround, revisions included.
The ability to choose the creator.
The languages and countries available.
The security of the payment.
And the ability to reorder from the same person.
The criteria that matter less than people think
Six often overrated elements.
The number of creators signed up.
The presence of big brands as references.
The design of the interface.
The number of countries displayed.
The existence of a mobile app.
And reviews published on the site itself.
How to compare honestly
Seven steps.
Choose one identical standard order.
Ask for the same rights duration everywhere.
Add up all the fees.
Estimate the internal time needed.
Count the expected round trips.
Divide by the number of runnable videos.
And redo the calculation after the first real order.
The questions to ask before committing
Seven questions, to ask in writing.
Are advertising rights included.
For what duration and which territories.
How many revisions are included.
What is the average turnaround observed.
What happens if the video does not suit.
Can I choose the creator.
And what fees are added to the displayed price.
What to note after every order
Seven pieces of information, in the same table.
The creator's name and category.
The price paid, all in.
The rights duration obtained.
The actual delivery time.
The number of round trips.
The performance of the video once run.
And whether you would order from the same person again.
Pricing traps
Six mechanisms to spot.
A low price with no advertising rights.
A compulsory monthly subscription.
Hidden introduction fees.
A surcharge per format delivered.
Billing per revision.
And a different commission depending on the payment method.
Which option by size of brand
Six markers.
A marketplace, to choose yourself.
A budget per video, with no subscription.
Three different creators from the first batch.
Short, renewable rights.
A one-page brief.
And no volume commitment.
Which option for a brand that tests a lot
Six markers.
A marketplace with direct ordering.
A batch of at least five videos.
Hook variants invoiced separately.
Six-month advertising rights.
A tracking table for the creatives.
And a direct relationship with two or three regular creators.
Which option for a large brand
Six markers.
An agency for the annual strategy.
A marketplace for the monthly volume.
Framework contracts for the rights.
A centralised licence register.
One person dedicated to approvals.
And several markets covered in parallel.
What a first test costs
Six items to add up.
The price of three videos.
The rights for the test duration.
The distribution budget over four weeks.
The briefing and approval time.
Any service fees.
And a margin for one replaced creative.
The most frequent choice mistakes
Seven mistakes.
Choosing on the video price alone.
Forgetting the advertising rights.
Ordering a single video to judge.
Taking a subscription before testing.
Switching platform after one bad order.
Confusing available volume with quality.
And judging a platform on its interface.
Where UGC MATCH sits
On UGC MATCH, joining is free and there is no subscription: creators define their own packages, brands filter by category, language and country, and the order keeps a record of the brief and the delivery. The brand pays at ordering, the funds are not released straight away, and payment goes out on approval. The platform retains 10% of the price on the creator side, who therefore keeps 90%, and charges the brand a 6% service fee, with a minimum of 1.50 EUR. It is a marketplace: you choose yourself, and there is no intermediate production team.
How to test two platforms in parallel
Seven steps.
Write one single brief, used on both sides.
Order the same number of videos.
Ask for the same rights duration.
Set the same delivery date.
Note the time spent on each order.
Count the round trips needed.
And compare the cost per runnable video, not the displayed price.
What to look at in a creator's profile
Seven elements, in three minutes.
Three examples from your category.
The sound of the examples, on headphones.
The language spoken and the accent.
The setting, reusable or not.
The announced turnaround.
Reviews from previous clients.
And what the creator says they do not do.
How to secure a first order
Six precautions.
Order a single video to start.
Write the rights into the order.
Set a realistic delivery date.
Include one revision.
Ask for two formats.
And judge on the delivery, not on the exchange.
When to change platform
Six signals.
The rights are never clear.
The same creator is no longer available.
Deadlines systematically slip.
Support does not answer.
Fees change with no warning.
And you cannot find your language or your country.
What differentiates two platforms
| Criterion | What it changes | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| The selection mode | Apply or be picked | The public rules |
| The moment of payment | At ordering or on delivery | The terms |
| The fees | What is left on each side | The pricing page |
| The languages covered | The accessible markets | The profile catalogue |
What a quick comparison does not show
The real delay between approval and transfer, whether a human handles a dispute, and how often listings appear in a given category. Those three make up daily life.
What applies with us
Signing up and the profile are free, the brand pays at ordering, funds do not leave immediately, the transfer follows approval, and the platform keeps 10% on the creator side.
What does not depend on the platform
Six factors that stay on your side.
The clarity of the brief.
The quality of the landing page.
The distribution budget.
The speed of approval.
The length of the test.
And the product's promise.
One last marker: no platform rescues a vague brief. The best choice is the one that lets you order three videos, choose the creators, and start again next month without renegotiating.
