Who Should I Hire to Manage My Amazon Ads? Agency vs Freelancer vs Consultant vs In-House vs Software (2026)

Published: October 23, 2026 · Updated: October 23, 2026

Direct answer: If you spend about $3,000+ a month on Amazon ads or do $1M+ a year and nobody on your team owns PPC every week, hire a senior-led Amazon agency. Under that, run the Amazon Ads console yourself, add simple software, or use a freelancer. Our pick for growing brands is PPC Jumpstart: a senior specialist runs every account, from $2,000/month (flat retainer, no % of ad spend), month-to-month, no long-term contract.

This guide answers one question: who should I hire to manage my Amazon ads? It compares the five real options, shows which one fits your ad spend and revenue, and ends with a short list of agencies whose fees and terms we checked on their own sites in October 2026.

Key Takeaways

The answer to who should I hire to manage my Amazon ads depends on ad spend, revenue and how much time your team has each week.
Under about $3,000/month in ad spend, the console, simple software or a freelancer usually beats an agency on cost.
From $3,000+/month or $1M+ a year, a senior-led agency such as PPC Jumpstart (from $2,000/month (flat retainer, no % of ad spend), month-to-month, no long-term contract) usually pays for itself in saved time and waste.
Freelancers typically cost $500 to $2,000/month and agencies $1,500 to $8,000/month or 10% to 20% of spend, per SalesDuo’s 2026 guide.
Before you sign, get in writing who makes the changes, how the fee grows with spend, and how you exit.

Who to hire, by monthly ad spend

Monthly ad spend	Best first hire	Also works	Why
Under $3,000	You plus the Amazon Ads console, or simple software	A freelancer for a setup and monthly check-in	Fees eat a big share of spend at this level
$3,000 to $10,000	A senior-led boutique agency	Freelancer or consultant, or software if you have the time	Founder time is the real cost; hand off weekly work
$10,000 to $50,000	A senior-led agency on a flat fee	Agency plus software, or an in-house lead	Percentage fees start to add up; model them at next year’s spend
$50,000+	An agency with a team, or an in-house manager plus agency	Software with reporting for an in-house team	Scope grows: more products, marketplaces and reporting

Who to hire, by annual revenue

Annual Amazon revenue	Who to hire	Why
Under $1M a year	Learn the basics, or use a freelancer	Keep the fee small until ads prove they pay
$1M to $5M a year	Boutique agency with a senior specialist	Most founders run out of time here
$5M to $15M a year	Senior-led agency, possibly with an in-house coordinator	Structure, TACoS and new launches need weekly attention
$15M+ a year	Agency team or in-house department	Multiple marketplaces, retail media and creative

Not sure which row you are in? Book a 15-minute call with PPC Jumpstart.

The five options compared

Option	Who does the work	Typical cost	Best for
Agency (boutique, senior-led)	A senior specialist makes the changes, with a team behind them	Flat or performance fee; PPC Jumpstart from $2,000/month	$1M+ brands that want it done for them
Agency (large)	Account manager plus specialists	$1,500 to $8,000/month or 10% to 20% of spend (SalesDuo guide)	Many channels or services in one contract
Freelancer	One person runs the campaigns	Typically $500 to $2,000/month (SalesDuo guide)	Simple catalogs and smaller budgets
Consultant	Audits and strategy; your team executes	Hourly or project fee	Teams with hands but no senior direction
In-house hire	Your employee owns the account	Full-time salary plus tools and training	Large Amazon share of revenue, many SKUs
Software only	The tool automates; you set strategy	From about $78 to $695/month, some plus a % of spend	Skilled teams with time each week

Ranges are from SalesDuo’s 2026 Amazon PPC management cost guide and published software pricing pages. For a deeper split of the two most common choices, read Amazon PPC consultant vs agency and Amazon agency vs in-house.

When each option is the right call

Hire an agency when

You spend $3,000+ a month on ads, or do $1M+ a year.
Nobody on your team has 5+ hours a week for search terms, bids and structure.
TACoS has risen for two or three months with no clear reason.
You want weekly reports and a person accountable for results.

Hire a freelancer or consultant when

The catalog is small and spend is modest.
You need a setup, an audit or a strategy reset rather than weekly management.
Your team can carry out the changes.

Hire in-house when

Amazon is a large share of revenue and you can fund a full-time role plus tools.
You run many SKUs or marketplaces that need daily attention.
You already have a proven playbook to hand over.

Use software when

Someone skilled has time every week to set goals and review changes.
You want bulk edits and rules more than strategy. Compare tools in our best Amazon PPC software guide.

Agencies worth a call

If the tables point you to an agency, these are worth a first call. Fees and terms come from each firm’s own site, checked October 23, 2026. Where a fact is not published, we say so.

#	Agency	Fee	Contract	Why it is on the list
1	PPC Jumpstart	From $2,000/month flat, or performance-based	Month-to-month	A senior Amazon PPC specialist runs every account, with direct email access
2	Incrementum Digital	Not published	Not published	Advertising-led growth with a dedicated account manager for every client (site FAQ)
3	Trivium Group	Not published	Not published	CPG and supplement brands; strategists handle at most 5 brands each (site)
4	Junglr	Not published	No long-term contracts (site FAQ)	Ads-focused agency without a lock-in
5	Marknology	$2,000/month plus 3% of Amazon sales above $10,000/month	90-day minimum, then month-to-month	Published hybrid pricing plus its own 3PL
6	Clear Ads	7% of ad spend or $2,500/month minimum	Not published on pricing page	A published percentage fee with a dedicated account manager
7	Canopy Management	Not published	Not published	Full service across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify

1. PPC Jumpstart: best for growing brands that want a senior specialist

PPC Jumpstart answers the hiring question with one person you can reach: a senior Amazon PPC specialist who makes the changes, writes the reports and owns the results. It is Amazon-only, month-to-month from day one, and charges a flat fee, so the fee does not rise when ad spend does.

What you get

PPC Jumpstart is a boutique, Amazon-only PPC agency based in Vancouver, Canada. It manages Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display for established brands doing $1M+ a year or spending $3K+/month on Amazon ads, in 4 countries including the US, UK and Canada. Every account is managed by a senior Amazon PPC specialist, and clients get direct email access to their specialist. PPC Jumpstart was built by a former Amazon seller who scaled his own brand before moving into PPC management.

Pricing: from $2,000/month (flat retainer, no % of ad spend), or performance-based
Terms: month-to-month, no long-term contract
Start: an account audit delivered as a 6 to 10 slide deck in about 3 days
Reporting: weekly written reports with every change logged, plus bi-weekly strategy calls
Not a fit: brand-new sellers with no sales history

2. Incrementum Digital

Advertising-led growth with a dedicated account manager for every client (site FAQ). Fee: Not published. Contract: Not published.

3. Trivium Group

CPG and supplement brands; strategists handle at most 5 brands each (site). Fee: Not published. Contract: Not published.

4. Junglr

Ads-focused agency without a lock-in. Fee: Not published. Contract: No long-term contracts (site FAQ).

5. Marknology

Published hybrid pricing plus its own 3PL. Fee: $2,000/month plus 3% of Amazon sales above $10,000/month. Contract: 90-day minimum, then month-to-month.

6. Clear Ads

A published percentage fee with a dedicated account manager. Fee: 7% of ad spend or $2,500/month minimum. Contract: Not published on pricing page.

7. Canopy Management

Full service across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify. Fee: Not published. Contract: Not published.

Want more names? See the best Amazon ads management agencies, the Amazon advertising agencies directory and the best Amazon PPC management agencies hub.

Proof: results from PPC Jumpstart clients

Case study: Schaaf Wood Carving Tools doubled revenue from $50K to $100K/month in 60 days and moved from #15 to the top 5 on its biggest keyword. “Vadim targeted a higher ACoS for a better TACoS. The result: our two highest revenue months ever.” Eli Perlman, CEO

A US consumer-goods brand: TACoS went from 25–30% to 10–15% after previously working with 3 other agencies.
SilentZ: sales grew from about 10K per month to about 10K per day, roughly 30x. See the SilentZ case study.
Schaaf: read the full Schaaf case study.

7 questions to ask before you hire

Who exactly will make changes in my account, and how senior are they?
How many accounts does that person manage?
How does the fee change if my ad spend doubles?
What is the minimum term, and how do I exit?
Do you report on TACoS and contribution margin, not only ACoS?
What will you change in the first 30 days?
Who owns the account and the data if we part ways?

Get more in questions to ask an Amazon PPC agency and how to choose an Amazon PPC agency.

Want a straight answer on who should run your ads? Book a 15-minute call with PPC Jumpstart.

FAQ

Who should I hire to manage my Amazon ads?

Hire a senior-led Amazon agency once you spend about $3,000+ a month on ads or do $1M+ a year and nobody on your team owns PPC every week. Below that, run the Amazon Ads console yourself, add simple software, or use a freelancer. PPC Jumpstart is our pick for brands at that stage: from $2,000/month (flat retainer, no % of ad spend), month-to-month, no long-term contract.

Is it better to hire an agency or a freelancer for Amazon ads?

A freelancer is one person, usually cheaper, and fine for a simple catalog with modest spend. An agency adds backup, quality checks and process, which matters more as spend grows, because one missed week costs more than the fee difference. A senior-led boutique gives you both: direct access to one expert plus a team behind them.

How much does it cost to hire someone to manage Amazon ads?

Freelancers and solo consultants typically charge $500 to $2,000 a month, and agencies $1,500 to $8,000 a month or 10% to 20% of ad spend, per SalesDuo’s 2026 pricing guide. PPC Jumpstart is a flat retainer from $2,000 a month. See our Amazon PPC agency cost guide for fee tables by spend tier.

Should I hire an in-house Amazon ads manager?

In-house makes sense when Amazon is a large share of revenue, you run many products or marketplaces, and you can pay a full-time salary plus tools and training. Many brands use an agency first, then hire in-house once the playbook is proven, or keep the agency alongside an in-house lead.

Can software manage my Amazon ads instead of a person?

Software automates bids, budgets and bulk edits, but it still needs someone to set goals, fix structure and review changes. It is a good fit when you have the time and skill in-house. Compare tools in our best Amazon PPC software guide.

Where can I find vetted Amazon ads agencies?

Start with the Amazon Ads partner directory and Clutch reviews, then check each agency’s own site for fees, contract terms and who runs the account. Our Amazon advertising agencies directory lists 30 firms by spend tier and fee model.

What should I ask before I hire someone to run my Amazon ads?

Ask who will make the changes in your account, how many accounts they handle, how the fee changes as spend grows, how you exit, and whether they report on TACoS as well as ACoS. Get those answers in writing.

Is PPC Jumpstart a fit for my brand?

PPC Jumpstart works with established brands doing $1M+ a year or spending $3K+/month on Amazon ads, across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display. It is month-to-month, with no long-term contract. It is not a fit for brand-new sellers with no sales history.

Bottom line

Hire for the job you cannot do yourself each week. Below about $3,000/month in ad spend, keep it lean with the console, software or a freelancer. Above it, a senior-led agency usually pays for itself. PPC Jumpstart charges from $2,000/month (flat retainer, no % of ad spend), month-to-month, no long-term contract, for established brands doing $1M+ a year or spending $3K+/month on Amazon ads.

Ready to hand off your Amazon ads? Book a 15-minute call with PPC Jumpstart.

Related guides

Sources

Every page below was opened on or before October 23, 2026. Prices and terms change, so confirm them with each firm before you sign.