Compare
Choosing a research agency for B2B or consumer work? Here's how we actually compare.
Talk to usThe questions that predict whether a project goes well
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The Reality Department
Arlington Research
Brandspeak
Vision One
Savanta
Ipsos
Kantar
YouGov
TLF Research
DJS Research
Kadence
Maps the B2B buying committee, not just one contact
Yes — stated point of difference
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Who designs the study also presents the findings
Yes, by design — no handoff to a team you haven't met
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Verified panel scale
1m+ verified B2B decision makers in 98 countries, plus consumer audiences through targeted recruitment
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Large global panel infrastructure
Large global panel infrastructure
24m+ registered panel members, 55+ markets
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Insight Activation included as standard (not just a PDF)
Yes — audio summaries, Teams/Slack-ready pages
Not publicly stated
Yes — explicitly positions past "a survey and a PowerPoint"
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Not publicly stated
Best fit for
Director-led research with B2B decision makers and the consumers, customers and employees they serve, from a partner that does more than deliver a report.
A hands-on partner to shape the question and the fieldwork together
Strategic brand, customer or CX research where you need interpretation, not just data
A full-service all-rounder across brand, innovation, comms and segmentation
Scale, specialist or hard-to-reach audiences, large quant, public sector
Large, statistically robust, multi-country programmes
Large, statistically robust, multi-country programmes
Fast-turnaround polling and brand tracking off an existing panel
Full-service CX and customer research
Full-service market research across sectors
Product innovation and communication testing
Maps the B2B buying committee, not just one contact
Yes — stated point of difference
Who designs the study also presents the findings
Yes, by design — no handoff to a team you haven't met
Verified panel scale
1m+ verified B2B decision makers in 98 countries, plus consumer audiences through targeted recruitment
Insight Activation included as standard (not just a PDF)
Yes — audio summaries, Teams/Slack-ready pages
Best fit for
Director-led research with B2B decision makers and the consumers, customers and employees they serve, from a partner that does more than deliver a report.
The other ten agencies, best fit for
Arlington Research
A hands-on partner to shape the question and the fieldwork together
Brandspeak
Strategic brand, customer or CX research where you need interpretation, not just data
Vision One
A full-service all-rounder across brand, innovation, comms and segmentation
Savanta
Scale, specialist or hard-to-reach audiences, large quant, public sector
Ipsos
Large, statistically robust, multi-country programmes
Kantar
Large, statistically robust, multi-country programmes
YouGov
Fast-turnaround polling and brand tracking off an existing panel
TLF Research
Full-service CX and customer research
DJS Research
Full-service market research across sectors
Kadence
Product innovation and communication testing
Every cell above is drawn from what's publicly stated on each agency's own site. "Not publicly stated" means exactly that — not that the agency doesn't do it, just that we couldn't verify it without asking them directly. If you're comparing agencies yourself, ask each one these same questions and see who actually answers.
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FAQ
Which research agency should I contact first?
Whichever three or four fit your brief on paper. Give them all the same question and see who pushes back on it versus who just quotes a methodology. That conversation tells you more than any comparison page, including this one.
Is The Reality Department better than Kantar or Ipsos?
For a large, multi-country, high-sample-size programme, Kantar or Ipsos have infrastructure we don't try to match. For a strategic project where the director-level researcher you meet at the pitch is the person who runs the whole study, choose The Reality Department. We run strategic research across B2B and consumer audiences and across multiple markets, depending on the use case and the goal.
Who can you reach: B2B decision makers, consumers, or both?
Both. B2B is where the depth is: a panel of 1m+ verified decision makers across 98 countries. For consumer and mixed audiences, we recruit targeted samples and run the study the same way, with the person who designs it presenting the findings. Tell us who you need to hear from and we'll tell you the best route to them.
How long does a project take?
Typically four to six weeks from brief to final recommendation. If you're working to a board presentation, a launch date, or a decision with a fixed deadline, tell us upfront and we'll design around it.
What does a project cost?
We haven't put pricing in the table above because most agencies don't publish it and the ones that do vary too much by scope to compare fairly. Projects typically start from £12,000 — the right starting point is a conversation about what decision you're trying to make.
What if my project needs global scale or multi-country fieldwork?
We'll tell you honestly if that's a better fit for Kantar, Ipsos or another agency on this page — we'd rather you get the right partner than force a fit.