Quick answer
Frontal is the go-to-market partner for B2B tech companies with proven demand that want outbound, account-based marketing, paid media, content and RevOps run inside their own CRM and Clay. Understory’s offer centers on Allbound, one pod running paid media, signal-based outbound, LinkedIn content and RevOps from the same ICP, for B2B tech companies anywhere from seed to IPO.
Methodology
How We Compared Frontal and Understory
We compared both companies on the same criteria we use in our GTM agency shortlist: category, best fit, primary services and integration model, which covers how each one plugs into your tools and what you keep.
From there we went into the details that shape the first few months, like how success gets measured and how each partner prices its work.
Every detail comes from what each company publishes about itself, including its own site, case studies and partner directory listings. If a company doesn’t publish something, we’ve left it out instead of guessing.
Frontal wrote this comparison, which means we’re not exactly neutral. We’re also a Clay Elite Studio Partner, so keep that in mind wherever Clay comes up.
[ At a glance ]
Frontal vs Understory at a Glance
| Criteria | Frontal | Understory |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Go-to-market partner that works as an extension of your team and does the work. | GTM agency built around Allbound, its name for running every channel from one ICP and message. |
| Best For | B2B tech companies with proven demand and a focused set of target accounts, already on HubSpot, Salesforce or Clay but not getting enough out of them. | Growth-stage and enterprise B2B SaaS companies past product-market fit, with some go-to-market already running. |
| Primary Services | GTM Services for signal-based outbound, Account-Based Marketing, Paid Media, Content Engineering and RevOps. | Paid Media, GTM Engineering, LinkedIn Content and RevOps, with ad creative and landing pages made in-house. |
| Integration Model | Embedded in your CRM, Clay and Slack. The work runs in your own accounts with full access and documentation, and any Clay tables we start on our side move into your workspace once you’re on Clay. | Embedded in your HubSpot, Salesforce or Attio and your team’s Slack, with Clay and outbound sending run from Understory’s own setup. |
About Frontal and Understory
Frontal
Frontal runs outbound, account-based marketing, paid media, content and RevOps for B2B tech companies. Each service can run on its own, and when several are in scope, they all work from the same account list and CRM data, so your ads, outbound and content go after the same buyers.
Most revenue teams can’t keep all of that moving on their own, which is where we come in. Our operators take ownership of the work we agree on and keep improving it inside your own tools for as long as we’re in it, so you get the output of a full GTM team without hiring one.
- Tools we build with
- ClayHubSpotSalesforceInstantlyHeyReach
- Partner status
- Clay Elite Studio PartnerHubSpot Solutions PartnerSalesforce PartnerInstantly Certified ExpertHeyReach ExpertGoogle Partner
Understory
Understory, founded by Alex Fine and Ali Yildirim, works with B2B tech companies across paid media, outbound, LinkedIn content and RevOps. Its client proof lives on its own site as testimonials and case studies, and it has no reviews yet on independent platforms like G2 or Clutch.
Understory is often weighed against Frontal because both run paid media and outbound for the same kind of B2B buyer, with Clay underneath the outbound work. Both appear in our breakdown of Clay automation agencies, alongside the rest of the field.
- Tools they build with
- ClayInstantlyHeyReachHubSpotSalesforce
- Partner status
- Clay Enterprise Partner as Understory lists itHubSpot Solutions Partner
[ Key differences ]
Key Strategic and Operational Differences Between Frontal and Understory
Both partners run the work for you, so the differences come down to how it’s staffed, scoped, measured and priced.
Who Does the Work
Frontal
Experienced operators research your accounts, launch the campaigns, manage replies, fix routing in your CRM and report on the opportunities that come out of it. They own targeting, messaging, campaign approval and optimization, while AI handles the repetitive research.
Understory
Understory assigns each client a pod of senior operators, with at least a GTM engineer, a GTM operations manager and a paid media strategist. On paid media, an AI agent watches the accounts and drafts changes for the strategist to approve.
Scope and Starting Point
Frontal
Most teams start with one service, scoped around whatever their sales team complains about most, and bring others in where they help. Because every service works from the same account list and CRM data, adding one never means starting over.
We begin by auditing your accounts, tools and data and agreeing on the first campaign with you. From your side, we need access and quick approvals, and your reps’ feedback keeps the targeting sharp from there.
Understory
An Allbound program with every channel on one ICP, though teams spending under about $25,000 a month on ads usually begin with GTM Engineering or LinkedIn Content. Most engagements run on a six-month minimum, with month one mostly spent on setup.
At AirOps, LinkedIn ads and outbound ran against the same target accounts and produced $7.83M in qualified pipeline and $1.52M in closed-won revenue in 10 months, with no additional SDRs. The whole program was built inside AirOps’ own HubSpot, as the AirOps case study shows.
How Success Is Measured
Frontal
Before launch, we agree with you on what counts as a qualified opportunity and how each channel gets credit for it. From there we report qualified replies, accepted opportunities and the pipeline recorded in your CRM, and for ABM programs, closed-won revenue by account.
Where the data has gaps, we tell you which numbers to trust. We don’t guarantee lead or meeting counts, and we don’t report on opens or send volume, because neither tells you whether the work is paying off.
Understory
It measures work on meetings, pipeline and revenue in the CRM and doesn’t guarantee any of them. Paid media won’t launch until CRM stages flow back to the ad platforms as offline conversions, and its outbound dashboard tracks opens and replies alongside pipeline.
For Teikametrics, we generated $300K+ in pipeline over nine months and saved the team 100+ hours a month. The Teikametrics case study has the details.
Who You Work With
Frontal
Day to day, you work directly with the operators running your account inside your own Slack and CRM, and your sales team joins the results reviews. The team is led by Kenny Damian, Head of GTM, and Mai-Lan Khong, who leads content.
Understory
Paid media comes with a named strategist and a specialist on each ad platform, plus an async report every Friday. Outbound runs on biweekly working sessions and a monthly report that ties activity to the CRM pipeline.
How Campaigns Get Improved
Frontal
We review results with you regularly, and the plan changes based on what your sales team hears on calls, from which accounts and contacts were a good fit to which messages landed. On paid media, new creative keeps getting tested so it doesn’t go stale, and budget shifts toward the campaigns bringing in pipeline.
Understory
Underperforming outbound plays are cut every two weeks, and two or three copy variants are tested early in each campaign. Paid media is reported every Friday, with the budget moved away from channels that fall behind.
Pricing Model
Frontal
We don’t publish prices, since the right scope depends on your tools and where you’re trying to get to. Each engagement is scoped on the first call around the services you need, and ad spend is always kept separate from our fee.
Understory
Flat monthly retainers, never a percentage of spend. Paid media is tiered by ad spend and number of channels, starting at $8,000 a month for one channel and reaching $25,000 or more at the highest spend tier, charged on top of ad spend. GTM Engineering lists a base rate of $12,000 a month. Both figures were listed on Understory’s site on October 26, 2026.
[ Which fits ]
Frontal vs Understory: Which One Fits Your Team
Start from the work you need someone to own. If outbound pipeline is the gap, our ranking of SaaS lead generation partners shows how outbound specialists compare.
| What Your Team Needs | Frontal | Understory |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified pipeline from a defined list of target accounts | The core of what we do. Accounts are tiered and scored on buying signals, and outbound runs against them. | Signal-based outbound built in Clay from your closed-won and closed-lost deals, sent by email and LinkedIn. |
| Help without hiring a full in-house team | A senior team covers research, campaigns and CRM work, so you don’t have to hire for each skill. | A pod covering engineering, operations and paid media. |
| Paid media across LinkedIn, Google, Meta, Reddit, X and more | Paid media is one of our five service areas, aimed at the same accounts as outbound, with reporting that connects spend to qualified pipeline. | Run by a named strategist with a specialist on each platform and creative made in-house. |
| Ghostwritten LinkedIn posts for your founder | Founder and team content sits inside Content Engineering, and accounts that engage can feed straight into outbound. | 16 or 30 posts a month written from regular voice interviews, on a four-month minimum. |
When Frontal Isn’t the Right Fit
We’re not the right partner if you’re still looking for product-market fit or want pure volume outbound. The same goes for teams that need guaranteed lead or meeting counts, or only want a one-off build and handover.
We don’t sell intent data subscriptions either. If that’s what you’re after, we’ll say so on the first call.
[ The real questions ]
What Buyers Ask
What Does Switching From Understory to Frontal Involve?
We audit what’s live, keep what’s working and rebuild the rest in your own accounts, so campaigns keep running during the move.
If your outbound runs from Understory’s Clay table and sending domains today, plan how those tables and inboxes move before the handover date so sends don’t pause.
Can Frontal Work Alongside an Agency or Team We Already Have?
Yes. We agree up front on who owns which channel and which accounts, and everyone works from the same account list in your CRM, so no buyer gets contacted twice.
What Should We Ask Any GTM Partner Before Signing?
Ask who will run your account each week and whether you’ll speak to them directly. Ask to see a recent campaign, the reporting a client actually receives and how the plan changed after the first month. Then agree on what will be measured before any work starts.
What Happens on the First Call With Frontal?
It’s 30 minutes with a senior operator. We map your current setup, find the constraint holding pipeline back and tell you what we’d work on first. If we’re not the right fit, you’ll hear that too.
What Is Allbound, and How Does Frontal Approach It?
Allbound is Understory’s name for running paid media, outbound, LinkedIn content and RevOps from the same ICP and messaging, with everything reporting into one CRM. We cover the same ground through five service areas that share one account list and your CRM data.
Which Partner Goes Deeper on Clay?
Both build signal-based outbound in Clay. Clay’s partner directory sorts partners into four tiers, from Artisan up to Elite Studio, and lists Frontal at Elite Studio and Understory at Advanced Artisan. Understory’s own site calls it a Clay Enterprise Partner.
The badge matters less than where your tables live during and after the engagement, so ask each partner which workspace will hold them before you sign.
