Clutch vs GoodFirms vs DesignRush: 2027 Comparison

Clutch, GoodFirms and DesignRush are all B2B directories where buyers compare IT and agency firms and read client reviews, but they work differently. Clutch has the largest catalogue and collects reviews through verified logins and, for paid tiers, phone interviews. GoodFirms combines a free tier with a low-cost PRO plan and a 4-step verification process. DesignRush runs a marketplace alongside its directory and publishes fixed monthly sponsorship prices. Below is a side-by-side comparison of reviews, rankings, coverage and vendor costs, built only from each platform's public pages as of October 2026.

Disclosure: Trusted IT Firms, which publishes this comparison, is also a directory. We have no commercial relationship with the three platforms compared here.

Clutch vs GoodFirms vs DesignRush at a glance

Feature	Clutch	GoodFirms	DesignRush
Free profile	Yes, about 20 minutes to set up	Yes, "$0 forever, no card"	Yes, submitted for manual approval
Entry paid option	Sponsorship, City Bundles, Featured Listings, Clutch+ (no public prices)	PRO at $49/month, billed $588/year	Basic at $500/month, billed quarterly
Higher tiers	Quote on request	Sponsorship, pricing on request	Standard from $2,000/month; Premium from $5,000/month
Minimum commitment	12 months for all advertising	Annual billing for PRO	Monthly sponsorship; quarterly billing on Basic; no refunds
Review collection	Online form or Revvy chat with LinkedIn or company email login; phone interviews for paid tiers	Part of a 4-step verification including client interviews	Reviewers authorised through LinkedIn; email or phone checks where needed
Ranking views	All companies, Leaders, Matrix; Leader Awards twice a year	Sponsored, Most Reviews, Highly Rated, Leaders Matrix	Sponsored (default), Organic Rankings, Top Rated, Number of Reviews, price
Extras	Pricing tab, Get Matched, Clutch Guarantee, The Manifest profile	Pricing heatmap, world map, public RFPs, software directories	Project marketplace, Trends editorial, US Gov and Edu projects on paid tiers

Prices and terms change. Treat the table as a snapshot and confirm on each platform's pricing page before you buy anything.

How each platform collects and verifies reviews

Clutch

Clutch contacts a client after the vendor shares the client's details. The client can then complete an online question-and-answer form or use Revvy, an AI chat flow, after logging in with a LinkedIn account or company email. Clients can choose to stay anonymous or hide their company name. Phone interviews of 15 to 20 minutes with a Clutch team member are available only to clients of providers with a Clutch Verified subscription or certain paid products. Clutch's fake review policy says it re-verifies every review on a profile when it audits a suspected provider, removes falsified reviews and can suspend accounts or remove verification without a refund.

GoodFirms

GoodFirms states that listed firms pass a 4-step verification process: background check, client interviews, portfolio audit and ongoing quality review. Its get-listed page cites a 23% acceptance rate. It also displays badges such as Verified, Top Rated and Certified from what it calls a multi-level verification process, without describing each level in detail.

DesignRush

DesignRush's methodology page says reviews come from client testimonials, agency-submitted reviews that are then verified, and third-party review sites. It authorises each reviewer through their LinkedIn profile and uses email or phone checks where needed. It also states that agencies go through a review process before being listed.

What this means for you: none of the three methods is perfect, and all three depend on clients the vendor introduces. Clutch's phone interviews are the most detailed format, but they are tied to paid tiers. Read individual reviews for specifics, such as project scope, budget and what went wrong, rather than relying on the average star rating.

How rankings are ordered

All three separate organic ranking from paid placement, and each says so in different words.

Clutch evaluates companies on industry expertise (services, clients, case studies, awards and social presence) and ability to deliver (the number, recency and quality of verified reviews, client types, experience and market reputation). Leaders are recognised twice a year. Its advertising page says sponsorship tiers determine directory page placement, and category pages note "We may earn a fee for some placements."
GoodFirms uses its Leaders Matrix for organic ranking. Sponsors appear above non-sponsors in priority placements, and the category page states that sponsorship does not affect star ratings or review content.
DesignRush defaults to a Sponsored sort and states that sponsored listings pay for a placement above organic positions. Its organic ranking uses reviews, portfolio, awards and press, team bios and top services, with a specialisation factor based on the order of an agency's chosen services. Ratings use a Bayesian average with a 3.5-star baseline, so one 5-star review shows as 4.3 stars.

The practical lesson: on any of the three, switch to the organic or leaders view when you want a ranking that is not influenced by advertising, and look for sponsored labels on the default view.

Size and coverage

Each platform shows counts on its category pages, but the categories differ, so the numbers are not directly comparable. In October 2026:

Clutch's web development category stated 98,533 companies.
GoodFirms' software development category stated 24,710 firms across 148 countries, with a median rate of $37 per hour and a median rating of 4.9.
DesignRush's software development category stated 9,824 companies and 8,108 reviews with a 4.5 average.

All three go down to state and city level for the main services. GoodFirms also has technology-in-city pages, such as Laravel developers in a specific city, and Clutch has industry-in-city pages for some markets. If you need a firm in a particular city, check whether a dedicated page exists for that place before assuming coverage.

Which platform suits buyers

Your situation	Where to start	Why
Large custom software project	Clutch, then cross-check on GoodFirms	Largest catalogue and detailed review formats; second platform for confirmation
Budget-sensitive project, want rate benchmarks	GoodFirms	Publishes median rates and a pricing heatmap
Marketing, design or web agency	DesignRush	Agency focus, portfolio-heavy profiles, marketplace briefs
Prefer to receive proposals	Clutch Get Matched or the DesignRush marketplace	Both route a project brief to firms

Whichever you use, shortlist from the organic view, read the newest reviews first, and ask finalists for references from projects like yours. Our guide to Clutch alternatives covers other platforms worth adding to your search.

Which platform suits vendors

If you are an IT company or agency deciding where to list:

Free profiles on all three cost only time. Set them up with consistent facts: team size, founding year, rates, minimum project size and services.
GoodFirms PRO is the cheapest published paid tier at $49 per month billed annually. It adds featured placement above free listings and analytics.
DesignRush Basic at $500 per month buys a top position in one relevant category ranking plus a relationship manager. Higher tiers add marketplace project access.
Clutch requires a 12-month commitment for any advertising, and its page says rates may rise on renewal after the first term. Ask for a written quote and model the cost over a full year.
Reviews are the common currency. On every platform, the number, recency and quality of client reviews affects organic visibility. Paid placement does not create reviews.

Questions to ask before paying any of the three

Sales conversations with directories move quickly. Before signing, get written answers to these questions so you can compare offers on the same terms:

Which exact pages will my listing appear on, and in what position? A top spot in one city category is very different from a featured slot across a whole service.
How is sponsored placement labelled to buyers? You want to know what a prospect sees, and whether your organic position is shown separately.
What is the commitment and renewal rule? Note the minimum term, how to cancel, whether unused months are refunded and whether the price can change at renewal.
What reporting will I receive? Ask for profile views, clicks to your website and enquiries by month, so you can match them to your own analytics.
Do paid tiers change how reviews are collected? On Clutch, for example, phone interviews are tied to paid tiers. Know what you gain and what stays the same.
What happens to my profile and reviews if I stop paying? Confirm that your free profile and reviews stay live, and which features you lose.

Compare the answers with the cost of other channels, such as your own content or referral programme, before committing a year of budget.

Where Trusted IT Firms fits

Trusted IT Firms is a free directory of IT, software and digital marketing companies, smaller and newer than the three platforms above, with 435 published companies at the latest count. It publishes a ranking methodology explaining how listing order is set, a verification process and its badges and awards criteria. It can be one more place for buyers to cross-check firms and for vendors to add a free profile, alongside the larger platforms.

Summary

Choose Clutch for scale and detailed review formats, GoodFirms for an affordable paid tier and published rate data, and DesignRush for agency-focused search and a marketplace. For buyers, the safest approach is to cross-check finalists on at least two platforms. For vendors, start free everywhere, invest in collecting genuine reviews, and only pay for placement once you can measure enquiries.

Ready to compare more firms? Browse companies on Trusted IT Firms, or list your company free.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Clutch or GoodFirms?

Neither is better for everyone. Clutch has the larger catalogue and phone interview reviews for paid tiers, while GoodFirms offers a cheaper published PRO plan and median rate data. Many buyers check both.

Does paying DesignRush improve your ranking?

DesignRush states that sponsored listings pay for a placement above organic positions, and its default sort is Sponsored. Its separate Organic Rankings view uses reviews, portfolio, awards, team bios and services.

How much does it cost to advertise on Clutch?

Clutch does not publish prices. Its advertising page says costs are quoted on request and all advertising requires an initial 12-month commitment.

Are GoodFirms reviews verified?

GoodFirms says listed firms pass a 4-step verification of background check, client interviews, portfolio audit and ongoing quality review. Check each review's details as well.

Clutch vs GoodFirms vs DesignRush: How They Differ

Clutch vs GoodFirms vs DesignRush at a glance