Last updated: September 2026
Key takeaways
- Master Elite is the top tier of the Master track in Klaviyo's partner program.
- ~47 of Klaviyo's 6,000+ agency partners hold it, which is under 1% globally.
- Klaviyo weighs client account health and client NPS, which agencies don't submit or control.
- "Master Elite" and "Elite Master" name the same tier.
- The badge won't tell you whether an agency works in your platform or your vertical. Check that separately.
A Klaviyo Master Elite Partner is an agency holding the highest tier on the Master track of Klaviyo's partner program, above Platinum, Gold, and Silver. Klaviyo awards it on a mix of published quantitative requirements and internal nomination and review, and it re-evaluates partners on a regular basis instead of granting the status permanently.
How many agencies hold Klaviyo Master Elite status?
Klaviyo counts more than 6,000 agency partners worldwide. Only about 47 carry the Master Elite badge, which works out to under 1% of partners.
Klaviyo named its first public cohort of Master Elites in December 2022, which included around 20 agencies at the time. Since then, Klaviyo has added about seven partners to the cohort each year.
You can check the current number yourself in Klaviyo's service partner directory. Just note that the public directory only lists ~655 agencies, not all 6,000+ partners in the ecosystem. Each agency’s tier is mentioned alongside it.
Master Elite or Elite Master: which name is right?
Both names refer to the same tier, and Elite Master is the one that follows Klaviyo convention. Klaviyo names every badge as tier plus track: Silver Master, Platinum Master, Platinum Advisor. Elite Master is simply the Elite tier on the Master track. Klaviyo's directory renders the badge as "Elite Master." Klaviyo's December 2022 press release used "Elite Master Partners." Most agencies and most of the industry flip it and say "Master Elite."
Fuel Made's own Klaviyo directory listing shows the split inside a single page: the badge reads "Elite Master" while the certification line reads "Certified Master Elite Klaviyo partner."
If you're searching for agencies at this level, search both phrasings. Filtering a directory for one spelling will hide agencies that use the other.
Klaviyo's partner tiers, in order
Klaviyo runs two partner tracks. Advisors refer business to Klaviyo. Masters deliver Klaviyo services for clients. Both climb the same rungs up to Platinum, and only the Master track goes to Elite.
| Tier | Badges you will see | What it generally reflects |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Klaviyo Partner | Registered in the program. No performance bar. |
| Silver | Silver Advisor, Silver Master | Basic partner resources and training |
| Gold | Gold Advisor, Gold Master | Higher revenue thresholds and more certified staff |
| Platinum | Platinum Advisor, Platinum Master | Recognized depth of expertise, closer access to Klaviyo teams |
| Elite | Elite Master only. No Advisor equivalent. | Top tier, by nomination and review only |
An agency that only refers business can never reach the top tier. The lower rungs on both tracks come down to revenue thresholds and certifications. Elite works differently; more on that below.
How does an agency earn Master Elite status?
Master Elite has to be earned twice over. Klaviyo publishes quantitative requirements for the tier, covering referred and managed monthly recurring revenue along with certification counts, and clearing them makes an agency eligible rather than Elite. Klaviyo Partner Managers and Partner Success Managers nominate agencies internally, and a committee then reviews them against qualitative criteria.
When Klaviyo announced the tier in December 2022, it stated the criteria as "ongoing, open collaboration, relevant certifications, superior client health and net promoter scores, adoption of new product lines and features, and a hugely positive reputation in the community."
That combination is why the tier is hard to attain. An agency can buy certifications and win logos, but can't hand Klaviyo a better view of its clients' account health.
Rich Gardner, Klaviyo's SVP of Global Strategic Partnerships, framed the original Elite group this way: "Each one of these partners have demonstrated their unequivocal commitment to the Klaviyo ecosystem."
What Master Elite doesn't tell you
Master Elite tells you an agency operates Klaviyo well at scale and keeps its clients healthy. It doesn't tell you the four things that usually decide whether an engagement works.
- Whether the agency works in your ecommerce platform. Klaviyo runs on Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento, and the implementation differs on each.
- Whether senior people touch your account, or whether the pitch team hands off to juniors.
- Who owns deliverability. It's the discipline often left unassigned, but it’s a big one.
- Whether they've worked in your vertical. Subscription retention and one-time apparel purchases need different lifecycle logic.
There are more questions worth asking any retention partner before you sign. Use the tier to build your shortlist, then use those questions to pick from it.
What does the tier actually change for a brand?
Partners at the Master Elite tier get early access to features and betas, a direct line to Klaviyo's product teams, and advanced training ahead of general release.
The early access can be meaningful. When Klaviyo ships a new product line, a Master Elite partner could be working with it for weeks before it's generally available. Their clients get tested implementations instead of a scramble.
The direct product line matters for the ugly cases. When something breaks inside a deliverability setup or a catalog sync, escalation through a partner manager moves faster than a support ticket.
How Fuel Made earned Master Elite
Fuel Made holds Klaviyo's Master Elite tier. Klaviyo awarded it in 2023, after nearly eight years of partnership that started in 2016.
Scott Segel, Klaviyo's Senior Director of Agency Partnerships, tied the decision to that tenure. He pointed to the eight-year partnership, our work with new Klaviyo capabilities as they shipped, and what those capabilities produced on client accounts.
The Shopify side of the credential is older. Fuel Made has built on Shopify since 2007, went Shopify-exclusive in 2010, and was one of the original agencies designated a Shopify Plus Expert in 2016. Klaviyo integrates with several ecommerce platforms. Almost all of our Klaviyo work happens on Shopify and Shopify Plus, where we can change the catalog and checkout data feeding the flows.
What does the work behind the tier look like?
The work behind a Master Elite badge is client account performance, since that's what Klaviyo measures. Here's what that looks like across our accounts, with the mechanism attached to each number.
- Clients average a 6x return on their Klaviyo investment within the first year, and 2x the average Klaviyo ROI across the platform.
- Email and SMS produce 20%–40% of ecommerce revenue for most of our clients, mainly through optimized flows.
- Abandoned cart flows recover over 18% of carts across our accounts.
Our current average client tenure is about 4 years, which is a number we watch closely. Retention programs compound, and the accounts that produce the results above are almost always the ones we've held for more than a year.
Most of that work happens on our Klaviyo email and SMS team, a group of specialists rather than one generalist per account. We've written about why that staffing split matters more than the retainer price when brands compare an agency against an in-house hire.
How to verify an agency's Klaviyo tier
Verify a tier claim in Klaviyo's directory, not on the agency's website. Any agency can put a badge graphic in a footer. Only Klaviyo controls what appears at connect.klaviyo.com, and the listing updates when a tier changes.
- Open Klaviyo's service partner directory at connect.klaviyo.com.
- Search the agency by name.
- Read the badge on their listing. It will name a tier and a track, such as Elite Master, Platinum Master, Silver Master or Platinum Advisor, or simply Klaviyo Partner.
- Check the services and platform expertise on the same listing against what they pitched you.
Which Klaviyo agency should you choose?
Choose by fit first and tier second, but use the tier to draw the shortlist. Master Elite is the only Klaviyo signal that reflects client outcomes rather than agency spend or certification count. That makes it the most useful starting filter for a brand doing the search alone.
A workable process:
- Pull the Elite Master and Platinum Master listings from Klaviyo's directory.
- Cut anyone who doesn't list your ecommerce platform.
- Cut anyone who doesn't list your vertical or something close to it.
- Ask the remaining three or four who owns deliverability and who touches the account weekly.
Frequently asked questions
Is Klaviyo Master Elite the same as Elite Master?
Yes. They're two names for Klaviyo's top partner tier. Klaviyo's partner directory displays the badge as "Elite Master," and Klaviyo's own December 2022 announcement used "Elite Master Partners." Most agencies and most of the industry say "Master Elite." When you search a directory or compare agencies, check both spellings so you don't miss listings.
How many Klaviyo Master Elite Partners are there?
47 agencies worldwide hold Master Elite status as of September 2026, counted directly from Klaviyo's partner directory. Klaviyo's partner program includes more than 6,000 agency partners, so the tier represents well under 1% of the program.
Can an agency apply for Klaviyo Master Elite status?
No. There's no application for Elite itself and no fee. Agencies apply to join the partner program and climb the tiers, but the top tier is nominated rather than requested. Klaviyo Partner Managers and Partner Success Managers nominate agencies internally, and a formal review of quantitative and qualitative criteria follows. Klaviyo weighs client account health and net promoter scores from those clients, which are inputs the agency doesn't control or submit.
Is a Master Elite agency more expensive?
Usually, though not because of the badge. Agencies at this tier tend to staff senior specialists across strategy, copy, design, deliverability, and technical build rather than one generalist per account, and that staffing model costs more.
Do partners lose Master Elite status?
Yes. Klaviyo reviews the tier rather than granting it permanently, and partners renew rather than keep it by default. The review looks at the same inputs as the original nomination, including client health and net promoter scores.
Fuel Made works with Shopify and Shopify Plus brands on Klaviyo email and SMS programs, conversion optimization, and custom Shopify development. If you want a read on your current Klaviyo setup, reach our team here.