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Agency comparison · Minnesota

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: Minnesota marketing agency comparison

Founded · Gearbox Functional Creative
2010
Founded · Swim Creative
2006

Gearbox Functional Creative is a St. Cloud, Minnesota agency that lists branding, web design and advertising. Swim Creative is a Duluth, Minnesota agency that lists branding, web design and advertising. Swim Creative was founded in 2006, 4 years before Gearbox Functional Creative (2010).

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Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative: the agencies

  • Gearbox Functional Creative (founded 2010): St. Cloud creative marketing agency doing brand identity, website development and campaign work for regional clients.

    Full profile

  • Swim Creative (founded 2006): Duluth branding, advertising and web design agency that also builds events and interactive experiences.

    Full profile

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: side by side

Each value for Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative comes from the agency's listing, its company facts or the platform named under it. Data as of October 16, 2026. No score or rank here; see the full ranking on the agencies page.
Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative, side by side
FieldGearbox Functional CreativeSwim Creative
City and regionSt. Cloud · Greater MinnesotaDuluth · Duluth area
Headquarters412 37th Ave N, St. Cloud, 56303Source: gearboxfc.com310 East Superior Street, Suite 130, Duluth, 55802Source: osd.umn.edu
Employees1-10Source: outsorcy.com1-10Source: swimcreative.com
Founded2010Source: g2.com2006Source: clutch.co
ServicesBranding, Web design, AdvertisingListing sources: gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.comBranding, Web design, AdvertisingListing sources: swimcreative.com, swimcreative.com
Google rating5.0 ★ (29 reviews)via Google · fetched October 12, 2026View on Google4.7 ★ (7 reviews)via Google · fetched October 12, 2026View on Google
Yelp rating5.0 ★ (1 review)via Yelp · fetched October 18, 2026View on YelpNot published
Publishes pricingNoListing sources: gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.comNoListing sources: swimcreative.com, swimcreative.com
Awards3 awardsCompany-stated
  • AAF Central Minnesota Judge's Choice (3 consecutive years)gearboxfc.com
  • AAF Central Minnesota Judge's Choice: Coborn'sgearboxfc.com
  • AAF Central Minnesota Judge's Choice: BCI Constructiongearboxfc.com
3 awardsCompany-stated
Notable clients4 named clients on record6 named clients on record
LeadershipNot published
Case studies4 (0 with stated results)Source: gearboxfc.com3 (0 with stated results)Source: swimcreative.com
AI-assistant mention rateNamed in 5 of 431 answered runs (1.2%); 95% interval 0.5%–2.7%How AI visibility is measuredNamed in 11 of 431 answered runs (2.5%); 95% interval 1.4%–4.5%How AI visibility is measured

Not published by either agency: Industries, Clutch rating, minimum project, hourly band, ownership, partner programs, certifications.

Gearbox Functional Creative listing sources

  1. [1] gearboxfc.com
  2. [2] gearboxfc.com
  3. [3] gearboxfc.com
  4. [4] gearboxfc.com

Swim Creative listing sources

  1. [1] swimcreative.com
  2. [2] swimcreative.com
See how every listed agency is ranked

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: where they differ

  • Location: Gearbox Functional Creative in St. Cloud and Swim Creative in Duluth.
  • Founded: Gearbox Functional Creative 2010 and Swim Creative 2006.
  • Google: Gearbox Functional Creative 5.0 from 29 reviews and Swim Creative 4.7 from 7 reviews.
  • Case studies on record: Gearbox Functional Creative 4 and Swim Creative 3.
  • AI mentions: Gearbox Functional Creative 1.2% and Swim Creative 2.5% (within the margin of error).

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: where they overlap

What Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative have in common as Minnesota agencies, from their listings and company facts:

  • Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative both list advertising, branding and web design.

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: AI visibility by assistant

In MN Agency Index's tests of 38 Minnesota buyer questions across 7 AI assistants (Oct 12–16, 2026; 431 answers), Gearbox Functional Creative was named in 5 answers (1.2%; 95% interval 0.5%–2.7%) and Swim Creative was named in 11 answers (2.5%; 95% interval 1.4%–4.5%); the difference is within the margin of error.Below: share of each assistant’s answers that named each agency. 2 test runs pooled, Oct 12–16, 2026; repeated quarterly. Compare questions are excluded. Runs are correlated, so read each interval as a stability range. How AI visibility is measured.
  • ChatGPT
    Gearbox Functional Creative

    ChatGPT named Gearbox Functional Creative in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).

    Swim Creative

    ChatGPT named Swim Creative in 5 of 119 answers (4.2%).

  • Gemini
    Gearbox Functional Creative

    Gemini named Gearbox Functional Creative in 2 of 119 answers (1.7%).

    Swim Creative

    Gemini named Swim Creative in 5 of 119 answers (4.2%).

  • Google AI Mode
    Gearbox Functional Creative

    Google AI Mode named Gearbox Functional Creative in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).

    Swim Creative

    Google AI Mode named Swim Creative in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).

  • Google AI Overview
    Gearbox Functional Creative

    Google AI Overview named Gearbox Functional Creative in 0 of 21 answers (0.0%).

    Swim Creative

    Google AI Overview named Swim Creative in 0 of 21 answers (0.0%).

  • Microsoft Copilot
    Gearbox Functional Creative

    Microsoft Copilot named Gearbox Functional Creative in 1 of 43 answers (2.3%).

    Swim Creative

    Microsoft Copilot named Swim Creative in 0 of 43 answers (0.0%).

  • Perplexity (Sonar API)
    Gearbox Functional CreativeToo few answers for a rate

    Perplexity (Sonar API) named Gearbox Functional Creative in 0 of 5 answers.

    Swim CreativeToo few answers for a rate

    Perplexity (Sonar API) named Swim Creative in 0 of 5 answers.

  • Gemini API (grounded)
    Gearbox Functional CreativeToo few answers for a rate

    Gemini API (grounded) named Gearbox Functional Creative in 0 of 5 answers.

    Swim CreativeToo few answers for a rate

    Gemini API (grounded) named Swim Creative in 0 of 5 answers.

Bar = share of that assistant’s answers naming the agency; whisker = 95% interval.

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: common questions

How do Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative compare for advertising in Minnesota?

Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative both list advertising. Gearbox Functional Creative is based in St. Cloud and Swim Creative is based in Duluth. Gearbox Functional Creative was founded in 2010 and Swim Creative was founded in 2006. Listed team sizes: Gearbox Functional Creative 1-10 and Swim Creative 1-10 employees.

How many Google reviews do Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative have?

Gearbox Functional Creative has 29 reviews (5.0 average) and Swim Creative has 7 reviews (4.7 average). Review count isn't a quality measure.

Do Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative publish pricing on their own sites?

No. None of Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative publishes pricing on its own site.

Which clients do Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative name publicly?

Gearbox Functional Creative names Great River Children's Museum, Full Circle Water and Avon Hills Folk School (testimonials); Swim Creative names Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway (testimonial), Mike & Jen's Cocoa (case study) and Vision Companies (case study).

What awards do Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative list?

As stated by each company: Gearbox Functional Creative lists 3 awards and Swim Creative lists 3 awards.

How many employees do Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative list?

Both list 1-10 employees.

How many case studies are on record for Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative?

Gearbox Functional Creative 4 (0 with stated results) and Swim Creative 3 (0 with stated results).

How often did AI assistants name Gearbox Functional Creative and Swim Creative in MN Agency Index's test?

In MN Agency Index's tests of 38 Minnesota buyer questions across 7 AI assistants (Oct 12–16, 2026; 431 answers), Gearbox Functional Creative was named in 5 answers (1.2%; 95% interval 0.5%–2.7%) and Swim Creative was named in 11 answers (2.5%; 95% interval 1.4%–4.5%); the difference is within the margin of error.

How comparisons are chosen and every field is sourced: methodology.

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: also compared

Gearbox Functional Creative vs Swim Creative: related Minnesota pages

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