Why prices are hard to find
If you search for SaaS design agency pricing, you will find a lot of "contact us for a quote" and very few numbers. That is frustrating, and it makes it hard to plan a budget.
There are some honest reasons. Design work is not a fixed product. A request to redesign onboarding can mean three screens or thirty. Agencies also like to see the project before they put a number on it. Another reason is that a hidden price lets some agencies pick a number after they learn your budget. We would rather you see ours first, so our prices are public.
We are not going to give you an industry average in this post. Any single figure would be a guess, because agencies differ so much in team, location, seniority and style of work. Instead, here is how pricing works, so you can read any quote.
Project, retainer and hourly models
Most agencies use one of three models. Each fits a different kind of need.
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | One price for an agreed scope and deliverables. | A clear job with a clear end, like an MVP design or a website. | Scope must be written down. Changes may cost extra. |
| Monthly retainer | A set fee each month for ongoing design work. | Products that keep changing and need steady help. | You pay even in quiet weeks. Check the pause and cancel terms. |
| Hourly or day rate | You pay for time spent. | Open-ended or exploratory work. | The final bill is uncertain. Ask for a cap or regular reports. |
None is better in every case. A fixed project gives you the most certainty. A retainer gives you the most flexibility. Hourly is the most flexible and the least predictable.
What drives the price up or down
When two quotes for similar work are far apart, one or more of these is usually the reason.
- Scope. The number of flows, screens and states. This is the biggest factor by far.
- Who does the work. A senior designer costs more than a junior one. A team of five costs more than a team of two.
- Research. User interviews, testing and workshops add time. Some projects need them. Many early ones do not.
- Build or design only. Production front-end code adds engineering time on top of design.
- Speed. A tight deadline may need more people at once.
- How many people review. A project with one decision-maker moves faster than one with a committee.
- Where the studio is based. Local costs affect prices, and so do overheads like large offices and sales teams.
- What is included. Handoff, design system, prototype, revisions, support after delivery.
When you compare, make sure you are looking at the same list. A lower price that leaves out the prototype and the handoff is not really lower.
Our public prices
These are our prices today. You can always find the current ones on the pricing page.
| Offer | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Free design review | $0 | A short video review of one page or flow. |
| UX audit | $950 | One week. Flow and analytics review, a ranked fix list, one redesigned screen and a 45-minute call. |
| MVP design sprint | From $5,900 | Four weeks. Flows, 15 to 25 core screens, a prototype, a design-system starter and a dev-ready handoff. |
| Design partner | $3,200 a month | A senior product designer on your product, one request at a time. Pause or cancel at any time. |
| Marketing website | From $3,500 | Strategy, design and build, in Framer or in code. |
If you want a front-end engineer on top of the design, that costs more, and the details are on the pricing page. The sprint and the website say "from" because the final price depends on how many flows, screens or pages are involved. We agree the number before we start. If you begin a sprint within 30 days of an audit, the $950 is credited toward it.
We do not say these are the cheapest or the most expensive prices around. They are what we charge for the work we do. You are welcome to compare them with other quotes, line by line.
What to ask for in a quote
Whoever you talk to, a good quote answers these questions. If it does not, ask.
- What exactly will I get? A list of deliverables, not a general description.
- How many flows or screens? A number or a range.
- How long will it take, and what do you need from me? Time and your part of the work, such as feedback and access.
- Who will do the work? Names and roles.
- What happens if the scope changes? How changes are priced.
- How many review rounds are included? And what happens after those.
- When do I pay? The payment steps.
- What do I own at the end? Source files, code, rights.
- What is not included? This one reveals the most.
How to plan a budget by stage
Here is a simple way to think about it. It is a guide, not a rule.
- Idea stage, no product. Spend on one thing: a clear first version. A design sprint or a smaller fixed project fits.
- Product live, signs of trouble. Start small. An audit tells you what is wrong before you spend on a redesign.
- Growing product, steady changes. A monthly plan is often cheaper than a string of small projects, and keeps context.
- Launching or relaunching your website. Treat it as a separate project with its own budget.
- Later stage. You may hire in-house and use an agency for special projects.
Also keep some room, maybe a modest share of the budget, for the work after the design: developer time to build it, and a round of fixes once real users see it. Design is only one part of getting a product out.
If you are unsure which offer fits, our services page lists them all side by side. Or tell us your stage and your budget through the contact page. If the money does not stretch to what you need, we will say so, and suggest a smaller first step.
