If you’re comparing Metalab vs Bricx, you’re likely searching for a design partner that can meaningfully influence how your product grows — not just how it looks. Both agencies are highly respected in the product design world but operate with different philosophies and strengths. 

Metalab is widely known for crafting iconic digital products and working with some of the world’s most recognized technology companies, delivering refined, large-scale product experiences. 

Bricx, on the other hand, focuses on growth-driven UX for SaaS, AI, and emerging technology companies where design directly impacts activation, retention, and revenue. 

One emphasizes product craftsmanship and long-term product design excellence, while the other prioritizes speed, experimentation, and measurable business outcomes.

Over the course of this article, we’ll compare the two agencies based on certain parameters to help you make the right decision. So let’s dive right in. 

What is Metalab?

Metalab is a globally recognized product design agency headquartered in Canada, best known for helping shape some of the most influential digital products over the past decade. 

The agency gained prominence through collaborations with major technology companies and startups, contributing to product design, UX strategy, and interface systems that scale across millions of users. 

Metalab’s work spans product design, UX research, brand integration, and digital product strategy, often helping companies transform early concepts into polished, market-ready products.

Their design philosophy emphasizes clarity, usability, and thoughtful product thinking. Rather than focusing purely on visuals, Metalab invests heavily in understanding user behavior, product ecosystems, and long-term scalability. 

Strengths of Metalab

• Proven Track Record with Iconic Products
  Metalab has worked on widely recognized consumer and SaaS platforms, giving them credibility and deep experience in building products used at massive scale.
  
  This exposure helps them anticipate product challenges early and design solutions that remain sustainable as products grow.
  
  

• Strong Product Thinking and UX Strategy
  Their approach goes beyond interface design into product problem-solving. Metalab invests heavily in discovery, user understanding, and interaction design, ensuring that solutions are rooted in real product needs rather than visual trends.
  
  

• High Design Craftsmanship
  Metalab consistently delivers polished, modern interfaces with strong attention to detail. Their design work often reflects clean interaction patterns and thoughtful micro-interactions that elevate perceived product quality.
  
  

• Mature Design Systems Expertise
  The agency excels at building scalable design systems that allow companies to maintain consistency as teams expand. This is especially valuable for products transitioning from the startup phase into mature platforms.
  
  

• Strategic Product Collaboration
  Metalab frequently works closely with leadership and product teams, influencing roadmap decisions and helping align design direction with long-term business strategy.
  
  

Weaknesses of Metalab

• Premium Pricing Tier
  Metalab typically operates at a high pricing level due to its reputation and experience. This can make engagements less accessible for early-stage startups or teams with limited design budgets.
  
  

• Less Optimized for Rapid Iteration Cycles
  Their structured and research-heavy workflows can slow down experimentation compared to agencies built around rapid MVP iteration.
  
  

• Project-Based Engagement Model
  Metalab often works through defined project scopes rather than ongoing embedded partnerships, which may limit flexibility for evolving product priorities.
  
  

• Not Always Growth-Metric Focused
  While strategically strong, their work is not always centered specifically on conversion optimization or product-led growth experimentation.
  
  

• Best Suited for Mature Product Teams
  Companies without clear product direction may struggle to fully leverage Metalab’s strategic depth without internal alignment.

Industries Served

Metalab typically works with venture-backed startups, scale-ups, and enterprise technology companies building large consumer platforms or sophisticated SaaS products requiring mature product design execution.

What is Bricx?

Bricx is a product design and UX agency built specifically for SaaS, AI, and emerging technology companies that want design to directly influence business growth. Rather than treating design as a visual deliverable, we approach UX as a performance engine — improving onboarding, activation, retention, and overall product adoption through strategic design decisions.

At Bricx, we operate as an embedded product partner, collaborating closely with founders, product managers, and engineering teams. Our work spans MVP design, onboarding redesigns, product revamps, and long-term design team extensions. 

We combine strong visual execution with systems thinking, ensuring products not only look modern but scale efficiently as companies grow. Our focus remains on solving real product problems, such as, reducing friction, clarifying user journeys, and helping teams ship improvements faster.

Strengths of Bricx

• Deep SaaS, AI, and Web3 Expertise
  We specialize in modern technology products where onboarding, adoption, and product-led growth matter most. This allows us to design solutions aligned with real SaaS metrics rather than purely aesthetic improvements.
  
  
  

• Growth-Driven UX Philosophy
  Our work focuses on measurable outcomes such as activation rates, engagement improvements, and retention gains. Design decisions are tied directly to product performance.
  
  
  

• Fast Execution and Iteration
  Bricx operates in rapid feedback loops, allowing teams to test ideas quickly and refine experiences continuously without long redesign cycles.
  
  
  

• Embedded Collaboration Model
  We integrate into client workflows as an extension of the internal product team, enabling faster communication and stronger product alignment.
  
  
  

• Scalable Design Systems
  While moving quickly, we ensure systems remain structured so teams can scale design efficiently over time.
  
  

Weaknesses of Bricx

• Less Enterprise Procurement Focus
  Our engagement model is optimized for startups and scaling tech companies rather than traditional enterprise procurement environments.
  
  

• Requires Active Collaboration
  Our embedded approach works best when teams engage closely in decision-making and feedback loops.

  
  

• Growth-Oriented Model May Exceed Simple Redesign Needs
  Organizations seeking only visual refreshes may not fully utilize our strategic capabilities.
  
  

• Fast Pace Requires Alignment
  Rapid iteration works best with teams comfortable making decisions quickly.
  
  

Industries Served

Bricx primarily works with SaaS startups, AI companies, Web3 platforms, and venture-backed teams aiming to improve product adoption, usability, and growth outcomes across scaling stages.

Core Comparison Points: Metalab vs Bricx

Now that we’ve looked at the basic overview of both agencies, here’s a detailed comparison of Metalab vs Bricx: 

1. Pricing

When evaluating Metalab vs Bricx, pricing differences largely reflect positioning and engagement philosophy. Metalab operates within a premium design tier, where engagements often involve comprehensive discovery phases, strategic alignment, and highly polished execution. 

Companies investing heavily in long-term product quality and brand credibility often find value in this approach, though costs can be significant.

Bricx takes a more flexible engagement approach aligned with evolving product needs. Instead of large, one-time redesign investments, we frequently work through continuous collaboration models that allow companies to iterate incrementally while maintaining budget efficiency. 

For startups and growth-stage SaaS companies, this often translates into stronger ROI tied directly to product improvements rather than single deliverables.

2. Product & UX Maturity

Metalab excels with mature or scaling products that require refined UX strategy and long-term design systems. Their structured approach helps organizations stabilize and elevate product experiences as complexity increases.

Bricx thrives during rapid growth phases where products are still evolving. We focus on removing friction quickly, improving onboarding clarity, and optimizing user journeys tied to adoption metrics. 

Rather than waiting for perfect alignment, we help teams learn through iteration.

3. Industry & Domain Fit

Metalab works broadly across consumer technology platforms, SaaS companies, and established digital products seeking world-class design craftsmanship.

Bricx is deeply specialized in SaaS, AI, and emerging tech ecosystems. 

Our domain expertise allows us to address challenges specific to product-led growth companies, including onboarding drop-offs, feature discovery, and retention optimization.

4. Speed & Execution Model

Metalab emphasizes thoughtful, research-backed execution that prioritizes long-term quality over speed. This approach works well for companies planning major product transformations.

Bricx prioritizes speed and adaptability. We operate in shorter feedback cycles, allowing teams to ship improvements faster and respond quickly to market changes — an advantage for startups navigating competitive environments.

5. Collaboration & Communication

Metalab typically follows a structured agency collaboration model with defined milestones and deliverables.

At Bricx, collaboration resembles working with an internal design team. We integrate into daily workflows, enabling faster iteration and reduced communication friction.

6. Flexibility & Startup Friendliness

Metalab’s model works best when scope and direction are clearly defined upfront.

Bricx is intentionally flexible, adapting quickly as product priorities evolve. This makes us particularly startup-friendly for teams navigating uncertainty or rapid pivots.

7. Cost Efficiency & ROI

Metalab delivers ROI through long-term product stability and premium design quality that strengthens brand perception.

Bricx drives ROI through measurable product improvements — helping clients improve activation rates, onboarding success, and user engagement through targeted UX optimization.

8. Strategic Impact

Metalab contributes deep product thinking and helps shape long-term product direction through structured strategy engagement.

Bricx acts as a growth-focused product partner, influencing how features are structured, how users onboard, and how design supports measurable business outcomes.

9. Cultural & Team Fit

Organizations with mature product teams and long planning cycles often align naturally with Metalab’s working style.

Founder-led startups and fast-moving product teams typically resonate with Bricx’s collaborative, experimentation-driven culture.

10. Design Quality & Systems Thinking

Both agencies deliver strong design quality but with different priorities. Metalab emphasizes craftsmanship, clarity, and refined interaction design, producing elegant and highly polished interfaces.

Bricx balances strong visual execution with scalable systems thinking optimized for rapid iteration. Our goal is to create design foundations that evolve efficiently as products grow rather than requiring repeated redesigns.

Conclusion

Choosing the right agency between Metalab and Bricx depends on your use case, budget, and expected ROI from design. Metalab is ideal for companies prioritizing refined product craftsmanship and mature UX strategy, while Bricx becomes the better option when speed, experimentation, and measurable growth outcomes matter most. 

With extensive SaaS, AI, and Web3 experience, including our projects with Y Combinator, Sequoia, and Techstars-backed teams – we bring insights from 25+ case studies across industries to help you as an extended design arm across every stage of your product journey. 

Schedule a call with us now to discuss your goals & to know more about how we can help achieve them.