If you’re hiring a UX agency, don’t trust another curated list.

We spoke directly with 50 of the world’s top agencies — joined their sales calls, sent them the same project brief, asked the same questions, and gathered answers no website or Clutch profile will ever reveal.

This report is the result:

A brutally honest, first-party breakdown of how the top UX agencies actually work.

How much they charge. How long they take. Who does the work. What they include — and what they don’t.

Most lists rank portfolios. This one benchmarks process, pricing, team bandwidth, timelines, and communication.

If you're a SaaS founder, product owner, or marketer looking to hire a design partner — this will save you 30+ hours of sales calls and give you the exact data you need to make the right call.

Let’s get into it.

Best UX Agencies Ranked by Strength

If you don’t want to read the entire report and just see the summary:

Top UX Design Agencies You Can Actually Trust

Bricx

Unforgettable & Results-Driven UX Design for SaaS

Bricx is a founder-led UX design agency exclusively working with B2B & AI SaaS startups to get more signups, increase conversions, and reduce user churn.

We have a running list of 25+ UX case studies where they’ve successfully completed website & product design projects for their clients.

Our clients vouch for their impeccable visual design taste along with deep product knowledge resulting in standout products with a delightful user experience.

Bricx is a trusted design partner of fast-growing SaaS backed by Y Combinator, Accel, Sequoia, Riverside Ventures, Techstars, Greyloft, Blume Ventures, and other reputed venture firms.

We’re a niche group of SaaS UX specialists who enjoy working with startups who like to move fast, test new ideas, and iterate even faster.

If that’s you - feel free to book a call with one of our founders, and they’ll be able to guide you through how we can collaborate.

Clay

Elite design for product-driven giants.

Clay is a top-tier agency trusted by global brands and fast-scaling enterprises. They specialize in creating pixel-perfect interfaces for digital products that demand excellence — often working with Series C/D+ funded companies or Fortune 500s. 

From complex dashboards to marketing sites, Clay brings an obsession with detail and polish that feels like Silicon Valley’s best-kept design secret.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

Brand: $150K+ | Website: $200K+ | Product: $200K+

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Time & material billing per phase | ~2 weeks to kick off

Timeline Estimates:

3–5 months (depending on scope)

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

4:1 — tight, senior-heavy squads

Process Maturity:

Enterprise-grade – structured, refined, and collaborative

AI Design Experience:

Yes – regularly works with AI/ML companies

Team Structure & Roles:

Head of Design, Brand Strategist, Product Designers, PM

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Enterprise-level QA + handoff systems

Copywriting Inclusions:

Yes – in-house copywriting available

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Weekly checkpoints + async collaboration via tools

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – full dev capability in-house

Office Culture:

Hybrid – SF, Lisbon, Serbia offices

Guidea

Where product strategy meets world-class UX.

Guidea is a strategic UX design firm that brings structure to early product decisions. Led by industry veterans, they work with startups and enterprise clients to align product vision, user flows, and design — especially in complex AI, healthcare, and B2B SaaS. Their strength lies in shaping the foundation, not just painting the screen.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

Website: ~$30k–$40k | Product: ~$60k–$80k

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Milestone-based payments | Immediate availability

Timeline Estimates:

2–3 weeks for alignment, 3–5 months for execution

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

Not specified

Process Maturity:

Very high – especially strong in product strategy

AI Design Experience:

Yes – particularly in healthtech & AI SaaS

Team Structure & Roles:

Strategic Facilitators, UX Researchers, Product Designers

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Polished handoffs for internal or external dev teams

Copywriting Inclusions:

Not specified

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

High-touch during strategy, async during design phases

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – in-house Webflow capabilities

Office Culture:

Remote-first

Tonik

Visual identity and UX, wrapped in code.

Tonik is a boutique design and development studio from Poland that brings craft and code together. They work with startups and Series A/B companies that want fast delivery and beautifully-built interfaces. From branding to React and Webflow development, Tonik does it all in-house — and does it well.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

Brand: ~$15,000 | Website: ~$19,500 | Product: ~$28,000

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

50% upfront, 50% on completion | ~2–4 weeks

Timeline Estimates:
3–4 months

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

~3:2 – solid designer bandwidth per project

Process Maturity:

Streamlined – very efficient for fast-growing teams

AI Design Experience:

Yes – experienced with AI tools and software

Team Structure & Roles:

Brand, UX/UI, Comms Designers, Front-end Devs

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Handled in-house (Webflow + front-end dev)

Copywriting Inclusions:

Yes – built into the service

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Weekly meetings + Slack updates

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – full Webflow + dev stack

Office Culture:

Hybrid – Poznan HQ + remote team

Eleken

SaaS-focused UI/UX delivered on subscription.

Eleken offers a unique subscription-based design model, making them a favorite among SaaS companies needing consistent design support. With a team of over 60 designers, they’re structured for speed and flexibility — especially for long-term engagements and product revamps. Great design without the overhead of building an internal team.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

Website: $1,500–$3,000/month | Product: $3,500–$5,544/month

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Monthly subscription (2-month minimum) | Immediate start

Timeline Estimates:

~2–3 months for typical website or product needs

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

60 designers for ~40–50 clients – strong support

Process Maturity:

Subscription-optimized – ideal for ongoing needs

AI Design Experience:

Yes – works with AI & SaaS clients

Team Structure & Roles:

Full-time or part-time designer + project lead

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Figma-ready assets, Webflow via partners

Copywriting Inclusions:

No

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Slack-first with optional syncs

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – via partner agency

Office Culture:

Fully remote

Ideo

Deep user understanding. Iconic design outcomes.

IDEO isn’t your average UI agency — and they’re upfront about it. They shine when there’s a complex, systemic problem to solve, not just a UI facelift. If you need deep, foundational insight into your users and their behavior before redesigning your product or website, IDEO is your team.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

$500,000–$750,000 per project (design only; dev excluded)

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Custom pricing after scoping | Timelines vary case-by-case

Timeline Estimates:

Longer-term engagements based on strategy, not speed

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

Highly flexible – teams are curated per challenge

Process Maturity:

Elite – IDEO invented much of what modern design processes follow today

AI Design Experience:

Yes – especially in ethics, healthcare, and enterprise AI

Team Structure & Roles:

Cross-disciplinary teams (design, research, strategy, systems)

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Focuses on strategy/design handoff — dev support is external

Copywriting Inclusions:

Varies by project – not core offering

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Strategic checkpoints, deep workshop formats

App/Web Dev Support:

Not included – they’re a design strategy partner

Office Culture:

Hybrid, with global studios (SF, NY, London, Tokyo)

MetaLab

Premium design, trusted by the best in tech.

MetaLab is a heavyweight in the product design world — the agency behind some of the most iconic interfaces you've used (Slack, Notarize, Coinbase… ring a bell?). They specialize in turning complex, high-stakes products into beautifully simple, user-centric experiences. If you’ve got a serious product and want it to feel just as world-class as your vision, MetaLab brings that bar-raising energy.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

Brand: $150k–$200k | Website: ~$300k–$700k | Product: ~$300k–$700k

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Fixed for brand/design; retainers for ongoing work | Starts in ~6–8 weeks post-signature

Timeline Estimates:

Brand: ~8 weeks | Website: ~5 weeks (design only)

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

Not specified – staffed based on project scope

Process Maturity:

Top-tier – extremely structured with strategy baked in

AI Design Experience:

Yes – works with AI SaaS and cutting-edge tech clients

Team Structure & Roles:

Brand Director, Motion Designer, UI/UX Designers, PM, Dev leads

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Excellent – Webflow, Framer, and full-stack support available

Copywriting Inclusions:

Not specified – may vary by engagement

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Structured sprints, regular meetings, and async updates

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – full development capability (Webflow, Framer, code)

Office Culture:

Remote-first

Ramotion

Visual-first product design that scales.

Ramotion combines branding, UI/UX, and front-end development into one seamless experience. They work with startups and enterprises alike, but are best known for their sleek visuals and brand-aligned interfaces. Whether you're looking to scale your product or refresh your identity, Ramotion delivers a crisp, polished outcome every time.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

Brand: $50k–$60k | Website: $50k–$70k | Product: $15k–$20k/month

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Fixed phases, monthly billing | 1–2 weeks to start

Timeline Estimates:

6–8 months

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

7:2 – dedicated and specialized teams

Process Maturity:

Well-structured, especially for brand + UI engagements

AI Design Experience:

Yes – active in SaaS and AI industries

Team Structure & Roles:

Creative Director, Designers, Front-end Devs, PMs

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Excellent handoff – Webflow + developer-ready

Copywriting Inclusions:

Yes – included for brand and web

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Clear weekly check-ins, async updates

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – front-end + Webflow

Office Culture:

Hybrid – SF, LA, remote

Arounda

Web3, SaaS & FinTech design magic.

Arounda is a design and development studio that's carved a strong niche in AI, SaaS, and Web3. With a distributed team and hands-on approach, they deliver product design, branding, and dev with startup speed and polish. They’re especially loved by early-stage founders who need both design velocity and development execution.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

~$13,440 total for end-to-end package (hourly $32/hr discounted)

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Hourly billing with total project estimate | Start in ~1 week

Timeline Estimates:

~2.5 months

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

~50 employees for 15 clients (approx. 10:3)

Process Maturity:

Efficient and startup-ready

AI Design Experience:

Yes – deep focus on SaaS and AI

Team Structure & Roles:

Lead Designer, Dedicated UX/UI Designer, QA, PM

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Handled in-house – strong Webflow + QA workflows

Copywriting Inclusions:

Not specified

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Active supervision + regular updates

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – Webflow + dev team included

Office Culture:

In-house, but distributed remotely

Metacarbon

High-impact UX for the climate-tech era.

Metacarbon blends digital product design with climate-first thinking. They work with deep-tech and sustainability-focused companies to deliver UX/UI that drives real-world impact. If you're a founder building something visionary in climate, tech, or AI, Metacarbon brings the clarity and design depth you need.

Price Range & Hourly Rate:

$55/hr across services

Payment Terms & Start Availability:

Hourly, invoiced monthly | 2–4 weeks to start

Timeline Estimates:

4–6 months

Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth):

5:3 – collaborative and flexible

Process Maturity:

Lean, nimble, and focused on clarity

AI Design Experience:

Yes – works closely with AI and tech founders

Team Structure & Roles:

Brand + Product Designers, UI/UX Specialists

QA & Dev Handoff Practices:

Webflow-integrated handoffs with clean QA

Copywriting Inclusions:

No

Client Communication (Meetings + Daily Updates):

Slack + check-ins as needed

App/Web Dev Support:

Yes – Webflow-based execution

Office Culture:

Remote-first (HQ in Ukraine)

How to Compare the Top UX Agencies: 12 Key Criteria That Matter

Choosing a UX design agency is a high-leverage decision — one that shapes your product’s experience, your customer’s perception, and your company’s momentum. While a beautiful portfolio might catch your eye, it’s the less visible traits that determine long-term success.

Here’s a detailed guide to the criteria that truly matter, with insights on how to think about each one during your evaluation process.

1. Price Range & Hourly Rate

Budgeting for design is less about finding the cheapest option and more about identifying who can deliver the most meaningful outcomes within your range. Some agencies charge $5,000 and leave you with generic screens; others charge $50,000 and help you improve retention, reduce support tickets, and increase conversions.

Dig into what’s included: Does the rate cover UX research? Copywriting? Revisions? Are you paying for senior-level thinking or junior execution? A transparent rate structure — whether hourly, fixed, or retainer — shows that the agency has priced based on experience, outcomes, and process maturity, not guesswork.

2. Payment Terms & Start Availability

The mechanics of how and when you pay may seem minor, but they directly affect how your project unfolds. An agency offering milestone-based payments or monthly retainers signals structure and long-term thinking. Others may require upfront deposits, especially for smaller engagements.

Equally important is availability. A great agency that can only start in eight weeks won’t help you hit next quarter’s goals. Ask about onboarding timelines, project queues, and flexibility in scheduling. Your ideal partner should not only be skilled — they should be ready to move at your speed.

3. Timeline Estimates

Timeline transparency is a direct reflection of how well an agency scopes projects and manages expectations. Avoid teams that overpromise with fast turnarounds just to win the deal — great UX work requires research, iteration, and collaboration.

Ask for a phase-wise breakdown: discovery, wireframing, design, feedback, handoff. Get clarity on how long each phase typically takes, and what might cause delays. You want partners who are realistic, not reactive — ones who plan well and hit deadlines without compromising quality.

4. Employees-to-Client Ratio (Bandwidth)

An agency might have 20 clients — but how many designers do they have to serve them? This ratio matters more than most realize. If your designer is stretched across 4–5 projects, you’ll likely see slower iteration, thinner attention to detail, and longer feedback cycles.

Look for agencies that assign a focused team to your project — even better if they offer dedicated design leads or project managers. Bandwidth affects not just output speed, but also the level of strategic thinking they can bring to your product.

5. Process Maturity

Mature agencies run like well-oiled machines. They have clear onboarding, defined phases, structured feedback mechanisms, and templates for almost everything — without sacrificing creativity. This results in more predictable outcomes, fewer revisions, and better collaboration.

Ask them to walk you through their process, step by step. Do they have a discovery framework? How do they handle scope creep? How do they present work-in-progress vs. final deliverables? A well-documented process is often the best signal that they know how to drive successful outcomes — not just design pretty screens.

6. AI Design Experience

AI products are a different beast. They involve predictive interfaces, explainability challenges, and nonlinear user flows. If your product uses AI in any form — whether chatbots, recommendation engines, or generative models — you need a team that understands those nuances.

Look for experience with LLM interfaces, prompt-based UX, or dashboard-style analytics. Ask about how they’ve designed for uncertainty, trust, and system feedback. A team that has designed for AI before will know what pitfalls to avoid and how to make the product feel human, even when the logic isn’t.

7. Team Structure & Roles

Behind every agency is a team — and understanding who exactly will be working on your project is crucial. Are you getting a senior product designer or a generalist juggling multiple roles? Is there a dedicated project manager or strategist guiding the engagement?

Ask for role clarity: Who owns UX? Who writes copy? Who presents to stakeholders? Agencies that can articulate their internal team structure show professionalism, planning, and respect for your business goals. The best outcomes happen when you know who’s accountable for what — not when responsibilities blur.

8. QA & Developer Handoff Practices

Even the best design is useless if it breaks during development. A strong handoff process ensures that your product is built as intended — without loss of fidelity or functionality. Agencies that care about handoff will include annotated Figma files, version control, responsive states, and detailed edge case flows.

Ask how they ensure dev-readiness: Do they use Figma Dev Mode? Do they collaborate with your engineers in real time? Do they follow a design system or token-based approach? Clean handoffs save time, reduce engineering guesswork, and protect the integrity of the experience.

9. Copywriting Inclusions

Words are just as important as visuals — especially in onboarding flows, calls to action, form labels, and empty states. Agencies that include UX writing or collaborate with copywriters are able to create a unified, conversion-friendly experience. On the other hand, agencies that don’t offer copywriting may rely on placeholder text, which delays progress and introduces friction.

If your team doesn’t have an in-house writer, choose a partner who can provide one — or work closely with whoever you assign. The tone, clarity, and precision of your copy impacts user trust and flow completion more than you might expect.

10. Client Communication (Meetings & Daily Updates)

Smooth communication is what makes the design process collaborative — rather than chaotic. Some agencies offer structured weekly check-ins and async updates via Slack or Loom. Others may prefer milestone-based reviews. The key is to find a rhythm that matches your team’s preferences and internal workflows.

Clarify expectations upfront: How frequently will we communicate? Who owns follow-ups? Will updates happen in Notion, Slack, or email? A team that’s responsive, organized, and proactive is not just easier to work with — they’re more likely to deliver work that aligns with your vision, without repeated course corrections.

11. App/Web Development Support

Not every agency offers development — and that’s okay, as long as you plan for it. If you don’t have an internal dev team, a partner that offers Webflow, Framer, or front-end development can be a huge value add. It speeds up go-to-market and avoids painful handovers between design and build.

Ask whether they offer development services in-house or via partners. If not, do they support your dev team during implementation? A design that’s built with dev constraints in mind is not only faster to ship — it’s easier to scale.

12. Office Culture: Remote, Hybrid, or In-Office

An agency’s work culture influences their communication, availability, and even creative process. Remote-first teams are often more async and documentation-heavy, while in-office or hybrid teams may offer more real-time collaboration and tighter feedback loops.

Time zone overlap, language fluency, and tool familiarity all play a role here. If you're in a different region, make sure the agency is comfortable working across time zones. Also, ask how they work internally — tools like Slack, Linear, Notion, and Figma can help or hinder collaboration depending on how they’re used.

Conclusion

Choosing the right agency comes down to your goals. If you’re looking for an agency that aligns with your business goals, solves UX problems, and designs world-class interfaces - Bricx may be a good option.

Every agency has their pros & cons - to pick the best UX agency, you have to figure out your expectations and see who meets them.