On this page13 sections
Most non-technical founders now build the first version themselves with Lovable, Bolt or Replit, or with a freelance developer. For that route, start with Designpixil: we design the product and hand it off as a system your AI tool or developer can follow, from $3,000. If you would rather a studio build everything for you, Phenomenon Studio publishes design and build prices, thoughtbot has designed and built products since 2003, Purrweb publishes app build ranges, and Halo Lab, Arounda and Rocket Farm Studios also design and build.
Designpixil is on this list and we wrote it. Every other agency is judged on the same published facts, and how we ranked is at the end.
The shortlist at a glance
| Agency | Best for | Published price | Minimum project | Not a fit for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Designpixil | Non-technical founders building with AI tools or a freelance developer | $4,917/mo subscription, projects from $3,000 | $3,000 | Enterprise programs that need a large team, or anyone who needs engineers as well as design |
| 2. Phenomenon Studio | Founders who want design and build from one team | UX audit from $2,000; web app design from $12,000 | $10,000+ | Pre-seed build budgets: its published MVP development starts at $20,000 |
| 3. thoughtbot | A team that designs and builds web and mobile | Not published | $10,000+ | Design-only engagements; it sells design and engineering together |
| 4. Purrweb | A mobile app built at a published range | Simple mobile app $30,000 to $45,000 | $5,000+ | Design-only work; its prices are for building apps |
| 5. Halo Lab | A large design and development team | Projects from $5,000 | $10,000+ | Founders who want the same senior designer on every screen |
| 6. Arounda | Dedicated designers and developers | Typical projects from $6,000 | $25,000+ | Very small budgets: its listed minimum project is $25,000+ |
| 7. Rocket Farm Studios | An AI prototype built fast | AI prototype sprint $15,000 to $25,000 | $25,000+ | Design-only work; it is a development-led studio |
What matters for non-technical founders
- 01
Decide how it will be built first
With an AI tool, a freelance developer, or a studio that builds. The right design partner depends on that answer.
- 02
A handoff your builder can follow
If you build with Lovable, Bolt or Replit, the design has to arrive as rules and components the tool can apply, not just pictures of screens.
- 03
Plain language, no jargon
You should understand every decision. Ask the studio to explain one of its past projects without design vocabulary.
- 04
Published prices
Without a technical co-founder to sanity-check quotes, published prices protect you.
What goes wrong for non-technical founders
The most expensive mistake is hiring a large agency for beautiful Figma files, then discovering the build costs three times as much and has to be bought from someone else. The designs age while the founder looks for engineers.
If you are already building with an AI tool, keep doing that and buy design that fits it. If you want a studio to build everything, buy design and build from one team. See vibe-coded app redesign agencies for the first route.
1. Designpixil: Non-technical founders building with AI tools or a freelance developer
Many of the founders we work with are not engineers. They build with Lovable, Bolt or Replit, or work with a freelance developer, and we make the product look and work like a real company: a design system first, then the screens that win users, handed off as rules and components your tool or developer follows. Projects start at $3,000.
Anant explains every decision in plain language, and you work with him directly. We do not write production code; if you want a studio to build everything, the design-and-build studios below are the right call.
“Anant was a pleasure to work with. We brought him on to transform existing wireframes into a professional looking mobile application. He pays attention to details and listens to your ideas. He was able to translate ideas into reality very quickly and at a high level. He has a good creative aspect to his design and can ensure that things turn out beautifully.”
| Based in | Remote-first, serving the US, UK and EU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| Team | Founder-led: Anant Jain designs every project |
| How you hire them | Monthly design subscription, Fixed-scope projects |
| Published price | $4,917/mo subscription, projects from $3,000 |
| Minimum project | $3,000 |
| Design or build | Designs the product for your engineers or AI coding tools; designs and builds marketing sites in Framer |
| AI work they publish | Echo AI case study: whole product in 5 to 6 weeksWhizo AI case study: marketing websiteHAL51 AI: landing page |
| Best for | Non-technical founders building with AI tools or a freelance developer |
| Not a fit for | Enterprise programs that need a large team, or anyone who needs engineers as well as design |
2. Phenomenon Studio: Founders who want design and build from one team
Phenomenon Studio publishes starting prices for design (web app design from $12,000) and development (rapid MVP from $20,000), so a non-technical founder can budget both before the call.
| Based in | Tallinn, Estonia, with offices in Switzerland and the US |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| Team | 70+ people |
| How you hire them | Fixed-scope projects, Dedicated team, Team extension |
| Published price | UX audit from $2,000; web app design from $12,000 |
| Minimum project | $10,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | AIRESWolf Games Case Maker |
| Best for | Founders who want design and build from one team |
| Not a fit for | Pre-seed build budgets: its published MVP development starts at $20,000 |
3. thoughtbot: A team that designs and builds web and mobile
thoughtbot has designed and built web and mobile products since 2003 and sells design and engineering together.
| Based in | Not stated on its site (US-based, remote team) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Team | 100+ people |
| How you hire them | Shaping sprint, MVP development, Embedded team, Team augmentation |
| Published price | Not published, quoted after a call |
| Minimum project | $10,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | KnectGenerative AI tool (healthcare marketing) |
| Best for | A team that designs and builds web and mobile |
| Not a fit for | Design-only engagements; it sells design and engineering together |
4. Purrweb: A mobile app built at a published range
Purrweb publishes planning ranges for mobile app builds, starting at $30,000 to $45,000 for a simple app.
| Based in | Walnut, California, US and the UAE |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Team | 50-249 people |
| How you hire them | Outsourced development, Dedicated developers, MVP development |
| Published price | Simple mobile app $30,000 to $45,000 |
| Minimum project | $5,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | None published that we found |
| Best for | A mobile app built at a published range |
| Not a fit for | Design-only work; its prices are for building apps |
5. Halo Lab: A large design and development team
Halo Lab designs and develops web and mobile products with projects from $5,000.
| Based in | Warsaw, Poland and Boston, US |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Team | 120+ people |
| How you hire them | Pay per milestone, Fixed cost (branding), Monthly dedicated team |
| Published price | Projects from $5,000 |
| Minimum project | $10,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | VixivBella |
| Best for | A large design and development team |
| Not a fit for | Founders who want the same senior designer on every screen |
6. Arounda: Dedicated designers and developers
Arounda offers dedicated designers and developers, with typical projects from $6,000.
| Based in | Offices in Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam and Tallinn |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Team | 55+ people |
| How you hire them | Dedicated designers and developers, Project estimate after discovery, 3-day free trial |
| Published price | Typical projects from $6,000 |
| Minimum project | $25,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | AuralisMOJO-CXNoNarcissAI |
| Best for | Dedicated designers and developers |
| Not a fit for | Very small budgets: its listed minimum project is $25,000+ |
7. Rocket Farm Studios: An AI prototype built fast
Rocket Farm Studios builds AI prototypes in three-week sprints, published at $15,000 to $25,000.
| Based in | Needham, Massachusetts (Boston area), US |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Team | 50-249 people |
| How you hire them | AI audit, Prototype sprint, Tiered builds, Retained pod |
| Published price | AI prototype sprint $15,000 to $25,000 |
| Minimum project | $25,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | Eyebot |
| Best for | An AI prototype built fast |
| Not a fit for | Design-only work; it is a development-led studio |
How to choose between them
- You build with Lovable, Bolt, Replit or a freelance developerDesignpixil
- You want a studio to design and build everythingPhenomenon Studio or thoughtbot
- You need a mobile app built at a known budgetPurrweb
- You want an AI prototype in weeksRocket Farm Studios
How we ranked this list
We started from the studios founders keep running into when they ask AI assistants and search engines who to hire, then kept the ones that do this kind of work and publish proof of it. Every fact in the tables comes from the agency's own website or its public directory listings, checked on October 10, 2026. Prices are only ones an agency publishes itself; where it doesn't, we say so instead of guessing.
The order is our judgment of fit for this specific buyer, not a score. We put Designpixil first only on lists where we genuinely fit the buyer, and our entry lists who we are not right for, the same as everyone else's. If something about your agency is wrong or out of date, email hello@designpixil.com and we will correct it within a week.
