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For a startup's mobile app, Designpixil designs iOS and Android apps for teams that have developers, with work including OvaWise's 100+ screen app. If you need it built as well, Goji Labs and thoughtbot design and build native and React Native apps, Purrweb publishes build ranges, and Phenomenon Studio, Musemind, Wve Labs and Fueled cover different budgets and scales.
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 | Mobile app design for startups that have developers | $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. Goji Labs | Native iOS and Android designed and built | Not published | $50,000+ | Budgets under its $50,000 minimum project |
| 3. thoughtbot | React Native apps designed and built | Not published | $10,000+ | Design-only engagements; it sells design and engineering together |
| 4. Purrweb | A mobile app at a published build range | Simple mobile app $30,000 to $45,000 | $5,000+ | Design-only work; its prices are for building apps |
| 5. Phenomenon Studio | Mobile design from $8,000, with build available | 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 |
| 6. Musemind | Mobile design on monthly hours | From $2,600/mo (40 hours) | $10,000+ | Founders who want one senior person accountable for every screen |
| 7. Wve Labs | Mobile design and engineering in Los Angeles | Not published | Not published | SaaS dashboards; its featured work is consumer and brand mobile apps |
| 8. Fueled | Flagship consumer apps for large brands | Not published | $75,000+ | Startup budgets: its listed minimum project is $75,000+ |
What matters for mobile app design
- 01
Native patterns
Mobile users expect platform conventions. Check the portfolio for apps that feel native on iOS and Android.
- 02
Design only or build too
If you have mobile developers, a design studio is enough. If not, choose a studio that builds.
- 03
Real states on small screens
Loading, offline, permissions and errors matter more on mobile. Ask to see them.
What goes wrong with startup mobile apps
Startups often design the mobile app as a shrunken web app. Navigation, density and gestures all feel wrong, and ratings suffer.
Design mobile-first flows for the few jobs people do on a phone, not the whole web product. See mobile app design for startups.
1. Designpixil: Mobile app design for startups that have developers
We design iOS and Android apps for startups that have developers: OvaWise's app was designed from scratch with 100+ screens shipped, and we have designed mobile products for Stegofy, Vocalini and Transdyne.
Projects start at $3,000; ongoing work is $4,917 a month. We do not build apps, so if you need engineering too, the studios below fit better.
“Anant quickly understood our product vision and translated complex ideas into a clean, intuitive, and thoughtful user experience. He has a rare ability to take abstract concepts and turn them into designs that feel both elegant and highly functional.”
| 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 | Mobile app design for startups that have developers |
| Not a fit for | Enterprise programs that need a large team, or anyone who needs engineers as well as design |
2. Goji Labs: Native iOS and Android designed and built
Goji Labs designs and builds native mobile apps, with work for KCRW and Root Insurance and a $50,000 minimum project.
| Based in | Los Angeles and New York, US |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Team | 70+ people |
| How you hire them | Strategy sprint, Digital product audit, Dedicated development team |
| Published price | Not published, quoted after a call |
| Minimum project | $50,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | Kabata |
| Best for | Native iOS and Android designed and built |
| Not a fit for | Budgets under its $50,000 minimum project |
3. thoughtbot: React Native apps designed and built
thoughtbot designs and builds mobile apps, recommending React Native, with work for Harvard Business Review.
| 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 | React Native apps designed and built |
| Not a fit for | Design-only engagements; it sells design and engineering together |
4. Purrweb: A mobile app at a published build range
Purrweb publishes mobile app ranges from $30,000 to $45,000 for a simple app, built in React Native or Flutter.
| 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 at a published build range |
| Not a fit for | Design-only work; its prices are for building apps |
5. Phenomenon Studio: Mobile design from $8,000, with build available
Phenomenon Studio publishes mobile app design from $8,000 over four weeks, and builds as well.
| 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 | Mobile design from $8,000, with build available |
| Not a fit for | Pre-seed build budgets: its published MVP development starts at $20,000 |
6. Musemind: Mobile design on monthly hours
Musemind designs mobile apps including Trainmate, on plans from $2,600 a month.
| Based in | Dubai, UAE, with offices in New York, London and Berlin |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Team | 80+ people |
| How you hire them | Monthly design subscription (hours-based), Project proposal after a call |
| Published price | From $2,600/mo (40 hours) |
| Minimum project | $10,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | TrainmateDaxtra |
| Best for | Mobile design on monthly hours |
| Not a fit for | Founders who want one senior person accountable for every screen |
7. Wve Labs: Mobile design and engineering in Los Angeles
Wve Labs specialises in mobile app design and engineering, with work for Maui Jim and Honda.
| Based in | Los Angeles, US |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Team | Not published |
| How you hire them | Design and engineering projects |
| Published price | Not published, quoted after a call |
| Minimum project | Not published |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | Ovvy |
| Best for | Mobile design and engineering in Los Angeles |
| Not a fit for | SaaS dashboards; its featured work is consumer and brand mobile apps |
8. Fueled: Flagship consumer apps for large brands
Fueled builds mobile apps for brands such as CLEAR and Six Flags, with a $75,000 minimum project.
| Based in | Not stated on its site |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Team | 300+ people |
| How you hire them | Project engagements (not published) |
| Published price | Not published, quoted after a call |
| Minimum project | $75,000+ |
| Design or build | Designs and develops in-house |
| AI work they publish | Microsoft Research Mosaic |
| Best for | Flagship consumer apps for large brands |
| Not a fit for | Startup budgets: its listed minimum project is $75,000+ |
How to choose between them
- You have developers and need the app designedDesignpixil
- You need native iOS and Android builtGoji Labs
- You want a published build budgetPurrweb
- You are a large brandFueled
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.
