New York has some of the best product design agencies in the world, from large firms behind flagship platforms to small senior studios that move fast. Here are eight local agencies and two remote options, so you can match the team to your budget and stage.
For each one you’ll see where it’s based, what it does best and the work it’s known for. Kraftbase is our studio, and because we’re in India we’ve listed ourselves with the remote options instead of ranking ourselves against local agencies.
Key takeaways
For large programs, New York’s heavyweights are Work & Co, Code and Theory, Huge and Fantasy.
For startups and mid-size products, look at Perpetual, Big Human, Barrel (for Shopify commerce) and Clay’s New York office.
Where rates are published, NYC studios start around $100 an hour. Remote studios such as Ramotion and Kraftbase are worth a look if budget or speed matters more than being in the same room.
Quick comparison
Agency | Where | Founded | Best for | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Work & Co | New York | 2013 | Large consumer and enterprise products | Part of Accenture Song; about 400 people |
Code and Theory | New York | 2001 | Big platforms and content ecosystems | Part of Stagwell; network of about 2,000 |
Fantasy | New York | 1999 | Product, AI interfaces and brand | Microsoft, Salesforce, Ford |
Huge | New York (started in Brooklyn) | 1999 | Digital transformation at scale | IKEA, JetBlue, Target |
Perpetual | New York | 2012 | Product design plus engineering | Rated 4.9 |
Barrel | New York | 2006 | Shopify and DTC commerce | Shopify Premier Partner; KIND, L’Oréal Paris |
Big Human | New York | 2010 | Startups needing brand, product and web | Bandsintown; rated 4.9 |
Clay | San Francisco, with a New York office | Not stated | Brand and product for tech and fintech | Coinbase, Stripe, Google |
Ramotion (remote) | San Francisco, remote-first | 15+ years in business | Startup brand and product | Netflix, Stripe, Mozilla |
Kraftbase (remote) | Vadodara, India | Not stated | Startups that want design and build in one sprint | Fintech, SaaS and AI products |
How we chose these agencies
The first eight are based in New York or have a real New York office, and all have public product work you can review. We then added two remote studios that many New York teams already work with. Kraftbase is our own studio. Because we’re based in India, we haven’t ranked ourselves among the local agencies. You’ll find us in the remote section with an honest note on when remote works and when it doesn’t.
The best UX design agencies in New York
1. Work & Co
Work & Co was founded in New York in 2013 and became one of the best-known digital product agencies in the city. In January 2024 Accenture announced it would acquire the firm into Accenture Song. It has about 400 people across the US, Europe and Latin America, working on large consumer, media, travel and financial products.
Best for: large companies with a flagship app or platform and a budget to match. work.co
2. Code and Theory
Code and Theory started in a Lower East Side apartment in 2001 and now sits in One World Trade Center as part of Stagwell. Its wider network is about 2,000 people, with offices in New York, Bengaluru and Manila. It is strongest on big, content-heavy digital platforms that combine design, engineering and data.
Best for: enterprises and media companies rebuilding large platforms. codeandtheory.com
3. Fantasy
Fantasy is an independent product and experience design studio headquartered in New York, founded in 1999. It focuses on products and platforms, next-generation AI interfaces, and brand identity, and names Microsoft, Salesforce, Ford and Royal Caribbean among its clients.
Best for: ambitious product and AI interface work for large brands. fantasy.co
4. Huge
Huge was founded in Dumbo, Brooklyn, in 1999. Its first client was IKEA, and it has since worked with JetBlue, Target, Samsung and NBCUniversal, and redesigned New York City’s own website. It has about 1,000 people and was acquired by AEA Investors in December 2024.
Best for: enterprise digital transformation that spans product, marketing and service design. hugeinc.com
5. Perpetual
Perpetual was founded in New York in 2012 and combines UX design with software development, including AI and mobile work. It has one of the strongest review records in the city, with a 4.9 rating from 98 client reviews, and charges $100 to $149 an hour. Clients range from startups to Fortune 500 companies in financial services, media and healthcare.
Best for: mid-size products that need design and engineering from one local team. perpetualny.com
6. Barrel
Barrel has been building e-commerce in New York since 2006 and has been a Shopify partner since 2009, now at Premier Partner level. It works with consumer brands such as KIND Snacks, L’Oréal Paris, McCormick and Dr. Jart+, and offers fixed-fee Shopify builds and ongoing web teams.
Best for: DTC and consumer packaged goods brands on Shopify. barrelny.com
7. Big Human
Big Human is a New York product agency founded in 2010, based near Union Square. It is a smaller team of 10 to 49 people covering branding, product design, mobile apps and web development. Its work includes a redesign of the Bandsintown fan platform, and clients rate it 4.9.
Best for: startups that want brand and product handled by one senior, local team. bighuman.com
8. Clay
Clay is headquartered in San Francisco but has a New York office, alongside Austin, Denver, Lisbon and Belgrade. It is a branding and UX agency with deep B2B, SaaS, AI and fintech experience, and its clients include Coinbase, Stripe, Google and Meta.
Best for: tech and fintech companies that want brand, website and product from one agency. clay.global
Remote options for New York teams
Not every New York company needs its agency in New York. If you’re comfortable with video reviews and a few hours of daily overlap, a remote studio can cost less and still ship quickly. These two work with New York teams regularly.
9. Ramotion
Ramotion is a remote-first branding and product studio with a base in San Francisco and more than 15 years in business. It has worked with Netflix, Stripe, Mozilla and Salesforce, and is especially good at giving early-stage companies a brand and product interface that feel like one system. Its average rate is around $150 an hour.
Best for: startups that want a premium brand and product identity without a New York office. ramotion.com
10. Kraftbase
Kraftbase is a 17-person design and development team in Vadodara, India, working with product teams in 35+ countries. We design and build in the same sprint, price by the hour with an estimate before work starts, and usually ship the first production output within 7 to 10 days.
Our studio hours, 11 am to 9 pm IST, overlap with New York mornings, so you can review work at the start of your day. Recent work includes Omni, a project management dashboard, and Cortana, a fintech CRM.
Best for: seed to Series B teams that want speed and design plus development at a lower cost than local agencies.
How much does a UX agency in New York cost?
Most large New York agencies don’t publish rates. Among those that do, Perpetual charges $100 to $149 an hour and Ramotion averages around $150. Remote studios in India and Eastern Europe typically charge $25 to $49 an hour. See our guide to the top UX agencies in India for examples.
Local or remote: which is right for you?
Choose a New York agency if you need in-person workshops, work closely with stakeholders on site, or are running a large program where the agency becomes part of your team.
Choose a remote studio if budget matters, you’re comfortable working over video, and you value speed. Agree on daily overlap hours and a weekly review rhythm from day one.
What to look for when comparing agencies
Relevant case studies. Look for products like yours, not just famous logos.
Outcomes. Ask what changed after launch: conversion, retention, task time or support load.
The actual team. Meet the designers who will work on your product, not only the pitch team.
Research included. Check that user research and testing are part of the scope, not an add-on.
Engagement model. Fixed price suits a clear scope. A retainer or hourly model suits a product that will keep evolving.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a UX agency in NYC?
Published rates for New York studios start around $100 an hour, and large agencies usually quote by project rather than by the hour. Remote studios often charge a third to half of that.
Which NYC agency is best for startups?
Big Human and Perpetual are good local options for startups. If budget is tight, remote studios such as Ramotion or Kraftbase are worth comparing.
Can a remote agency work well with a New York team?
Yes, if you agree on overlap hours and a clear review rhythm. Most of the work happens in shared Figma files and short video calls, which work the same from any city.
Do UX agencies also build the product?
Many do. Perpetual, Barrel, Big Human and Kraftbase all offer development. The largest agencies usually handle both design and engineering for big programs.
Choose a partner that fits your product
The best agency isn’t the biggest or the closest. It’s the one that understands your users and has solved similar problems before. Shortlist two or three from this list, ask for relevant case studies, and compare how each would approach your product.
Building in Web3? See our list of the best crypto design agencies. New to hiring a design partner? Read our guide on how to choose a UX design agency.
If you’d like to see whether a remote partner could work for you, browse our case studies or tell us what you’re building.
New York has some of the best product design agencies in the world, from large firms behind flagship platforms to small senior studios that move fast. Here are eight local agencies and two remote options, so you can match the team to your budget and stage.
For each one you’ll see where it’s based, what it does best and the work it’s known for. Kraftbase is our studio, and because we’re in India we’ve listed ourselves with the remote options instead of ranking ourselves against local agencies.
Key takeaways
For large programs, New York’s heavyweights are Work & Co, Code and Theory, Huge and Fantasy.
For startups and mid-size products, look at Perpetual, Big Human, Barrel (for Shopify commerce) and Clay’s New York office.
Where rates are published, NYC studios start around $100 an hour. Remote studios such as Ramotion and Kraftbase are worth a look if budget or speed matters more than being in the same room.
Quick comparison
Agency | Where | Founded | Best for | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Work & Co | New York | 2013 | Large consumer and enterprise products | Part of Accenture Song; about 400 people |
Code and Theory | New York | 2001 | Big platforms and content ecosystems | Part of Stagwell; network of about 2,000 |
Fantasy | New York | 1999 | Product, AI interfaces and brand | Microsoft, Salesforce, Ford |
Huge | New York (started in Brooklyn) | 1999 | Digital transformation at scale | IKEA, JetBlue, Target |
Perpetual | New York | 2012 | Product design plus engineering | Rated 4.9 |
Barrel | New York | 2006 | Shopify and DTC commerce | Shopify Premier Partner; KIND, L’Oréal Paris |
Big Human | New York | 2010 | Startups needing brand, product and web | Bandsintown; rated 4.9 |
Clay | San Francisco, with a New York office | Not stated | Brand and product for tech and fintech | Coinbase, Stripe, Google |
Ramotion (remote) | San Francisco, remote-first | 15+ years in business | Startup brand and product | Netflix, Stripe, Mozilla |
Kraftbase (remote) | Vadodara, India | Not stated | Startups that want design and build in one sprint | Fintech, SaaS and AI products |
How we chose these agencies
The first eight are based in New York or have a real New York office, and all have public product work you can review. We then added two remote studios that many New York teams already work with. Kraftbase is our own studio. Because we’re based in India, we haven’t ranked ourselves among the local agencies. You’ll find us in the remote section with an honest note on when remote works and when it doesn’t.
The best UX design agencies in New York
1. Work & Co
Work & Co was founded in New York in 2013 and became one of the best-known digital product agencies in the city. In January 2024 Accenture announced it would acquire the firm into Accenture Song. It has about 400 people across the US, Europe and Latin America, working on large consumer, media, travel and financial products.
Best for: large companies with a flagship app or platform and a budget to match. work.co
2. Code and Theory
Code and Theory started in a Lower East Side apartment in 2001 and now sits in One World Trade Center as part of Stagwell. Its wider network is about 2,000 people, with offices in New York, Bengaluru and Manila. It is strongest on big, content-heavy digital platforms that combine design, engineering and data.
Best for: enterprises and media companies rebuilding large platforms. codeandtheory.com
3. Fantasy
Fantasy is an independent product and experience design studio headquartered in New York, founded in 1999. It focuses on products and platforms, next-generation AI interfaces, and brand identity, and names Microsoft, Salesforce, Ford and Royal Caribbean among its clients.
Best for: ambitious product and AI interface work for large brands. fantasy.co
4. Huge
Huge was founded in Dumbo, Brooklyn, in 1999. Its first client was IKEA, and it has since worked with JetBlue, Target, Samsung and NBCUniversal, and redesigned New York City’s own website. It has about 1,000 people and was acquired by AEA Investors in December 2024.
Best for: enterprise digital transformation that spans product, marketing and service design. hugeinc.com
5. Perpetual
Perpetual was founded in New York in 2012 and combines UX design with software development, including AI and mobile work. It has one of the strongest review records in the city, with a 4.9 rating from 98 client reviews, and charges $100 to $149 an hour. Clients range from startups to Fortune 500 companies in financial services, media and healthcare.
Best for: mid-size products that need design and engineering from one local team. perpetualny.com
6. Barrel
Barrel has been building e-commerce in New York since 2006 and has been a Shopify partner since 2009, now at Premier Partner level. It works with consumer brands such as KIND Snacks, L’Oréal Paris, McCormick and Dr. Jart+, and offers fixed-fee Shopify builds and ongoing web teams.
Best for: DTC and consumer packaged goods brands on Shopify. barrelny.com
7. Big Human
Big Human is a New York product agency founded in 2010, based near Union Square. It is a smaller team of 10 to 49 people covering branding, product design, mobile apps and web development. Its work includes a redesign of the Bandsintown fan platform, and clients rate it 4.9.
Best for: startups that want brand and product handled by one senior, local team. bighuman.com
8. Clay
Clay is headquartered in San Francisco but has a New York office, alongside Austin, Denver, Lisbon and Belgrade. It is a branding and UX agency with deep B2B, SaaS, AI and fintech experience, and its clients include Coinbase, Stripe, Google and Meta.
Best for: tech and fintech companies that want brand, website and product from one agency. clay.global
Remote options for New York teams
Not every New York company needs its agency in New York. If you’re comfortable with video reviews and a few hours of daily overlap, a remote studio can cost less and still ship quickly. These two work with New York teams regularly.
9. Ramotion
Ramotion is a remote-first branding and product studio with a base in San Francisco and more than 15 years in business. It has worked with Netflix, Stripe, Mozilla and Salesforce, and is especially good at giving early-stage companies a brand and product interface that feel like one system. Its average rate is around $150 an hour.
Best for: startups that want a premium brand and product identity without a New York office. ramotion.com
10. Kraftbase
Kraftbase is a 17-person design and development team in Vadodara, India, working with product teams in 35+ countries. We design and build in the same sprint, price by the hour with an estimate before work starts, and usually ship the first production output within 7 to 10 days.
Our studio hours, 11 am to 9 pm IST, overlap with New York mornings, so you can review work at the start of your day. Recent work includes Omni, a project management dashboard, and Cortana, a fintech CRM.
Best for: seed to Series B teams that want speed and design plus development at a lower cost than local agencies.
How much does a UX agency in New York cost?
Most large New York agencies don’t publish rates. Among those that do, Perpetual charges $100 to $149 an hour and Ramotion averages around $150. Remote studios in India and Eastern Europe typically charge $25 to $49 an hour. See our guide to the top UX agencies in India for examples.
Local or remote: which is right for you?
Choose a New York agency if you need in-person workshops, work closely with stakeholders on site, or are running a large program where the agency becomes part of your team.
Choose a remote studio if budget matters, you’re comfortable working over video, and you value speed. Agree on daily overlap hours and a weekly review rhythm from day one.
What to look for when comparing agencies
Relevant case studies. Look for products like yours, not just famous logos.
Outcomes. Ask what changed after launch: conversion, retention, task time or support load.
The actual team. Meet the designers who will work on your product, not only the pitch team.
Research included. Check that user research and testing are part of the scope, not an add-on.
Engagement model. Fixed price suits a clear scope. A retainer or hourly model suits a product that will keep evolving.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a UX agency in NYC?
Published rates for New York studios start around $100 an hour, and large agencies usually quote by project rather than by the hour. Remote studios often charge a third to half of that.
Which NYC agency is best for startups?
Big Human and Perpetual are good local options for startups. If budget is tight, remote studios such as Ramotion or Kraftbase are worth comparing.
Can a remote agency work well with a New York team?
Yes, if you agree on overlap hours and a clear review rhythm. Most of the work happens in shared Figma files and short video calls, which work the same from any city.
Do UX agencies also build the product?
Many do. Perpetual, Barrel, Big Human and Kraftbase all offer development. The largest agencies usually handle both design and engineering for big programs.
Choose a partner that fits your product
The best agency isn’t the biggest or the closest. It’s the one that understands your users and has solved similar problems before. Shortlist two or three from this list, ask for relevant case studies, and compare how each would approach your product.
Building in Web3? See our list of the best crypto design agencies. New to hiring a design partner? Read our guide on how to choose a UX design agency.
If you’d like to see whether a remote partner could work for you, browse our case studies or tell us what you’re building.