MetaLab
Slack, Uber, Coinbase — a 160-person studio's client list looks like a unicorn index.
What is MetaLab?
Andrew Wilkinson founded MetaLab in 2006; since January 2017 it has operated as a subsidiary of his holding company Tiny, worth disclosing since the studio is no longer independently owned. From Victoria, British Columbia, a remote-first team of 160+ people across 17 countries built products for Slack, Uber, Coinbase, Robinhood, Nike, Midjourney, and Headspace. Engagements run full-stack — research, strategy, UX, UI, and design systems — inside one team rather than split across vendors.
MetaLab works primarily with clients in SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech, Consumer products sectors. Its primary differentiator is: A Slack/Uber/Coinbase/Midjourney-caliber portfolio built by a 160-person studio, delivered full-stack from research through design systems.
MetaLab tech stack and services
| Service area |
|---|
| Product Design |
| Web Design |
| Mobile App Design |
| Design Systems |
| Branding |
MetaLab pricing
Short answer: MetaLab uses a fixed project, dedicated team pricing approach. Minimum engagement starts at $150K+ (per industry roundups; independently unverifiable).
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | From $150K+ (per industry roundups; independently unverifiable) | Well-defined scope |
| Dedicated team | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
MetaLab pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Portfolio includes Slack, Uber, Coinbase, Robinhood, and Midjourney — exceptional for a 160-person company | -Became a Tiny subsidiary in 2017 — worth disclosing even though the founding team and brand remain |
| +Remote-first across 17 countries enables round-the-clock delivery coverage | -Reported $150K+ typical minimum (per industry roundups; independently unverifiable) is out of reach for early-stage startups |
| +Full-stack engagement model spans research, strategy, UX, UI, and design systems in one team | -High-profile client roster can mean longer lead times for new engagements |
| +Nearly two decades under the same founding brand |
MetaLab vs alternatives
How MetaLab compares to the other top Product Design companies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenomenon Studio | SaaS, fintech, healthcare, EdTech — industry-matched credentials. | Deliberately built around four verticals — SaaS, fintech, healthcare, EdTech — rather than positioned as a generalist product design company, with credentials (HIPAA, NN/g) matched to that focus | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| IDEO | Enterprises, multi-year transformation, substantial budgets. | The firm whose 1991 formation is most credited with establishing human-centered design as a formal discipline, still running roughly 24 studios worldwide | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Frog | Enterprises needing digital plus physical hardware design. | Still designs physical hardware (IoT, automotive, medical devices) alongside software, inside Capgemini Invent's enterprise consulting scale | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| R/GA | Large brands, product design bundled with brand strategy. | Fuses product design with marketing and brand strategy for large platforms, now independently owned for the first time in over two decades | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Accenture Song | Regulated enterprises, design within tech transformation. | 36 studios and 2,000+ specialists operating inside Accenture — the largest global footprint and compliance coverage in this list | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Work & Co | Premium brands, design plus production-grade engineering. | A client roster (Apple, IKEA, Nike, Disney) that outpaced its ~425-person headcount, delivered through an engineering-heavy design-and-build model | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Huge Inc | Large brands, big agency mid-ownership-transition. | One of the largest, longest-running digital companies in this list, now merged with Hero Digital under AEA Investors | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| Clearleft | UK/EU orgs, independently owned UX consultancy. | One of the first dedicated UX agencies in Europe (2005), still independently owned two decades later, with 100+ clients across five continents | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Nomensa | Government, banking, healthcare — accessibility built in. | Built around accessibility and psychology-informed UX from its 2001 founding, now one of Europe's largest specialist UX agencies at 100+ people | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Fresh Consulting | Hardware/robotics product design alongside software UX. | Combines industrial design and hardware engineering (robotics, medical equipment) with software UX at 150+ person scale | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Cyber-Duck | Public-sector UK orgs, proven public-trust client list. | A UX and development practice built on public-sector and regulated-industry trust (Bank of England, Cancer Research UK, GOV.UK), now backed by CACI | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Fireart Studio | Startups/mid-market, design plus full development. | 700+ delivered projects for 200+ clients backed by an independently-verified 'Leading UX Design Team' Clutch recognition | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Qubstudio | Fintech, logistics, healthcare — MVP to enterprise redesign. | Currently Clutch's #1-ranked UX/UI company worldwide for 2026, with Red Dot Design Award recognition layered on top | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Excited | SaaS/fintech teams, Clutch-ranked, accessible rates. | A sustained Top 5 global UX company ranking on Clutch, with about 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Gapsy Studio | Fintech, SaaS, healthcare — perfect-rated boutique. | A perfect 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews, backed by 13+ international awards, from a company that doesn't publish its own headcount | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Goji Labs | Startups, entrepreneurs, nonprofits — strategy-led, accessible. | A 2025 Inc. 5000 honoree that explicitly serves nonprofits and individual entrepreneurs, not only funded startups | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| UXDA | Banks and fintech, exclusively financial-services UX. | The only company in this list exclusively focused on financial services UX, with 150+ banking and fintech platforms shaped across 39 countries | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Onething Design | Multi-vertical companies — BFSI to automotive, one team. | Covers five distinct industries — BFSI, consumer, enterprise, healthcare, automotive — from one team with both US and India delivery presence | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| UX studio | B2B SaaS, research-first before any UI work. | A research-first methodology comparable in rigor to Phenomenon Studio's own discovery-first approach, applied specifically to complex B2B SaaS products | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Halo Lab | E-commerce/web-app teams, Dribbble-top-ranked. | Currently the #1-ranked Dribbble Team globally, backed by 70+ design awards and a 4.9 Clutch rating | 4.4 | Full comparison |
MetaLab FAQ
What is MetaLab?
Slack, Uber, Coinbase — a 160-person studio's client list looks like a unicorn index.
How much does MetaLab charge?
MetaLab uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing. Minimum engagement starts at $150K+ (per industry roundups; independently unverifiable). A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does MetaLab use?
MetaLab works with Figma, Framer, Design systems/Storybook, React, Webflow. Primary industries served include SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech, Consumer products.
Is MetaLab right for enterprise?
Well-funded SaaS/fintech, full-stack design partner. 160+ team size. Key consideration: Became a Tiny subsidiary in 2017 — worth disclosing even though the founding team and brand remain.
What are the best MetaLab alternatives?
The best alternatives to MetaLab depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Phenomenon Studio: deliberately built around four verticals — saas, fintech, healthcare, edtech — rather than positioned as a generalist product design company, with credentials (hipaa, nn/g) matched to that focus
- IDEO: the firm whose 1991 formation is most credited with establishing human-centered design as a formal discipline, still running roughly 24 studios worldwide
- Frog: still designs physical hardware (iot, automotive, medical devices) alongside software, inside capgemini invent's enterprise consulting scale
Compare MetaLab with other Product Design companies
Verify all details directly with MetaLab before making a decision.