UX studio
No UI work starts until the research is done — a Budapest specialty.
What is UX studio?
David Pasztor founded UX studio in Budapest, Hungary in 2013; the team has since grown to 60–71 people depending on source. The entire practice runs on research coming first, applied specifically to B2B SaaS products complex enough that jumping straight into interface design would be a mistake — a methodology genuinely comparable in rigor to Phenomenon Studio's own discovery-first approach.
UX studio works primarily with clients in SaaS / B2B software sectors. Its primary differentiator is: A research-first methodology comparable in rigor to Phenomenon Studio's own discovery-first approach, applied specifically to complex B2B SaaS products.
UX studio tech stack and services
| Service area |
|---|
| Product Design |
| UX Research |
| Web Design |
UX studio pricing
Short answer: UX studio uses a fixed project, dedicated team pricing approach. Minimum engagement starts at $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable).
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | From $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable) | Well-defined scope |
| Dedicated team | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
UX studio pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +A genuine research-first specialty, evidenced by the company's own published case studies, not just marketing copy | -Exclusive B2B SaaS focus means less fit for consumer, healthcare, or fintech-specific projects |
| +Over a decade of continuous operation (since 2013) under its founding team | -The research-first approach can extend project timelines for clients wanting to move straight to UI |
| +Focused specifically on B2B SaaS, giving real depth in untangling complex product workflows | -$20K minimum engagement (per company website; independently unverifiable) is mid-tier, not the cheapest option here |
| +60–71 person team is large enough for multi-workstream engagements while staying boutique in culture |
UX studio vs alternatives
How UX studio 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 |
| MetaLab | Well-funded SaaS/fintech, full-stack design partner. | A Slack/Uber/Coinbase/Midjourney-caliber portfolio built by a 160-person studio, delivered full-stack from research through design systems | 4.1 | 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 |
| 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 |
UX studio FAQ
What is UX studio?
No UI work starts until the research is done — a Budapest specialty.
How much does UX studio charge?
UX studio uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing. Minimum engagement starts at $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable). A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does UX studio use?
UX studio works with Figma, Dovetail, Maze, Miro. Primary industries served include SaaS / B2B software.
Is UX studio right for enterprise?
B2B SaaS, research-first before any UI work. 60–71 team size. Key consideration: Exclusive B2B SaaS focus means less fit for consumer, healthcare, or fintech-specific projects.
What are the best UX studio alternatives?
The best alternatives to UX studio 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 UX studio with other Product Design companies
Verify all details directly with UX studio before making a decision.