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Compare · Clay alternative

A Clay alternative: enterprise-grade design at a startup price

Clay is a San Francisco branding and UX agency whose client logos include Meta, Google, Stripe, Uber and Coca-Cola, with offices on two continents. It prices by proposal after discovery. If you want brand, website and product design from one senior person at a price you can read today, here is the honest comparison.

At a glance

  • Clay minimum project (Clutch)$50,000+
  • Clay hourly rate (Clutch)$150 to $199
  • My monthly partnership$2,500 / month
  • Clay facts checked3 November 2026

By Shaheer Malik · Clay's prices checked on its own site on 3 November 2026

Quick answer: Clay publishes no prices. Its FAQ describes a blended rate and three engagement models, time and materials, fixed fee or retainer, with a proposal after discovery calls. Its Clutch profile, read on 3 November 2026, lists a minimum project of $50,000+ and $150 to $199 an hour. My sprints are fixed and published: $700 for a landing page, $1,999 for a website, $2,500 a month for ongoing design and build. Clay fits enterprise brands that want an integrated agency with offices in six cities.

Clay at a glance

Clay is a global branding and UX design agency for enterprise brands such as Meta, Google and Stripe. Here is what its site and its Clutch profile said on 3 November 2026:

What it isA global branding and UX design agency, remote-first, headquartered in San Francisco
Published pricesNone. Its FAQ: blended rate; time and materials, fixed fee or retainer; proposal after discovery. Clutch: minimum $50,000+, $150 to $199 an hour
OfficesSan Francisco, New York, Austin, Denver, Lisbon, Belgrade
TeamClutch lists 10 to 49 staff; its FAQ cites 12 years of remote collaboration
ServicesBranding, digital products, websites, development, content (copy, illustration, 3D, video) and generative AI work; SEO only inside web projects
Named clientsMeta, Google, Stripe, Coinbase, Uber, Sony, Slack, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Toyota
ReviewsClutch 4.8 from 32 reviews
ContentGuide pillars on web design, brand strategy, UX and AI, plus a blog

Clay and me, side by side

ClayMe
Smallest project$50,000+ (Clutch minimum)$700 landing page; $1,999 website
Pricing basisBlended rate; T&M, fixed fee or retainer after discoveryFixed price in writing before work starts, never hourly
Brand identityCore service inside a $50,000+ engagementA fixed quote after a short brief, through the branding service
Who does the workStrategists, designers, developers and an in-house content studioMe: one senior designer who also builds, from first call to launch
TimelineDiscovery, then a proposal with a timelineLanding page 5 days; website 14 days; SaaS MVP 30 days
Best fitEnterprise brands that want an integrated agency on two continentsStartups and small teams that want senior work shipped at a fixed price

What a year costs

A brand refresh and a new website, using what each side publishes (3 November 2026):

ClayMe
Brand and website projectFrom $50,000 (Clutch minimum project size)Website $1,999 fixed, plus a fixed quote for the brand identity
Twelve months of ongoing designRetainer at a blended rate, on request$30,000 a year ($2,500 x 12), pause or cancel any month

Before tax. Clay's minimum and rate are what Clutch publishes for it; its own site gives no figures, so ask it for a proposal.

When Clay is the better choice

When I am the better choice

Subscription, project or sprint: which fits your work

Your work looks likeBest fitWhy
A steady queue of requests that never really endsA monthly planYou pay for capacity, and the queue keeps it busy
One defined piece of work: a site, an app, a redesignA fixed sprint or projectA monthly fee pays for the calendar, not the result
A large programme with research, copy and many stakeholdersAn agency projectMore people and process, with a budget to match
Not sure yet what to buildA short paid discovery firstAny price before the scope is clear is a guess

Questions to ask before you sign with anyone

Switching from Clay partway through

If you are already working with Clay and want to move, the handover is simpler than it sounds:

What I sell instead, at fixed prices

Every price is published and agreed in writing before work starts:

How a project runs, from the first message to launch, is on how it works. Whether a subscription or a fixed price suits you better is covered in design subscription vs fixed price.

Clay alternative questions

How much does Clay cost?

It does not publish prices. Its FAQ describes a blended rate and three engagement models, with a proposal after discovery. Its Clutch profile, read on 3 November 2026, lists a minimum project size of $50,000+ and $150 to $199 an hour.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Clay?

My sprints are fixed price: a landing page is $700 in 5 days, a website is $1,999 in 14 days, a SaaS MVP is from $2,500 in 30 days, and ongoing design and build is $2,500 a month.

Is Clay the same as Clay the sales data tool?

No. This page is about Clay the design agency at clay.global. The sales data company is a different business at a different domain.

Does Clay do Framer websites?

Its services page lists websites and development without naming a platform, and it appears on some Framer agency lists. I build in Framer and in custom code, and hold Framer Expert and Spline Expert credentials.

Other alternatives compared

Get a fixed quote instead

Send a couple of lines about what you are building, or book a 30-minute call. You get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours.