By Shaheer Malik · Designjoy details checked on designjoy.co on 27 October 2026
Quick answer: Designjoy is a design subscription: $4,995 a month on its site today, shown as a limited-time price against $5,995. If you want the same subscription model with the build included, my monthly partnership is $2,500 a month. If your project has a finish line, a fixed sprint is usually cheaper still: a custom website is $1,999 once, in 14 days.
Designjoy and me, side by side
Designjoy and I have more in common than most comparisons admit. Both are one person: Designjoy's own FAQ says it is run by Brett, with no other designers and nothing outsourced. Designjoy and I both take requests one at a time on a monthly plan, and both let you pause. The differences are price, what gets built, and whether you can pay for a project instead of a month.
| Compare | Designjoy | Shaheer Malik |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Monthly subscription only | A fixed price per project, or a monthly partnership |
| Monthly price | $4,995 a month (shown as a limited-time price against $5,995) | $2,500 a month |
| Pay once instead | Not offered | Landing page $700, website $1,999, web app from $1,999, mobile app $2,500 |
| Who does the work | Brett, the founder, alone | Me, alone: design and code |
| Requests | Unlimited queue, one at a time | Monthly: unlimited queue, one at a time. Sprint: the whole scope, agreed up front |
| Typical turnaround | About two business days per request, on average | Monthly: 2 to 3 days on average. Sprint: a written day-by-day schedule |
| What gets built | Design, plus Webflow development | Design, plus custom-coded websites, web apps, and iOS and Android apps |
| Pause or cancel | Pause or cancel anytime | Monthly: pause or cancel monthly. Sprint: nothing to cancel |
| If it is not working | 75% back if you stop after the first week; no refunds after that | The fixed price is agreed in writing before any work starts |
Designjoy details are from designjoy.co as of 27 October 2026. Prices change, so check their site before you decide. Designjoy is a trademark of its owner, and this page is not affiliated with it.
The month vs the finish line
A subscription prices time. You pay for a month, and the month is yours to fill. That is a good deal when your design work is a queue that never really ends: ad creative this week, a deck next week, a landing page after that.
A fixed price prices an outcome. You pay once for a defined result on a written schedule. That is the better deal when the work has a finish line. A custom website is the clearest case. On the custom website sprint, it is $1,999 once, designed, built and live in 14 days. One month of Designjoy on its current pricing is $4,995. Its pause feature keeps unused days for a later request, which helps if you have more work coming, but the month is what you buy.
The fixed sprints, each with its price on its own page:
- Landing page in 5 days: $700
- Custom website in 14 days: $1,999
- Product design in 14 days (design only, no code): $1,999
- Web app in 21 days: from $1,999
- iOS and Android app in 30 days: $2,500
Each one has its schedule and its limits written down before you book. If a build takes me longer than I estimated, that is mine to absorb. Why I work this way is on no hourly rates.
If you want the subscription model, for less
Some teams genuinely have a queue. For them, my monthly partnership is the like-for-like option: $2,500 a month, about half of Designjoy's current monthly price. As published on pricing, it covers unlimited requests handled one at a time, a 2 to 3 day average turnaround, design plus build plus deploy, and the option to pause or cancel monthly.
The practical difference is the "build plus deploy" part. A request does not stop at a Figma frame. It can be a page that goes live or a change deployed to production, done by the same person who designed it.
When Designjoy is the better buy
A fair comparison says where the other option wins. Designjoy lists request types such as logos, social media, email, display ads, ad creative, presentations, packaging and print design. If most of your queue looks like that, it fits Designjoy's list better than mine. My work is websites, web apps, mobile apps and product UI, designed and built.
Designjoy has also run this model since 2017, according to its site, and it builds in Webflow, so if you specifically want a Webflow site from a subscription, it is built for that. I build in Webflow too, as Webflow development, but my default is custom code.
When a fixed sprint or my partnership is the better buy
- The work has a finish line. A website, a landing page, an app or a product redesign is a project, and a project is cheaper to buy as a project.
- You need the thing built, not only designed. Custom-coded sites, web apps and iOS and Android apps are part of the work, deployed on your domain or submitted to the stores.
- You want the number before you commit. Every sprint price is published, and the quote is fixed in writing before day one.
- You do have a queue, and the budget matters. The monthly partnership is $2,500 a month, design and build included.
If you are weighing one person against a larger firm more generally, freelancer vs agency covers that. If you are hiring for a specific role, see hire a web developer or hire a product designer.
Ownership and handover
Designjoy's site says every design is made for you and is 100% yours, and that a finished Webflow site is transferred to your account. With me, the source code and the design files are yours at handover. On website builds, the domain, DNS and hosting stay in your name, so nothing you rely on later depends on access you do not hold.
How to choose
Write down the next three things you need designed. If they are one project, book the sprint that matches it. If they are a list that will keep growing, compare the two monthly prices. If you are not sure, book a 30-minute call or send a brief on the contact page. Within 24 hours you get a scope, a timeline and a fixed quote, or a straight answer that the monthly partnership fits better. The work itself is in the case studies.
Designjoy alternative questions
How much does Designjoy cost?
On 27 October 2026, Designjoy's site listed one plan at $4,995 a month, labeled as a limited-time lifetime discount from $5,995. Prices change, so check designjoy.co before you decide. My monthly partnership is $2,500 a month, and my fixed sprints run from $700 to $2,500, paid once.
Is a design subscription or a fixed price better?
A subscription fits a steady queue of small requests that never really ends. A fixed price fits a project with a finish line, like a website, an app or a product redesign. If the work has an end date, paying by the month means paying for the calendar rather than the result.
Do you also work one request at a time?
On the monthly partnership, yes. Requests are unlimited and handled one at a time, with a 2 to 3 day average turnaround, and you can pause or cancel monthly. On a fixed sprint, there is no queue: the whole scope is agreed up front and delivered on a written schedule.
Does Designjoy build websites?
Yes. Designjoy's site says Webflow development is included with every subscription and the finished site is transferred to your account. My builds are custom-coded by default, and I also build iOS and Android apps and web apps, which go beyond a marketing site.
Who owns the work?
With Designjoy, its site says every design is yours and a Webflow site moves to your account. With me, the source code and the design files are yours at handover, and on website builds the domain, DNS and hosting stay in your name.
How do I start?
Book a 30-minute call or send a brief. Within 24 hours you get a scope, a timeline and a fixed quote, or a recommendation for the monthly partnership if your work is a queue rather than a project.
Pay for the project, or for the month
Book a 30-minute call or send a brief. You get a scope, a timeline and a fixed quote within 24 hours.