For a variety of reasons, many software-providing companies are not using their public-facing website effectively. For example, the public-facing website should serve as a dynamic sales conversion engine built directly into the company’s product logic.
As buyers begin using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and access products through search engines, and countries in Europe begin enforcing strict legalities for companies to comply with (e.g., European accessibility laws), a visually appealing design no longer will produce as much revenue as before.
The following analysis provides insight on how to evaluate prospective SaaS web design agencies based on pricing (subscription models), outcomes (data), and technical execution so your company can take the next step in its growth cycle.
How to Evaluate SaaS Web Design Agencies
Moving to Subscription Models
As software continues to evolve and a growing number of businesses create, develop, and market their software, they have developed new, innovative approaches to marketing their software. This means traditional project contracts are less effective in meeting the needs of a growing team.
Therefore, companies have transitioned to utilize a productized subscription model where they will pay a monthly fee for a combination of design and marketing services according to the specific needs of the business. According to market research on subscription models, retainers usually range from $1,490 to $9,900 per month, but there are many variables impacting this particular range for subscribers.
Accessibility and Legal Rules
The EAA standard requires software manufacturers to provide a verification system for their customers to ensure a software product meets the digital accessibility requirements in Europe. Therefore, to comply with these strict legal requirements, companies today must be able to demonstrate that they are providing software products in compliance with this EAA standard.
For example, a recent test of the websites of the top 100 homepages indicates that to date 96% of those sites are not in compliance with the minimum requirements set out under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The most frequent instances of non-compliance relate to identifying poor colour contrasts, failure to use alternative text tags on images and videos, etc.
Total Cost for a Complete Website Build
In conclusion, to build a complete website, companies can expect to pay an estimated $20,000 to $120,000 for the development of a complete website. Agencies with extensive experience with complex enterprise websites may charge more than $150,000 for developing a custom-built enterprise website.
For example, creating and delivering a complete enterprise-ready website from the first meeting through final launch takes approximately six to 18 weeks total time for most companies.
Getting Ready for AI Search
As today's consumer market continues to evolve, so too does the way consumers will conduct research to learn about various software offerings and pricing. Today's consumer will utilize large language models to carry out this type of research.
If a user searches a website that does not contain organized, well-structured text data due to over-utilization of heavy visual layouts, that site is not going to be able to be crawled and/or quoted by an artificial intelligence (AI) system. Businesses should develop sites that have clearly organized information so consumers can use their search engines to discover specific service offerings of software products.
Top SaaS Web Design Agencies
1. Huemor
If you are a self-serve team or a sales-led software team that needs to build site architecture for your website, then this agency can help with that.
According to Huemor, the average results they get from building a site are 83% more organic traffic and 94% more conversion rates. Their team is anywhere from 11 to 50 employees large, and they have worked with clients such as Boston Dynamics.
2. StanVision
This agency does everything with designs that are likely to have a significant impact; they have over 65 awards that they have garnered worldwide.
Some examples of their successful work would be the Primer website, where they saw a 12x increase in the amount of traffic coming to their site and a significant number of new signups. Another example of a client who used StanVision for their redesign was Rillet, who experienced a 45% increase in user engagement after they had their redesign completed.
3. Eleken
Eleken is a SaaS company that offers a subscription model to clients that provides dedicated designers for a fee of $4,599/month.
Over the past several years, they have developed partnerships with over 500 startup companies that represent finance, logistics, and AI industries, and their portfolio contains work for Hubble Network (which has recently raised $70 million dollars).
4. Awesomic
Awesomic operates on a subscription model that offers a monthly fee ranging anywhere from $1,490-$5,995/month and offers quick design capabilities.
They are very focused on compliance standards that are already curbed by new European Union regulations, including the EAA standard, making them a strong candidate for companies selling within the European markets.
5. Everything.Design
Everything.Design is primarily involved with strategic branding and website design, and its projects typically range from $35,000 to $60,000.
Everything.Design has 41 employees and has worked with over 100 clients. They are trusted by large companies such as Razorpay and J.P. Morgan.
6. Cieden
Cieden is an agency that charges an hourly rate of $50-$99 and focuses on projects that require complex business logic and AI prototypes.
Cieden has worked with several high-profile clients, including Supercell and Wolt. The agency also helped Sitenna obtain a $5.1 million funding round.
7. MetaLab
MetaLab is a premium partner, which has a minimum budget of $100,000 per project.
They develop interfaces for some of the most popular software companies in the industry, including Slack and Coinbase. Recently, they developed a mobile app for Suno AI and have developed projects for Midjourney.
8. BRIX Agency
BRIX Agency is a team of approximately 30 people that has developed over 200 projects on the Webflow platform.
The agency specializes in developing websites that are fast and scalable for tech companies that are in rapid growth mode. Some of their clients include well-known platforms like Paradox and Teachable.
9. Superside
Superside has a subscription-based service for $5,995 a month that provides creative marketing teams with the ability to increase their design output and scale their workload.
In addition to developing 4,300 assets for Shopify, Superside has also contributed to a 24% increase in LinkedIn engagement for Boomi. Other clients include Snowflake and Figma.
10. Flowout
Flowout is an agency that operates exclusively on the Webflow platform. They operate under a subscription model, offering a range of pricing from $5,900-$9,900 per month.
This type of pricing model is especially beneficial for teams of marketers that require frequent updates and revisions without having to enter yet another new project contract.
11. Ramotion
Ramotion is a full-service agency that offers branding, UI/UX, and web development services to established tech companies.
They created websites for Flatfile shortly before the company received $50M in funding, and have since worked with industry leaders like Apple and Salesforce.
12. Arounda
Arounda works using a unified approach to the three elements within branding, website design, and product design; visual consistency is achieved through this system.
They partnered with Player's Health before the company received $34M in funding, and assist in the creation of clean web experiences from various complex tools.
13. Excited
Excited designs products and marketing websites for software companies. They supported XILO to raise $14M, and worked with Verida to raise $5M.
They help in updating legacy products for clients like ClubReady.
14. SimpleTiger
While the visual aspect is a priority, SimpleTiger leads with search engine optimization techniques. SimpleTiger builds sites on a retainer basis to facilitate organic traffic growth and software business growth.
Previous projects include Darwin CX and PointerPro.
15. CodeTheorem
CodeTheorem assists with design, development, and execution at rates less than $25 per hour.
Their areas of expertise include AI features, legible interfaces, and full-cycle design. Their work with ScrapingDog improved its keyword rankings by over 30%.
16. Goji Labs
Goji Labs is based in the US and charges between $100 and $149 per hour.
They create web platforms based on unique digital business models, including the PredictionStrike athlete stock exchange. They assisted k-ID, which has raised $51M in funding.
Specialized Design Agencies for Software Companies
Each of the organizations listed below specializes in a unique area or industry and provides a specialized solution to their client base.
These organizations have developed project-based sites that can cost anywhere from $25,000 - $75,000 to create.
Each of these organizations specializes in generating quality leads and driving traffic to their clients' websites through a variety of channels. In addition, the organizations highlighted below will provide you with an overview of the specific areas that they have worked in, so that you can have an idea of how each SaaS web design agency could benefit your business.
17. Bop Design
Developing project-based websites that range in cost from $25,000 - $75,000 is the primary business model of this agency.
Their primary focus is to generate business leads and increase quality traffic for clients. They generated an increase of 4 times the number of leads for MediKeeper using this model.
18. Phenomenon
This team builds software that is required to comply with multiple legal regulations, including HIPAA and GDPR compliance for their clients.
They help ensure that each client's system meets these strict regulations. The company's software design for Isora increased the amount of time spent completing workflows by a factor of 2.
19. ProCreator
Developing complex data visualizations and dashboards is the primary goal of this agency.
They take raw numerical data and create easy-to-read, engaging visual representations that are visually appealing and easy to navigate. Some past examples include neo-morphic interfaces for MangOS and video game-style sales boards for Scoop.
20. Merge Rocks
The primary focus of this agency is to deliver software solutions to the security, logistics, and property technology vertical markets.
Their design process results in clear user experience paths that allow users to stay engaged with a client for longer periods of time. Their work with Lox has decreased customer churn by over 90%.
21. Beetle Beetle
Located in India, this agency focuses on providing web-based solutions for early-stage software startups.
They offer customized, current-day experiences for those new to the marketplace. Because of their location in India, they are able to provide lower-priced services to new entrepreneurs.
22. Brandemic
Serving small and medium-sized software companies, this agency specializes in providing affordable web design and branding services.
As a result, small companies can be perceived as enterprise-level companies without incurring large capital investments.
23. Focus Lab
Combining the two areas of web design & branding strategy allows this group's clients to develop their identities before any programming occurs.
Each website's design has been created in order to accurately reflect the business's key message.
24. Slope
This company serves as a web design agency for venture-funded startups that are developing entirely new software categories.
By combining a bold brand personality with contemporary web designs, Slope helps startups distinguish themselves from their competition in oversaturated markets.
25. Heartbeat Agency
Heartbeat exclusively serves the health technology industry and regulated industries.
They have a firm grasp on what trust signs and privacy signs medical software systems require. Their portfolio includes many of the leading brands in consumer health, such as Ro and Hims.
26. Ironpaper
The team at Ironpaper only assists businesses in generating business-to-business leads through the design of web pages.
Every design element is designed to create an environment that encourages visitors to either schedule a meeting or begin a trial. Ironpaper has collaborated with leading marketing platforms, such as Marketo and ON24.
27. Unfold
Unfold's goal is to shorten the time frame of startup founders to create a viable product and bring it to market through the creation of extremely fast, responsive web pages.
Using tools such as Framer and Webflow, Unfold can create and test a product on the open market in days, rather than spending months developing custom-code solutions.
28. DesignJoy
DesignJoy, a solo entrepreneurship service that creates ongoing design solutions for $5,000/month, allows software companies to cancel or pause their subscriptions at any time.
Self-funded software companies are attracted to DesignJoy's flexibility, as tight cash flows can make it challenging to pay for ongoing design solutions.
29. Powered By Search
Powered By Search develops websites with an emphasis on generating organic traffic from high-value software keywords.
The firm has significant experience in both search engine optimization and web design. By developing their website structures to promote organic traffic for high-value software keywords and protecting existing traffic channels, Powered By Search also opens up other sources for growth.
30. PIXELUP LABS
PIXELUP LABS helps companies who need a website quickly with their high-quality design solutions at a cost to businesses between $25,000 - $40,000.
Most of the time they can complete a project in two to five weeks.
31. Webstacks
Webstacks delivers complex, adaptable site architectures with a usual timeline of 90 - 120 days.
They get their site's front-end appearance and back-end data storage/deployment separated to allow for maximum speed and scalability. At one point, they created a very large site for ServiceTitan.
32. TripleDart
TripleDart specializes in speed of execution, and creates a new software site in approximately one month.
They recognize that companies are not able to wait six months to get marketing materials up and running. By creating them quickly, they allow sales teams to keep selling.
33. Overpass Studio
Overpass Studio offers ongoing support on a monthly retainer and costs clients £5,865 a month. They do offer a discount to clients who pay for one full year at once.
This is beneficial to clients as it ensures they always have someone available for design help.
34. UX Studio
UX Studio focuses on thorough user testing and charges between €42 - €85 an hour.
They verify that every button and text block makes sense to an actual user before launching the site. Their testing saves clients from making expensive mistakes post-launch.
35. Amply
Amply operates exclusively as a Webflow maintenance service for $3,000 per month on a retainer.
They manage all of the ongoing updates, create new landing pages, and troubleshoot problems for a growing marketing team.
Web Design Agencies for Business Software Products
The following SaaS web design agencies have experience with creating websites for business software products.
36. Motion Tactic
Motion Tactic is a full-service advertising agency with a wide range of clients. Their team consists solely of in-house digital developers who create all of their clients' websites using WordPress.
The majority of Motion Tactic's clients are in the business software industry, and Motion Tactic primarily targets companies that want to use more traditional CMS platforms rather than newer ones. Some of Motion Tactic's previous clients have been Anomalo and Ridge Bio.
37. Bubble Design
Although Bubble Design provides a wide range of services for its clients, it also acts as a full-service design studio for technical software products.
Bubble Design is committed to producing visually stunning websites for its clients, rather than designing websites that resemble uninspired manuals found at most corporations. Bubble Design has an impressive client list, ranging from companies producing software tools such as Ask Bosco to the house of mouse, Disney.
38. Halo Lab
Halo Lab specializes in both the functional and aesthetic aspects of an online presence.
They're able to create the marketing interface of the product as well as the online presence for that same product. Halo Lab specializes in creating huge, cohesive design systems that keep everything organized visually, so their clients can easily find anything they need. Halo Lab has worked with major products like Grammarly and GitLab.
39. Uitop
With experience designing over 100 different business software products, Uitop is an expert in developing interfaces for complex business systems such as ERP (enterprise resource planning) software and electronic medical records (EMRs).
Uitop designs user-friendly interfaces that help users understand and navigate the complexities of the underlying software.
40. Grafit Agency
Grafit Agency is focused solely on conversion metrics and building websites around clean, reusable components.
Grafit Agency is focused on turning visitors into customers as quickly as possible. One of their case studies reported a 176% increase in conversions within just six weeks.
41. Clay
Clay is an elite agency that provides high-end digital experiences for a minimum project cost of $50,000 to a maximum of $200,000. This agency blends advanced brand strategy with premium technical execution.
Their previous clients include some of the largest technology companies in the world such as Slack and Stripe.
42. Refokus
Refokus builds highly interactive websites on the Webflow platform for global brands.
This agency is continually pushing the limits of what visually can be done with browser technology. Refokus' client list includes high-caliber businesses such as BCG, Yahoo!, and Spotify.
Strategic Verdict on Vendor Selection
When selecting a design partner, leadership is required to align its operating model with the speed of its internal growth. Traditional contracts are best suited for large brand resets, however the agile software teams are requiring subscription retainers in order to maintain technical velocity increasingly.
Furthermore, as the EAA deadline is approaching, if a design agency does not have a demonstrated and standardized workflow for compliance testing, the selection poses a direct legal risk for the revenue generated from products being sold into Europe. Therefore, leadership should not focus solely on visual portfolios but rather, demand evidence of documented conversion increases, preservation of search traffic, and fulfillment of rigorous accessibility standards before signing any contract.
Common Questions About Web Design Partnerships
Why do most software redesign projects fail to create increased sales?
The majority of teams tend to follow pure visual trends rather than focus on well-defined pricing data and the technical characteristics of their buyer personas. If a visitor is unable to understand at a glance how much the tool costs or how it addresses their specific need, they will experience "paralysis by analysis" and promptly leave the website. Beautiful graphics cannot, and will not, replace the need for clear explanations as to what the core product is and how it works.
How should teams allocate their design budget following the website launch?
Companies should build their design budget to accommodate for ongoing testing versus treating the launch as the last step. Transitioning a significant upfront project expense to a monthly subscription service model provides the teams with the ability to provide a steady flow of updates to the website once it is live. Additionally, this allows the website to be immediately updated when the sales team identifies a message that converts.
What are the potential legal risks associated with ignoring accessibility standards?
If your organisation ignores accessibility requirements, you expose yourself to an immediate legal threat; additionally, if the organisation is selling to the European market under the EAA standard, you risk inciting litigation.
In addition to the implications of possible legal repercussions, not complying with accessibility requirements may dissuade disabled individuals from completing a form due to lack of adequate contrast or broken keyboard control. Consequently, you could remove a revenue stream from your business and damage the credibility of the enterprise.
How does AI affect the site's requirement for a structured website?
Search engines are now using large language models (LLMs) to read and summarise the software's features directly on the search engine results page. If a website has hidden data stored inside images or tied to convoluted visual code, LLMs will be unable to identify or source the information. Hence, in order for your product to be presented in an LLM-generated answer, the team will need to utilise clear text and reliable data tagging.
