Best Product Design Studios

Work & Co vs Excited: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Excited (4.6/5) edges ahead of Work & Co (3.9/5) overall. Excited is the better choice for saaS and fintech product teams wanting a Clutch Top-5 specialist without enterprise-agency rates.. Work & Co is the stronger option for premium consumer and enterprise brands wanting design paired tightly with production-grade front-end engineering.. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Work & Co vs Excited: head-to-head summary

Criterion Work & Co Excited
Founded 2013 2018
HQ Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY, USA Lviv, Ukraine
Team size 425+ 100+
Rating 3.9 / 5 4.6 / 5
Best for Premium consumer and enterprise brands wanting design paired tightly with production-grade front-end engineering. SaaS and fintech product teams wanting a Clutch Top-5 specialist without enterprise-agency rates.
Pricing model Fixed project, dedicated team Fixed project, dedicated team
Min. engagement Not published $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable)
Primary tech stack Figma, React, Next.js Figma, Framer, After Effects
Industries served Consumer products, Enterprise transformation, Healthcare SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech

Work & Co vs Excited: overview

Work & Co

Five co-founders — Gene Liebel, Felipe Memoria, Joe Stewart, Mohan Ramaswamy, and Marcelo Eduardo — launched Work & Co in Dumbo, Brooklyn in May 2013; the studio now spans offices across the US, Latin America, and Europe. A client roster including Apple, IKEA, Google, Mercedes-Benz, Pfizer, GoFundMe, Nike, and Disney is exceptional for a 425-person studio, reflecting an engineering-heavy model where design and front-end build happen inside the same team. Work & Co is now part of Accenture Song, an ownership detail worth disclosing.

Excited

Excited has grown from a 2018 start in Lviv, Ukraine to 100+ designers today, with Clutch consistently ranking it among the Top 5 UX studios globally — roughly 70% of its reviewers cite quality and creativity by name. Its work covers UX/UI, product design, branding, and motion design, purpose-built for SaaS and fintech, with delivery across 20+ countries and a self-reported reach of 15M+ product users (per company; independently unverifiable exact reach figure).

Services and capabilities: Work & Co vs Excited

Capability Work & Co Excited
Product design
UX research
Branding
Web development
Mobile development
Design systems

Tech stack comparison: Work & Co vs Excited

Framework / platform Work & Co Excited
Figma
Webflow N/A N/A
React N/A
Framer N/A
Adobe Creative Suite N/A
Design systems/Storybook N/A N/A
After Effects N/A

Pricing comparison: Work & Co vs Excited

Criterion Work & Co Excited
Minimum engagement Not published $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable)
Engagement models Fixed project, Dedicated team Fixed project, Dedicated team
Rate transparency Minimum disclosed Minimum disclosed
Price tier Mid-market Accessible

Target audience comparison: Work & Co vs Excited

Dimension Work & Co Excited
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Consumer products, Enterprise transformation, Healthcare SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech
Best use cases Flagship consumer app redesign for a global brand, E-commerce platform rebuild with heavy front-end engineering SaaS product redesign for a growth-stage company, Fintech UX/UI overhaul with motion design polish
Typical project type Fixed project Fixed project

Work & Co vs Excited: pros and cons

Work & Co
+ Client roster (Apple, IKEA, Google, Nike, Disney) is exceptional relative to headcount
+ Design and engineering under one roof cuts the hand-off risk of splitting vendors
+ 425+ people across the US, Europe, and Latin America give real multi-region capacity
+ Consistent record shipping flagship consumer digital products
- Now part of Accenture Song, which shares a parent with the Accenture Song entry elsewhere in this list
- A premium client base implies premium pricing even without a published minimum
- Less vertical specialization (fintech, healthcare-specific) than boutiques built around one niche
Excited
+ Repeated Top 5 UX studio ranking worldwide by Clutch, not a one-off placement
+ Roughly 70% of Clutch reviewers specifically cite quality/creativity, a strong qualitative signal
+ Purpose-built around SaaS and fintech, giving real vertical depth
+ Delivery experience across 20+ countries demonstrates broad operational reach
- The 15M+ user reach figure is self-reported and independently unverifiable
- Ukraine-based team carries the same regional-continuity considerations as other Ukraine-rooted studios
- SaaS/fintech specialization means less fit outside those two verticals

Who should choose Work & Co?

Work & Co is the right choice for premium consumer and enterprise brands wanting design paired tightly with production-grade front-end engineering..

An engineering-led delivery model behind a client roster (Apple, IKEA, Nike, Disney) unusually strong for its headcount. Minimum engagement starts at Not published. Works best with clients in Consumer products, Enterprise transformation, Healthcare.

Who should choose Excited?

Excited is the right choice for saaS and fintech product teams wanting a Clutch Top-5 specialist without enterprise-agency rates..

A repeat Clutch Top-5 global UX ranking, with roughly 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity. Minimum engagement starts at $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable). Works best with clients in SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech.

Decision matrix: Work & Co vs Excited

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope Work & Co
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme Work & Co
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Work & Co (Not published) vs Excited ($20K (per company website; independently unverifiable))
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Work & Co
You need staff augmentation or team extension Neither; consider alternatives that offer staff aug
You need consulting before committing to a build Both may offer discovery engagements

Use case fit: Work & Co vs Excited

Use case Work & Co fit Excited fit Winner
Flagship consumer app redesign for a global brand Strong Limited Work & Co
E-commerce platform rebuild with heavy front-end engineering Strong Limited Work & Co
SaaS product redesign for a growth-stage company Limited Strong Excited
Fintech UX/UI overhaul with motion design polish Limited Strong Excited
Fixed-price product build Limited Limited Both equally
Dedicated design team augmentation Limited Limited Both equally

Verdict: Work & Co vs Excited

Excited (4.6/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Product Design projects. A repeat Clutch Top-5 global UX ranking, with roughly 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity. It is best for saaS and fintech product teams wanting a Clutch Top-5 specialist without enterprise-agency rates..

Work & Co (3.9/5) is the better choice when premium consumer and enterprise brands wanting design paired tightly with production-grade front-end engineering.. If your situation matches those criteria, Work & Co is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

Work & Co vs Excited FAQ

Is Work & Co better than Excited?

Excited (4.6/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Work & Co is better for premium consumer and enterprise brands wanting design paired tightly with production-grade front-end engineering.. Excited is better for saaS and fintech product teams wanting a Clutch Top-5 specialist without enterprise-agency rates..

How do Work & Co and Excited differ in pricing?

Work & Co uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing with a minimum engagement of Not published. Excited uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing with a minimum engagement of $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable). Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Work & Co or Excited?

Work & Co is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each studio before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between Work & Co and Excited?

Work & Co's primary differentiator is: an engineering-led delivery model behind a client roster (apple, ikea, nike, disney) unusually strong for its headcount. Excited's primary differentiator is: a repeat clutch top-5 global ux ranking, with roughly 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity. They also differ in team size (425+ vs 100+), minimum engagement (Not published vs $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable)), and primary industries served (Consumer products, Enterprise transformation vs SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech).

Verify all details directly with each studio before making a decision.