If Eleken, Bricx or Excited are out of budget, the main alternatives for startups are agencies that publish a fixed-price audit under $3,000: WANDR ($500 for one flow), Cieden and Phenomenon Studio (audits from $2,000), Designpixil (from $3,000) and ProDesign (a $1,499 Micro UX Audit). Below we compare what each one publishes, who it suits, and what you give up by paying less. Facts checked: 28 October 2026.
Disclosure: ProDesign wrote this guide and is one of the alternatives listed. Every competitor price below links to the page where it was published, so you can check it yourself.
Eleken, Bricx and Excited are well-known SaaS design agencies with strong review records. They are also priced for funded teams. Eleken lists its UX audit at a fixed $6,599 (eleken.co). Bricx says its engagements start at $25,000 and that it holds a 5.0 Clutch rating (bricxlabs.com). Eleken’s own comparison lists Excited at $10,000+, based on its Clutch minimum (eleken.co).
For a pre-seed or seed startup, that is often more than the whole design budget for the year. Designpixil, which reviewed 78 agencies in October 2026, found a median minimum project of $25,000 among the 47 that state one, and 39 of those 47 start at $10,000 or more (designpixil.com). So the question is usually not “who is best” but “who will take a smaller, well-scoped first project and still do senior work”.
| Agency | Published entry price | Best for | Not a fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProDesign | Micro UX Audit $1,499; design from $3,000 | Seed-stage SaaS that wants an audit before a redesign | Teams that need Clutch reviews before a first call |
| WANDR | $500 audit of one major flow | Checking a single flow cheaply | A whole-product review |
| Cieden | UX audit from $2,000 | Complex B2B products | Marketing-site facelifts |
| Phenomenon Studio | UX audit from $2,000 | A one-week audit before a rebuild | Pre-seed teams that also need development |
| Designpixil | Audits from $3,000 | A ranked audit with redesigned top screens | Enterprise programs needing a big team |
| Eleken | Fixed audit $6,599 | SaaS-only specialist with ongoing support | Budgets under about $6,600 |
| Bricx | $25,000+ | B2B and AI SaaS, seed to Series C | Budgets under $25,000 |
| Excited | $10,000+ | B2B SaaS audits that lead into a build | Budgets under about $10,000 |
Sources: WANDR, Cieden, Phenomenon Studio and Designpixil figures from Designpixil (October 2026); Eleken and Excited from Eleken; Bricx from Bricx; ProDesign from our UX audit page.
ProDesign is a SaaS UX design agency founded in 2017, with offices in Miami, United States and Gujranwala, Pakistan, and a team with 15+ years of combined experience. We work audit-first. A Micro UX Audit costs $1,499 and takes 3 days; a Detailed UX Audit costs $2,999 and takes 7 to 10 days. SaaS UX and product design projects start from $3,000. Published results include a SkilledScore onboarding audit that found 17+ usability issues, a LumiMeds onboarding redesign that lifted conversion by 3%, and a Smodin UX audit that surfaced 37 usability issues. The honest trade-off: we are a small, senior-led team with no Clutch profile yet, so ask us for references.
WANDR publishes a $500 audit of one major flow, with wider engagements from $10,000. It is the cheapest published entry point we found, and a good way to test one problem flow. It will not review your whole product at that price.
Cieden publishes UX audits from $2,000 and focuses on complex B2B products. Its minimum project for larger work is $10,000+, so an audit is a sensible first step if you might continue with them.
Phenomenon Studio publishes a UX audit from $2,000, run in about a week, before a redesign or rebuild. Its published MVP development starts at $20,000, so it suits teams with a build budget lined up.
Designpixil runs audits as fixed projects from $3,000 with a prioritised fix list, and also sells a monthly subscription. It wrote the list we cite above, so read its ranking with that in mind, as you should read ours.
A cheaper audit is not automatically worse, but you should know what changes as the price drops:
If you have raised a Series A or later, need a full redesign with a dedicated team, and want an agency with a long public review record, the higher price can be worth it. Bricx positions itself for seed to Series C B2B and AI SaaS, Eleken for SaaS-only ongoing design support, and Excited for audits that end in a build plan. A cheaper audit first can still help you brief them better.
Among agencies that publish prices, WANDR offers a $500 single-flow audit, Cieden and Phenomenon Studio start at $2,000, and ProDesign’s Micro UX Audit is $1,499. Eleken’s fixed audit is $6,599.
Yes, if it is focused. A low-cost audit of one flow, such as onboarding, can show the highest-impact fixes quickly. It will not replace full user research across the whole product.
Bricx says its engagements start at $25,000 and that it is not a fit for budgets under $25,000, according to its own 2026 benchmark.
Look for a fixed-price audit, SaaS case studies and senior reviewers. ProDesign, founded in 2017, offers audits from $1,499; Cieden and Phenomenon Studio publish audits from $2,000.
Start with an audit unless you already know exactly what to change. See UX audit vs UX redesign.
Not sure which option fits? Book a free 15-minute call or start with a $1,499 Micro UX Audit.
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