925Studios vs Eleken: Which Design Agency Fits Your Startup

Both 925Studios and Eleken run on subscription models. Both serve SaaS startups. Both promise a dedicated designer who works like part of your team. So what is actually different?

We are 925Studios, so this comparison is not neutral. But we will give you the honest breakdown, because the right answer depends on your stage, your product complexity, and what you actually need from a design partner. Sometimes Eleken is the better fit. Here is how to tell.

TL;DR:

• Both agencies use subscription pricing with dedicated designers

• Eleken offers a 3-day free trial. 925Studios offers a free 30-minute strategy call

• 925Studios focuses on UX strategy and product-led growth. Eleken focuses on UI execution speed

• For complex products (fintech, healthtech, AI), 925Studios has deeper domain expertise

• For straightforward B2B SaaS UI work, Eleken delivers solid execution at competitive pricing

Business Model Comparison

Both agencies moved away from project-based pricing. That shared philosophy exists for the same reason: SaaS products need continuous design work, not one-off projects that end with a handoff PDF nobody opens.

Where 925Studios Wins

Domain Expertise in Complex Industries

If your product touches money, health data, or AI interfaces, the designer working on it needs to understand regulatory constraints, trust patterns, and data complexity. 925Studios has deep experience in fintech, healthtech, and AI product design. This is not just portfolio decoration. It means the first round of designs already accounts for KYC flows, HIPAA-adjacent patterns, or AI confidence indicators. Less rework. Faster shipping.

Eleken's portfolio is strong in B2B SaaS but thinner in regulated industries. If your product is a project management tool or a marketing platform, that does not matter. If you are building a lending platform or a patient portal, it matters a lot.

Strategy Layer

925Studios pairs design execution with product strategy. You get recommendations on information architecture, user flows, and growth mechanics, not just pixel-perfect screens. The engagement includes a strategy lead who looks at your activation funnel, identifies drop-off points, and designs interventions.

Eleken's model is more execution-focused. You provide direction, they design. That works well if you have a strong internal product team that owns the strategy. It works less well if you need your design partner to also think about why users are not converting.

Where Eleken Wins

The Free Trial

Eleken's 3-day free trial is a genuine differentiator. You see actual design work before spending anything. For founders who have been burned by agencies that oversell and underdeliver, this removes the risk of a bad first month. 925Studios offers a free strategy call, which gives you a sense of thinking quality but not execution output.

Volume at Competitive Pricing

If your primary need is screen-level UI design across a large surface area, Eleken's model delivers consistent output at competitive rates. They have been running the subscription model longer and have refined their process for throughput. You get more screens per month if the work is primarily UI execution rather than strategic design.

B2B SaaS Portfolio Depth

Eleken has worked with hundreds of B2B SaaS companies. Their designers have pattern-matched across CRM systems, analytics platforms, marketing automation tools, and internal dashboards. If your product fits squarely in the B2B SaaS category without unusual complexity, Eleken's designers will not need a ramp-up period. They have seen your type of product before.

Real Differences That Matter

How Each Agency Handles Onboarding

925Studios starts with a strategy deep-dive. Before any screens are designed, they map your user journey, identify the critical activation moment, and audit your existing UX. This takes 3-5 days and produces a design roadmap that informs everything that follows. It costs you a few days of design time but prevents building in the wrong direction.

Eleken starts designing faster. After a kickoff call and reviewing your brief, the assigned designer begins producing screens. This speed is an advantage when you know exactly what you need. It is a risk when the problem is not yet well-defined.

Communication Style

925Studios uses Loom videos to walk through design decisions, explaining the reasoning behind layout choices, interaction patterns, and visual hierarchy. This adds context that static Figma comments miss and builds shared understanding between designer and founder.

Eleken communicates primarily through Slack messages and Figma annotations. It is efficient and asynchronous, but provides less strategic context around each decision.

Which One Should You Pick

Choose 925Studios if:

• Your product is in fintech, healthtech, AI, or web3

• You need design strategy, not just execution

• Your activation rate or retention is the core problem

• You want a partner who challenges your assumptions

• You value UX research and evidence-based design

Choose Eleken if:

• Your product is a straightforward B2B SaaS tool

• You have strong internal product leadership

• You want to test with a free trial before committing

• Your primary need is high-volume UI screen production

• You are optimizing for speed of output over strategic depth

The honest answer is that both agencies solve real problems for SaaS startups. The difference is in the type of problem you need solved. If design execution is the bottleneck, Eleken will unblock you. If design strategy is the gap, 925Studios fills it.

If you're building a product and want a second opinion on your UX, talk to 925Studios. We work with SaaS, fintech, healthtech, web3, and AI startups.

See our work or book a free 30-minute call.