Other ways to get design done

Design partner alternatives compared: hiring in-house, an agency, a freelancer, or a design subscription, and when each beats an embedded partner.

Paul van Oijen

Every option here can put good design into your product. What changes is how long you're committed for, and whether the person doing the work stays close to your product once they've learned it.

We run Incomparable, an embedded design partner, so we're one of the five options below. We've tried to be fair to the other four, and each comparison says who they suit better than us.

The options at a glance

OptionTypical costTime to startCommitmentBest for
Senior in-house hireAbout $19,000 a month in the US on a $160,000 base once benefits are added, plus recruiting feesWeeks to months of recruiting, then onboardingLong-term hireA permanent design need, with time to recruit well
Design agencyAverage UX project around $85,000 (Clutch)After a brief and a statement of workPer projectA defined project with a clear end
Freelance designerFrom a $27 an hour Upwork median to about £450 a day for experienced UK contractorsOften within a weekFlexible, per contractWork one designer can own, with engineers to build it
Design subscription$699 to $11,999 a month on monthly plans; Superside from $15,000 on annual termsUsually within daysMonthly for most; Superside is annualA steady stream of well-scoped requests
Incomparable$5,499 a month, or $8,499 with a full-stack engineerContributing in the first weekMonthly, 30 days noticeOngoing product work that needs to ship

Figures come from the sources listed on each comparison page, checked October 23, 2026.

Which one fits

The full comparisons

Design subscription alternatives for product teams

Seven design subscriptions compared on price, product design scope, and how they work with your team.

Read the comparison

Senior in-house designer vs. design partner

What a senior product design hire really costs, and when an embedded partner is the better call.

Read the comparison

Design agency vs. design partner

Project-based agency or an embedded partner: how each works, what each costs, and which fits your work.

Read the comparison

Freelance designer vs. design partner

When one freelance product designer is enough, and when you need an embedded team that ships.

Read the comparison

Questions?

What are the alternatives to hiring a product designer?

The main alternatives to a full-time hire are a design agency, a freelance product designer, a design subscription, and an embedded design partner such as Incomparable. Agencies suit defined projects, freelancers suit work one person can own, subscriptions suit a steady stream of small requests, and an embedded partner suits ongoing product work that needs to ship.

What is an embedded design partner?

An embedded design partner is an outside team that works inside your company's tools and rituals, such as Slack, standups, and reviews, on a monthly retainer. Incomparable's Design Partner plan is $5,499 a month for a staff-level product designer, and Product Team is $8,499 a month with a full-stack engineer.

Is a design partner cheaper than hiring in-house?

In the US it usually is. A senior product designer on a $160,000 base costs about $19,000 a month once benefits are added, before recruiting fees, while a year of Incomparable's Design Partner plan is $65,988. In Europe the gap is smaller because salaries and employer costs are lower.