Summarize with AI
To find agencies similar to one you like, first work out what you actually like about it. Is it the look of the work, the kind of client, the size of the team, or the platform it builds on? Then search for studios that match on the two or three signals that matter to your project, not on the famous logos. Three good matches beat a list of ten names you cannot tell apart.
Most founders start a search this way. You saw a site you loved, found the studio that made it, and wondered who else works like that. That studio may be booked, too expensive, or too big for you. The steps below turn that one reference into a short list you can compare fairly.
Step one: name what you liked
Open the studio's site and write down, in plain words, why it stood out. Be specific. "Great design" is not a signal you can search for. "Clean product screenshots, lots of white space, and short headlines" is.
Most answers fall into one of four groups. The visual style of the work. The type of company it works with, such as early-stage AI startups or large brands. How the team is set up, such as a small senior team or a big agency with account managers. And the tools it uses, like Framer, Webflow, or custom code. Circle the groups that matter for your project. Those are the signals you will match on.
Step two: separate style from fit
Style is the easiest thing to copy and the least useful thing to hire on. Many studios can make a site that looks like the one you admired. Far fewer have done it for a company at your stage, with your budget, on a timeline like yours.
So treat style as a filter, not a ranking. A studio has to clear it to stay on the list. After that, rank on fit: have they worked with teams your size, in your market, on the kind of project you need?
Step three: look for the same signals elsewhere
Now search for studios that share those signals. A few places work well.
Check the credits on sites you like. Many studios add a small "site by" link in the footer. Browse the showcase pages that platforms like Framer and Webflow run, which often credit the studio behind each site. Read comparison pages that line up several studios on the same criteria, like our list of boutique design studios for AI startups. And ask founders one stage ahead of you who built their site. A name from a peer comes with context no search result has.
Keep the first list to around six names. More than that and you will stop reading each one closely.
Step four: check the signals, not the claims
Every agency site says it is fast, senior, and easy to work with. You cannot compare those claims. You can compare things you can check.
Look at the dates on case studies. Recent work tells you what the team does now. Look at who the clients are, not how famous they are. Five projects for seed-stage startups say more about your fit than one project for a household name. Check whether the studio publishes a starting price or keeps it behind a call. See who you would actually work with. A founder-led studio and a large agency with a sales team feel very different once the project starts.
If pricing is hidden, you can still compare fairly. Our guide to comparing agencies with no public prices walks through the questions that get you a real number early.
The famous client trap
A big logo on a studio's site is the most common reason founders shortlist the wrong team. The logo tells you the studio did some work for that company. It does not tell you what the work was, how big it was, or whether the people who did it still work there.
A studio might have designed one campaign page for a large brand. That page then sits next to a full product build for a small startup, and both look the same in a logo row. When a famous client catches your eye, open the case study. If there is no case study, treat the logo as a hint, not proof.
The same goes in reverse. A studio with no famous names may have shipped ten sites for companies exactly like yours. That is the better signal for you.
Step five: cut to three and compare them the same way
Take your list down to three studios. Send each one the same short brief: what you are building, your launch date, your rough budget, and one or two sites you like. Then compare the replies side by side.
Watch for who asks good questions back. A studio that asks about your buyer, your product, and your goals is thinking about your project. A studio that sends a price and a portfolio link without a single question is thinking about its pipeline.
Note how each one scopes the work, how long they say it will take, and what happens after launch. Some studios hand over the site and stop. Others keep working with you on new pages and product design. Pick the shape that fits how your company will grow.
When one reference is not enough
Sometimes the studio you liked is not a good model at all. If it mostly works with large brands and you are a team of four, a close match will have the same problem. In that case, keep the style you liked and look for studios that work with founders directly, at your stage. The look travels. The client fit does not.
Where to go next
If you want a head start, our list of design agencies that actually have taste compares studios on the same public criteria, so the style filter is already done. For the wider decision, see how to choose a design agency for your tech company.
Studio Maydit is a web and product design studio. We work with AI founders in the US, UK, and Europe, and build in Framer, Webflow, and custom code before carrying the work into the product itself. Our clearest result is Dualite, where design work supporting a repositioned ICP helped the product reach 100,000+ users in seven months. Projects run as a fixed scope of three to four weeks, or as a monthly retainer with no long lock-in. If our work is the one you found first and you want to compare us against others, that is a good instinct. Book a 30 minute call and bring the other names with you.
