How to Get an App Design Quote: A Guide to Comparing UX/UI Companies

What Should You Prepare Before Requesting an App Design Quote?

You do not need a completed technical specification before requesting an app design quote, but you should explain the product purpose, problem to solve, target users, primary tasks, and platforms to be supported. This information allows the design company to understand the need and build a scope that is more meaningful than a simple estimated screen count. If you already have an application, brand identity, or development team, those details should also be included in the project brief.

The project brief should create a common starting point

If each company receives different information, their proposals will naturally rely on different assumptions and cannot be compared reliably. The project brief should not be a document in which the client has already designed the complete solution; it should provide enough context for candidate companies to perform requirements analysis. What improves proposal quality is not knowing every screen in advance, but clearly defining which problem the product should solve and for whom.

• Describe the application's purpose and the problem it should solve
• Define target users and user roles
• List primary user scenarios and critical tasks
• Specify iOS, Android, and tablet scope
• Explain existing applications or enterprise systems
• State expected design and development deliverables

Good design is clear thinking made visible. - Edward Tufte

How Do User Roles and Screen Scope Affect the Proposal?

User roles and user scenarios can affect the scope of an app design quote more meaningfully than screen count alone. The same screen may display different data, permissions, or actions for an administrator, customer, or operations user. In addition to the normal state, error, empty content, loading, validation, and success states may also require design work. Comparing proposals only by the number of primary screens can therefore hide a significant portion of the actual design workload.

Screen inventories should be evaluated together with user flows

The client does not need to identify every screen before requesting a quote. The design company can analyze user roles and core functions and refine the screen inventory during the proposal or discovery stage. An approach to improving UX in mobile app design supports understanding user tasks and friction points before focusing on individual screens. The proposal should make clear which screens and state variations are included.

• Number of user roles and permission differences
• Primary and alternative user flows
• Scope of core screens and modal structures
• Error, empty, and loading states
• Form validation and success states
• Role-specific or platform-specific variations

Which Services Should Be Included in a UX/UI Proposal?

The services included in a UX/UI proposal depend on the nature of the project, and there is no mandatory package for every product. Requirements analysis, user research, information architecture, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and UI design can be provided at different levels of depth. From a purchasing perspective, what matters is whether each included stage, expected deliverable, and separately priced activity is clearly identified.

The purposes of UX and UI services should be distinguished

UX work focuses on what users need to do, how information is structured, and how tasks should flow, while UI design defines the visual and interactive interface that supports those decisions. User research does not need to have the same depth in every project; an existing product may already provide useful evidence, while a new product may need additional discovery. Compare how each proposal addresses project risks rather than simply counting research methods.

• Requirements analysis and current product review
• User research and user needs
• Information architecture and user flows
• Wireframes and interactive prototypes
• UI design and interface states
• Approval, feedback, and delivery stages

How Should Wireframe, Prototype, and UI Deliverables Be Compared?

Wireframes, prototypes, and UI design are different deliverables and should be evaluated separately when comparing proposals. Wireframes make screen structure and information hierarchy visible, prototypes simulate critical interactions and user flows, and UI design defines the final interface system including typography, color, components, and state behavior. Companies can offer these deliverables as one package or as separate work items.

The depth of the prototype scope should be clearly defined

Not every screen needs to become a high-fidelity interactive prototype. Complex registration, payment, approval, or multi-step enterprise processes may benefit more from prototyping, while simpler flows may require a narrower scope. The proposal should state which scenarios will be prototyped, which states are included in UI screens, and what level of design information will be transferred to developers.

• Wireframe scope and level of detail
• Critical user scenarios included in prototypes
• Scope of UI screens and interface states
• Form, error, and loading designs
• Feedback and approval stages
• Design outputs prepared for implementation

How Should Design Systems and Platform Scope Appear in a Quote?

Design systems, component libraries, and platform adaptations should be evaluated according to product scale in an app design proposal. A comprehensive design system may not be necessary for a small and limited product, while reusable components can create an important shared language between design and development teams in large, continuously evolving, or multi-platform products. The proposal should state whether such a system will be created or an existing one will be used.

iOS and Android scope can vary within a shared product language

Completely independent designs for iOS and Android are not necessary in every project, but navigation, system components, and permission experiences can differ between platforms. Understanding the differences between iOS and Android user experience explains why platform adaptations should be visible in proposal scope. Tablet support, multilingual interfaces, and accessibility requirements should also be stated explicitly when relevant.

• Creation of a design system or use of an existing system
• Component library delivery scope
• Shared iOS and Android components
• Platform-specific interface adaptations
• Tablet and additional screen sizes
• Accessibility and multilingual requirements

How Should Figma Source Files and Handoff Be Defined?

Figma source files and the design system should not automatically be assumed to be transferred to the client; delivery, usage, and transfer conditions should be stated clearly in the proposal or contract. Editable source files can make it easier for the client to work with different design or development teams later. Third-party fonts, icons, or licensed visual assets may, however, be subject to separate usage terms.

Developer handoff involves more than sharing a Figma link

A handoff can include the component library, spacing, dimensions, assets, interaction explanations, prototypes, and interface state variations required by the development team. The organization of design files matters, but developers may also need access to the design team for clarification during implementation. Source file ownership and handoff scope should therefore be compared using the same criteria across candidate proposals.

• Editable Figma source files
• Component library and design system
• Icons, visual files, and other assets
• Spacing, dimensions, and component information
• Prototype and interaction explanations
• File usage and transfer conditions

How Should Revisions, Design QA, and Project Management Compare?

The revision model, design QA, and project management are operational parts of an app design proposal that can be as important as the design deliverables themselves. A proposal should explain when feedback is collected, who approves work, how changes are documented, and whether design support continues during development. Instead of treating a specific number of revisions as a universal standard, evaluate how the company manages feedback and changes.

Revisions and scope changes should be treated differently

Adjusting an approved screen for visual or usability feedback is different from adding a new feature, user role, or transaction flow to the project. Design QA can review whether implemented screens match approved interfaces, components, and interactions. The proposal should explain whether this service is included, who manages the project, and how design support will work after development begins.

• Definition of the feedback and revision process
• Approval responsibilities and decision structure
• Method for managing scope changes
• Project manager and communication model
• Scope of design QA services
• Design support during implementation

How Should App Design Company Proposals Be Compared?

Proposals from different app design companies should be compared against the same requirements and deliverables rather than total price alone. One company may provide only UI design, while another includes UX research, wireframes, prototypes, a design system, handoff, and QA. A lower price may reflect narrower scope, while a higher price may reflect a broader service package or different team model; price alone is not evidence of quality.

A common scope matrix makes company comparisons clearer

Send the same project brief to each company and apply the scope-based approach used when comparing mobile app proposals and choosing the right company so included and excluded services can be aligned. Portfolio quality, UX approach, platform knowledge, source file delivery, communication, and collaboration with technical teams should also influence the purchasing decision. Experience in the same industry can help, but it should not be treated as the only qualification.

• Compare UX research and analysis scope
• Align wireframe, prototype, and UI deliverables
• Review design system and platform coverage
• Check source file and handoff conditions
• Compare revisions, QA, and support models
• Review portfolio, communication, and project management
• Align included and excluded services in writing

How Should Design and Software Development Quotes Be Evaluated?

Design and software development proposals can be evaluated together, but UX/UI design, mobile development, backend systems, APIs, integrations, and testing are not the same work package. Having one company provide both services can offer shared project management, more direct handoff, and easier communication around technical feasibility. However, this model does not automatically guarantee design or software quality.

Separate design and development scope even when requesting one proposal

Separate design and development teams can also deliver successful projects, provided responsibilities, handoff, and technical communication are clearly defined. Understanding how the mobile app development process should be planned helps connect design and implementation activities. Even when one company provides everything, separating design services from mobile development, backend, API, integration, and testing scope makes the proposal easier to evaluate.

• Share product goals and target users in one project brief
• Define user roles and primary scenarios
• Specify UX, wireframe, prototype, and UI scope
• State platform, design system, and accessibility expectations
• Clarify Figma, handoff, and design QA deliverables
• Separate mobile development, backend, APIs, and integrations
• Define revision, project management, and testing responsibilities
• Request proposals from companies against the same scope