Best Product Design Studios

Postlight vs Excited: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Excited (4.6/5) edges ahead of Postlight (3.8/5) overall. Excited is the better choice for SaaS/fintech teams, Clutch-ranked at accessible rates. Postlight is the stronger option for Media, publishing, finance — now NTT DATA-backed. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Postlight vs Excited: head-to-head summary

Criterion Postlight Excited
Founded 2015 2018
HQ New York, NY, USA Lviv, Ukraine
Team size 130+ (at last independently reported size) 100+
Rating 3.8 / 5 4.6 / 5
Primary differentiator A publishing- and finance-heavy client list (Reuters, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs) built as an independent studio, now backed by NTT DATA's global engineering scale A sustained Top 5 global UX studio ranking on Clutch, with about 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity
Pricing model Project-based (not published) Fixed project, dedicated team
Min. engagement Not published $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable)
Primary tech stack Figma, React, Node.js Figma, Framer, After Effects
Industries served Media & entertainment, Financial services / fintech, Enterprise transformation SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech

Postlight vs Excited: overview

Postlight

Postlight started in New York in 2015 as a product design and engineering studio, building client relationships with Reuters, Barnes & Noble, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, and Vice. NTT DATA acquired Postlight in September 2022, folding it into NTT DATA's much larger digital transformation and engineering practice — worth disclosing since the studio is no longer independently owned. At its last independently reported size, the team ran 130+ people spanning product design, architecture, and development.

Excited

Excited opened in Lviv, Ukraine in 2018 and has scaled to 100+ designers while holding a repeated spot among Clutch's Top 5 UX studios worldwide. Roughly 70% of its Clutch reviewers specifically name quality and creativity — an unusually direct signal for review data most studios don't get. The studio deliberately narrows to SaaS and fintech clients, covering UX/UI, product design, branding, and motion design, with delivery experience across 20+ countries.

Services and capabilities: Postlight vs Excited

Capability Postlight Excited
Product design
UX research
Branding
Web development
Mobile development
Design systems

Tech stack comparison: Postlight vs Excited

Framework / platform Postlight Excited
Figma
Webflow N/A N/A
React N/A
Framer N/A
Adobe Creative Suite N/A
Design systems/Storybook N/A N/A
After Effects N/A

Pricing comparison: Postlight vs Excited

Criterion Postlight Excited
Minimum engagement Not published $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable)
Engagement models Fixed project, Dedicated team Fixed project, Dedicated team
Rate transparency Minimum disclosed Minimum disclosed
Price tier Mid-market Accessible

Target audience comparison: Postlight vs Excited

Dimension Postlight Excited
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Media & entertainment, Financial services / fintech, Enterprise transformation SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech
Best use cases Media or publishing product design and engineering, Financial-services product design backed by a larger technology partner SaaS product redesign for a growth-stage company, Fintech UX/UI overhaul with motion design polish
Typical project type Fixed project Fixed project

Postlight vs Excited: pros and cons

Postlight
+ Named client relationships with Reuters, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, Barnes & Noble, and Vice
+ 130+ person team (at last independently reported size) covers product design, architecture, and development
+ NTT DATA acquisition since September 2022 provides access to a much larger global engineering organization
+ A decade of continuous operation since its 2015 founding
- Acquired by NTT DATA in 2022 — no longer an independently owned studio
- Team size figures predate the acquisition; current standalone headcount isn't published
- Pricing and minimum engagement size aren't published
Excited
+ Sustained Top 5 UX studio ranking worldwide by Clutch, not a one-off placement
+ About 70% of Clutch reviewers specifically cite quality and creativity, a strong qualitative signal
+ Purpose-built around SaaS and fintech, giving real vertical depth
+ Delivery experience across 20+ countries demonstrates broad operational reach
- The claimed 15M+ user reach figure is self-reported and independently unverifiable
- Ukraine-based team carries the same regional-continuity considerations as other Ukraine-rooted studios
- SaaS/fintech specialization means less fit outside those two verticals

Who should choose Postlight?

A typical fit: media or publishing product design and engineering.

A publishing- and finance-heavy client list (Reuters, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs) built as an independent studio, now backed by NTT DATA's global engineering scale. Minimum engagement starts at Not published. Works best with clients in Media & entertainment, Financial services / fintech, Enterprise transformation.

Who should choose Excited?

A typical fit: SaaS product redesign for a growth-stage company.

A sustained Top 5 global UX studio ranking on Clutch, with about 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity. Minimum engagement starts at $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable). Works best with clients in SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech.

Decision matrix: Postlight vs Excited

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope Postlight
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme Postlight
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Postlight (Not published) vs Excited ($20K (per company website; independently unverifiable))
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Postlight
You need staff augmentation or team extension Neither; consider alternatives that offer staff aug
You need consulting before committing to a build Both may offer discovery engagements

Use case fit: Postlight vs Excited

Use case Postlight fit Excited fit Winner
Media or publishing product design and engineering Strong Limited Postlight
Financial-services product design backed by a larger technology partner Strong Limited Postlight
SaaS product redesign for a growth-stage company Limited Strong Excited
Fintech UX/UI overhaul with motion design polish Limited Strong Excited
Fixed-price product build Limited Limited Both equally
Dedicated design team augmentation Limited Limited Both equally

Verdict: Postlight vs Excited

Excited (4.6/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Product Design projects. A sustained Top 5 global UX studio ranking on Clutch, with about 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity.

Postlight (3.8/5) is worth a look if you need financial-services product design backed by a larger technology partner. If your situation matches that, Postlight is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

Postlight vs Excited FAQ

Is Postlight better than Excited?

Excited (4.6/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Postlight's strongest advantage: named client relationships with Reuters, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, Barnes & Noble, and Vice. Excited's strongest advantage: sustained Top 5 UX studio ranking worldwide by Clutch, not a one-off placement.

How do Postlight and Excited differ in pricing?

Postlight uses project-based (not published) pricing with a minimum engagement of Not published. Excited uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing with a minimum engagement of $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable). Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Postlight or Excited?

Postlight is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each studio before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between Postlight and Excited?

Postlight's primary differentiator is: a publishing- and finance-heavy client list (Reuters, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs) built as an independent studio, now backed by NTT DATA's global engineering scale. Excited's primary differentiator is: a sustained Top 5 global UX studio ranking on Clutch, with about 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity. They also differ in team size (130+ (at last independently reported size) vs 100+), minimum engagement (Not published vs $20K (per company website; independently unverifiable)), and primary industries served (Media & entertainment, Financial services / fintech vs SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech).

Verify all details directly with each studio before making a decision.