Artone Studio vs Halo Lab: Which Design Partner Fits Startups Best

Artone Studio is the better choice for early-stage founders who want a senior, founder-led design and build partner on a flat monthly price. Halo Lab makes sense for larger companies that want a big multi-discipline agency and are ready to scope and budget a full project up front.

TL;DR

Halo Lab is a design and technology agency founded in 2013 that covers UX/UI, websites, branding, software and mobile development, and marketing, with more than 120 specialists and offices in Warsaw and Boston. It does not publish fixed prices: design and development projects are billed per milestone, branding is fixed cost, and dedicated teams are paid monthly, with Clutch listing a $10,000+ minimum project size. Artone Studio is a $5,000 a month retainer covering product design, web design, brand identity, motion, and development, with no long-term contract, and custom projects start at $2,000. For an early-stage founder who needs a partner to think through the product and ship it without a large scoped engagement, Artone is the stronger fit.

What each studio is

Artone Studio is an AI-native design and build partner for technology companies. Every engagement is led by our founder, who works through the product with you, what to build, why it matters, and how it should work, and then our team designs it, builds it, and ships it. We bring 9+ years of experience and 80+ projects across AI, B2B SaaS, and fintech, and our clients have reached a combined valuation of over $1B.

Halo Lab describes itself as a design and tech agency helping brands become "top 1%." It is organized into three teams: design (UX/UI, websites, branding), development (web, software, mobile), and marketing (SEO, content, PPC). Its site says it has been operating for 13 years, has completed 500+ projects, and has been trusted by 300+ clients, with a focus on SaaS, B2B, and tech companies.

Pricing and value

Halo Lab does not list package prices. Its pricing page explains that cost depends on the number of platforms, technical complexity, number of features, and how custom the work is, and it offers a free estimate through a calculator. In a published interview, its CEO said design and development projects are paid per milestone, branding projects are fixed cost, and dedicated teams are paid monthly. Clutch lists a $10,000+ minimum project size, an hourly rate of $25 to $49, and a most common project size of $10,000 to $49,999.

Artone is a flat $5,000 a month on our standard Retainer, or $9,000 a month on Retainer Plus for double the capacity. The retainer covers product design, web design, brand identity, motion design, and development, and you can point it at whatever matters most that month. There is no long-term contract, you can cancel anytime, and if the partnership is not a fit in the first week, we refund 75%.

Because Halo Lab works mostly on scoped projects, the closer comparison for a single deliverable is our custom project option. We take on custom projects from a $2,000 minimum, priced as one package and paid 50% upfront, 25% at the midpoint, and 25% before final files ship. If you are trying to budget design work, our guide to design retainer costs for startups walks through what to expect.

The real difference is not the number on the invoice. It is whether you need a scoped project estimated in advance, or a partner whose time you can redirect as your priorities change.

Want to see how this would work for your product? Book a call with us.

Delivery and speed

Halo Lab says the typical time from kickoff to product launch is two to three months. Its process starts with goal clarification and project strategy, then a roadmap with milestones and deliverables, followed by resource allocation and final approval of a financial plan. For dedicated teams, it describes a discovery call, a requirements and proposal stage, and team formation before development begins, and it works in Agile sprints.

At Artone, there is no long scoping phase before work starts. We deliver updates every other business day, and the same small team stays on your account, so there is no re-briefing a new designer each time. The person who understood the product decision last week is the one shaping the next screen.

Services and capabilities

Halo Lab's range is broad. On design it covers UI/UX, web design, mobile app design, landing pages, and branding. On development it covers web, software, CMS, Webflow, and mobile development, and it also offers dedicated development teams and marketing services such as SEO, content, and PPC.

Artone covers five areas under one retainer: product design (web apps, mobile apps, design systems, prototyping, UI/UX audits), web design (landing pages, multi-page websites, copywriting), brand identity (logos, guidelines, pitch decks), motion design, and development. We build websites in Framer and also develop web and mobile apps, so the same team that designs your product can ship it. You can read more about how that works in our FAQ.

Collaboration

Halo Lab describes a structured process with roadmaps, milestone approvals, and project management. Clutch's review summary notes that clients often mention communication through Slack, Figma, and email, and that some clients found time zone differences a challenge.

We work in a shared Slack channel, with optional weekly calls when a conversation is faster than a thread. You own every file we produce. Our founder joins product discussions directly, so there is no account manager sitting between you and the person doing the thinking.

Clients, credibility, and recognition

Halo Lab is well reviewed. It holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Clutch across 100 reviews, and its site reports 500+ projects, 300+ clients, over $1B raised by its clients, and 78% returning clients in Europe and North America.

Artone has delivered 80+ projects, our clients have a combined valuation of over $1B, and 2 of 3 clients come back for more work. You can learn more about how we work on our about page.

Side-by-side comparison

	Artone Studio	Halo Lab
Best for	Early-stage and growing tech companies	SaaS, B2B, and tech companies with scoped projects
Pricing model	$5,000/month Retainer or $9,000/month Retainer Plus	Custom estimates, milestone billing for design and development
One-off projects	Yes, from $2,000 (50/25/25)	Yes, Clutch lists a $10,000+ minimum
Commitment	Cancel anytime, 75% refund in the first week	Per project or per dedicated team agreement
Core services	Product, web, brand, motion, development	UX/UI, web, branding, software and mobile development, marketing
Team model	Founder-led, same small team on your account	Large agency with 120+ specialists and project management
Typical timeline	Updates every other business day	2 to 3 months from kickoff to launch
Collaboration	Slack plus optional weekly calls	Roadmap and milestone process, Slack, Figma, email
File ownership	Full ownership of all files	Not publicly listed

When Artone is the better fit

• You are an early-stage company and want senior design and development without a five-figure project minimum.
• Your priorities change month to month, and you want to move the retainer between product, web, and brand freely.
• You want a founder-led team that helps decide what to build, not only an agency that executes a scoped brief.
• You want a predictable monthly price instead of estimates that depend on platforms, features, and complexity.
• You need one defined deliverable, such as a pitch deck, a landing page, or an app redesign, starting from $2,000.
• You want the same small team on your account from the first week, with no long scoping phase before work starts.

When Halo Lab is a good fit

• You have a well-defined, larger project and want a full estimate and milestone plan before work begins.
• You need a large team that can staff design, engineering, and marketing at the same time.
• You want a long-term dedicated development team billed monthly.
• You also want marketing services such as SEO, content, and PPC from the same agency.

Final take

Halo Lab is an established, well-reviewed agency with a wide service range, and for companies with a clearly scoped, larger project it is a credible option. For early-stage founders, the scoping process, project-based minimums, and larger agency structure can be more than you need. Artone gives you senior product, web, and brand design plus development for $5,000 a month, or a single project from $2,000, with a founder-led team and no long-term contract.

If you are weighing the two, let's talk about what you are building.