Best Product Design Firms

SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Gapsy Studio (4.5/5) edges ahead of SYPartners (3.9/5) overall. Gapsy Studio is the better choice for Fintech, SaaS, healthcare — perfect-rated boutique. SYPartners is the stronger option for large orgs, design within culture/strategy transformation. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio: head-to-head summary

Criterion SYPartners Gapsy Studio
Founded 1994 2014
HQ San Francisco, CA, USA (also New York, Los Angeles, and Abu Dhabi) Dnipro, Ukraine
Team size ~196 Collective model, size not published (500+ completed projects)
Rating 3.9 / 5 4.5 / 5
Primary differentiator A transformation consultancy — not a pure product-design shop — with a client list (Obama Foundation, Starbucks, IBM, Airbnb) most boutiques on this list can't approach A perfect 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews, backed by 13+ international awards, from a firm that doesn't publish its own headcount
Pricing model Project-based (not published) Fixed project, dedicated team
Min. engagement Not published $10K (per company website; independently unverifiable)
Primary tech stack Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Miro Figma, Webflow, After Effects
Industries served Enterprise transformation, Financial services / fintech, Healthcare Financial services / fintech, SaaS / B2B software, Healthcare, EdTech, E-commerce / retail

SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio: overview

SYPartners

Founded in 1994 and headquartered across San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Abu Dhabi, SYPartners runs about 196 people focused on leadership, strategy, and culture transformation — with design as one tool among several rather than the sole offering. Client relationships span AARP, Airbnb, BlackRock, IBM, the Obama Foundation, Pfizer, and Starbucks, including work on Starbucks' 2018 anti-bias training. Clients looking for pure interface design work should look elsewhere on this list; SYPartners is better understood as a transformation consultancy that happens to use design as a primary tool.

Gapsy Studio

Gapsy Studio describes its own history as running "since 2014" — treated here as self-reported since it isn't independently confirmed — from Dnipro, Ukraine. Instead of a headcount, the firm calls itself a "collective of creative professionals," pointing to 500+ completed projects and a 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews. Thirteen-plus international awards from Behance, Awwwards, FWA, CSS Winner, Titan Awards, and DesignRush back that rating, spanning fintech, SaaS, health, education, and retail work.

Services and capabilities: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Capability SYPartners Gapsy Studio
Product design
UX research
Branding
Web development
Mobile development
Design systems

Tech stack comparison: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Framework / platform SYPartners Gapsy Studio
Figma
Webflow N/A
React N/A
Framer N/A N/A
Adobe Creative Suite N/A
Design systems/Storybook N/A N/A
After Effects N/A

Pricing comparison: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Criterion SYPartners Gapsy Studio
Minimum engagement Not published $10K (per company website; independently unverifiable)
Engagement models Fixed project, Retainer, Dedicated team Fixed project, Dedicated team
Rate transparency Minimum disclosed Minimum disclosed
Price tier Mid-market Accessible

Target audience comparison: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Dimension SYPartners Gapsy Studio
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Enterprise transformation, Financial services / fintech, Healthcare Financial services / fintech, SaaS / B2B software, Healthcare
Best use cases Enterprise leadership or culture transformation with a design component, Large organization change management paired with product or brand design Fintech app UI/UX with brand identity work, Healthcare or EdTech product redesign
Typical project type Fixed project Fixed project

SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio: pros and cons

SYPartners
+ Three decades of continuous operation since 1994
+ Client list (Obama Foundation, Starbucks, IBM, Airbnb, BlackRock, Pfizer) reflects work at the highest levels of large organizations
+ 196-person team supports substantial multi-workstream engagements
+ Four-office footprint (San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi) supports large, distributed programs
- Positioned around leadership and culture transformation, not pure product/UI design — a mismatch for clients wanting only interface work
- Enterprise-scale client list implies enterprise-level pricing, though no minimum is published
- Broad transformation-consulting scope means less concentrated product-design specialization than boutiques built around it
Gapsy Studio
+ 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 public reviews — one of the highest verified scores in this list
+ 13+ international design awards across Behance, Awwwards, FWA, CSS Winner, Titan Awards, and DesignRush
+ 500+ completed projects demonstrates a substantial delivery track record
+ Covers five distinct industries (fintech, SaaS, health, education, retail) from one team
- Doesn't publish a specific headcount, describing itself as a 'collective' — harder to gauge delivery capacity
- Founding year is self-reported ('since 2014') rather than independently confirmed
- Its broad five-industry positioning trades off some depth against single-vertical specialists like UXDA

Who should choose SYPartners?

A typical fit: enterprise leadership or culture transformation with a design component.

A transformation consultancy — not a pure product-design shop — with a client list (Obama Foundation, Starbucks, IBM, Airbnb) most boutiques on this list can't approach. Minimum engagement starts at Not published. Works best with clients in Enterprise transformation, Financial services / fintech, Healthcare.

Who should choose Gapsy Studio?

A typical fit: fintech app UI/UX with brand identity work.

A perfect 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews, backed by 13+ international awards, from a firm that doesn't publish its own headcount. Minimum engagement starts at $10K (per company website; independently unverifiable). Works best with clients in Financial services / fintech, SaaS / B2B software, Healthcare, EdTech, E-commerce / retail.

Decision matrix: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope SYPartners
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme SYPartners
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: SYPartners (Not published) vs Gapsy Studio ($10K (per company website; independently unverifiable))
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Gapsy Studio
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: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Use case SYPartners fit Gapsy Studio fit Winner
Enterprise leadership or culture transformation with a design component Strong Limited SYPartners
Large organization change management paired with product or brand design Strong Limited SYPartners
Fintech app UI/UX with brand identity work Limited Strong Gapsy Studio
Healthcare or EdTech product redesign Limited Strong Gapsy Studio
Fixed-price product build Limited Limited Both equally
Dedicated design team augmentation Limited Limited Both equally

Verdict: SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio

Gapsy Studio (4.5/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Product Design projects. A perfect 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews, backed by 13+ international awards, from a firm that doesn't publish its own headcount.

SYPartners (3.9/5) is worth a look if you need large organization change management paired with product or brand design. If your situation matches that, SYPartners is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

SYPartners vs Gapsy Studio FAQ

Is SYPartners better than Gapsy Studio?

Gapsy Studio (4.5/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. SYPartners's strongest advantage: three decades of continuous operation since 1994. Gapsy Studio's strongest advantage: 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 public reviews — one of the highest verified scores in this list.

How do SYPartners and Gapsy Studio differ in pricing?

SYPartners uses project-based (not published) pricing with a minimum engagement of Not published. Gapsy Studio uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing with a minimum engagement of $10K (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: SYPartners or Gapsy Studio?

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

What are the main differences between SYPartners and Gapsy Studio?

SYPartners's primary differentiator is: a transformation consultancy — not a pure product-design shop — with a client list (Obama Foundation, Starbucks, IBM, Airbnb) most boutiques on this list can't approach. Gapsy Studio's primary differentiator is: a perfect 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews, backed by 13+ international awards, from a firm that doesn't publish its own headcount. They also differ in team size (~196 vs Collective model, size not published (500+ completed projects)), minimum engagement (Not published vs $10K (per company website; independently unverifiable)), and primary industries served (Enterprise transformation, Financial services / fintech vs Financial services / fintech, SaaS / B2B software).

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