Clay vs Fantasy

Between Clay and Fantasy, Clay is the stronger pick on our scoring: it ranks second of seven at 87 out of 100 against Fantasy at 80, and takes 37 out of 40 on design taste to 33.

The table below puts their Clutch facts side by side, and the two lists after it say which one to pick depending on whether you are buying identity, interface, or both.

Side by side

Fact	Clay	Fantasy
Editorial rank	2 of 7	5 of 7
Editorial score	87/100	80/100
Design taste (of 40)	37	33
Craft and portfolio (of 25)	24	21
Clutch rating	4.8 / 5 (32 reviews)	No Clutch rating
Minimum project	$50,000+	Undisclosed
Hourly band	$150 to $199/hr	Undisclosed
Team size (Clutch)	10 to 49	250 to 999
Founded	2009	1999
Headquarters	San Francisco, United States	San Francisco, United States
Top service	UX/UI Design (30%)	UX/UI Design (20%)
Branding + graphic design share	20%	0%
UX/UI + product design share	30%	20%
Top industry	Fintech & Financial Services (40%)	Media & Entertainment (16%)
Largest client segment	Enterprise (70%)	Enterprise (40%)
Design share of services	80%	30%

In brief

Clay

Clay is one of the few studios in this batch where branding is a named, weighted practice. Its tagline calls it a UI/UX design and branding agency in San Francisco and lists Facebook, Google and Slack among clients. Clutch puts UX/UI design at 30 percent, web design 30 percent, branding 20 percent and low-code 10 percent. Enterprise is 70 percent of the client base and fintech 40 percent of industries. Founded 2009 with 10 to 49 people across San Francisco, New York and Austin, it charges $150 - $199 / hr with a $50,000+ minimum.

Fantasy

Fantasy is a 250 to 999 person firm founded in 1999 with offices in San Francisco and New York. The record is sparse and its listed mix is thin on design: UX/UI 20 percent, AI development 10 percent, digital strategy 10 percent, for a 30 percent design share, the lowest in this batch. Media and entertainment leads its industries at 16 percent, followed by fintech and retail at 10 percent each. Enterprise and mid-market clients are 40 percent each. There is no Clutch rating, no reviews and no pricing on record.

Which one to choose

Each point below is derived from a fact where the two profiles differ, so the same fact never argues both ways.

Choose Clay if

You weight review volume: Clay has 32 Clutch reviews to Fantasy's 0.
You want a boutique where the senior designers do the work: Clay runs at 10 to 49 people rather than Fantasy's 250 to 999.
You are buying identity, typography and a visual system: Clay reports 20% branding and graphic design against Fantasy's 0%.
You are buying interface and product detail rather than a brand: Clay reports 30% UX/UI and product design against Fantasy's 20%.
Taste is the deciding factor: we score Clay 37 out of 40 on design taste against 33 for Fantasy.
You trust our overall scoring: Clay ranks #2 with 87/100 against #5 at 80.

Choose Fantasy if

You need a bigger bench: Fantasy lists 250 to 999 people on Clutch, Clay lists 10 to 49.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you choose Clay or Fantasy?

Clay, on our scoring. It ranks second of seven at 87 out of 100 against Fantasy at 80, and leads on design taste at 37 out of 40 to 33 and on specialization at 14 out of 20 to 14. Fantasy is the better fit where its own strengths matter more to you: enterprise and luxury brands running large-scale digital transformation.

How do Clay and Fantasy differ on price?

Clay publishes a $50,000 minimum and $150 to $199 per hour; Fantasy publishes an undisclosed minimum and an undisclosed hourly rate. One of the two does not publish a floor at all, so a scoping call has to happen before the budgets can be compared honestly. Both figures are self-reported on Clutch and were retrieved August 24, 2026.

How do Clay and Fantasy differ on scope?

Clay reports 20% branding and graphic design against 30% UX/UI and product design; Fantasy reports 0% and 20%. On bench, Clay lists 10 to 49 people on Clutch and Fantasy lists 250 to 999, which is the difference between senior designers on the work directly and the capacity to run several workstreams at once. Buy identity from whichever leads the first pair of numbers, interface from whichever leads the second.

Other comparisons with Clay or Fantasy

Clutch facts retrieved August 24, 2026 from Clay and Fantasy. Editorial scores from our methodology. Editorially independent. No studio paid to be included or ranked.