Clay vs Instrument

Between Clay and Instrument, Clay is the stronger pick on our scoring: it ranks second of seven at 87 out of 100 against Instrument at 81, and takes 37 out of 40 on design taste to 34.

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	Instrument
Editorial rank	2 of 7	4 of 7
Editorial score	87/100	81/100
Design taste (of 40)	37	34
Craft and portfolio (of 25)	24	22
Clutch rating	4.8 / 5 (32 reviews)	No Clutch rating
Minimum project	$50,000+	$250,000+
Hourly band	$150 to $199/hr	$200 to $300/hr
Team size (Clutch)	10 to 49	250 to 999
Founded	2009	2002
Headquarters	San Francisco, United States	Portland, United States
Top service	UX/UI Design (30%)	UX/UI Design (30%)
Branding + graphic design share	20%	0%
UX/UI + product design share	30%	30%
Top industry	Fintech & Financial Services (40%)	Media & Entertainment (20%)
Largest client segment	Enterprise (70%)	Enterprise (50%)
Design share of services	80%	50%

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.

Instrument

Instrument is a 250 to 999 person studio in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2002. Its mix is UX/UI design 30 percent, digital strategy 20 percent, web development 20 percent and video production 10 percent, a 50 percent design share. Industries split evenly across media and entertainment, B2B services, software and retail at 20 percent each, and clients are exactly half enterprise, half mid-market, with no startups at all. The minimum project is $250,000+ at $200 to $300 per hour. There is no Clutch rating or review 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 want a lower published floor: Clay starts at $50,000 against Instrument's $250,000.
You weight review volume: Clay has 32 Clutch reviews to Instrument's 0.
You want a boutique where the senior designers do the work: Clay runs at 10 to 49 people rather than Instrument's 250 to 999.
You are buying identity, typography and a visual system: Clay reports 20% branding and graphic design against Instrument's 0%.
Taste is the deciding factor: we score Clay 37 out of 40 on design taste against 34 for Instrument.
You trust our overall scoring: Clay ranks #2 with 87/100 against #4 at 81.

Choose Instrument if

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you choose Clay or Instrument?

Clay, on our scoring. It ranks second of seven at 87 out of 100 against Instrument at 81, and leads on design taste at 37 out of 40 to 34 and on specialization at 14 out of 20 to 12. Instrument is the better fit where its own strengths matter more to you: big-tech and consumer brands that need brand plus product plus campaign in one engagement.

How do Clay and Instrument differ on price?

Clay publishes a $50,000 minimum and $150 to $199 per hour; Instrument publishes a $250,000 minimum and $200 to $300 per hour. That puts Clay in first at 5 times the lower floor, so the entry ticket, not the day rate, is usually what decides this one. Both figures are self-reported on Clutch and were retrieved August 24, 2026.

How do Clay and Instrument differ on scope?

Clay reports 20% branding and graphic design against 30% UX/UI and product design; Instrument reports 0% and 30%. On bench, Clay lists 10 to 49 people on Clutch and Instrument 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 Instrument

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