Instrument vs Fantasy

Between Instrument and Fantasy, Instrument is the stronger pick on our scoring: it ranks fourth of seven at 81 out of 100 against Fantasy at 80, and takes 34 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	Instrument	Fantasy
Editorial rank	4 of 7	5 of 7
Editorial score	81/100	80/100
Design taste (of 40)	34	33
Craft and portfolio (of 25)	22	21
Clutch rating	No Clutch rating	No Clutch rating
Minimum project	$250,000+	Undisclosed
Hourly band	$200 to $300/hr	Undisclosed
Team size (Clutch)	250 to 999	250 to 999
Founded	2002	1999
Headquarters	Portland, United States	San Francisco, United States
Top service	UX/UI Design (30%)	UX/UI Design (20%)
Branding + graphic design share	0%	0%
UX/UI + product design share	30%	20%
Top industry	Media & Entertainment (20%)	Media & Entertainment (16%)
Largest client segment	Enterprise (50%)	Enterprise (40%)
Design share of services	50%	30%

In brief

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.

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 Instrument if

You are buying interface and product detail rather than a brand: Instrument reports 30% UX/UI and product design against Fantasy's 20%.
Taste is the deciding factor: we score Instrument 34 out of 40 on design taste against 33 for Fantasy.
You trust our overall scoring: Instrument ranks #4 with 81/100 against #5 at 80.

Choose Fantasy if

Our editorial note fits you: Enterprise and luxury brands running large-scale digital transformation

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you choose Instrument or Fantasy?

Instrument, on our scoring. It ranks fourth of seven at 81 out of 100 against Fantasy at 80, and leads on design taste at 34 out of 40 to 33 and on specialization at 12 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 Instrument and Fantasy differ on price?

Instrument publishes a $250,000 minimum and $200 to $300 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 Instrument and Fantasy differ on scope?

Instrument reports 0% branding and graphic design against 30% UX/UI and product design; Fantasy reports 0% and 20%. On bench, Instrument lists 250 to 999 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 Instrument or Fantasy

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