Comparison updated October 2026
Side by side
Key data on both agencies. The accent dot marks where one leads.
| Crafton | IDEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | ●81/100 | 77/100 |
| Hourly rate | ●€40-90/hr | €200/hr |
| Team size | 50-99 | 50-99 |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland | London, United Kingdom |
| Founded | 2010 | — |
| Tier | Premium | Free |
| Last reviewed | ●Oct 7, 2026 | Feb 11, 2026 |
What we said about each
What we said about Crafton
"Of 28 published case studies, the deepest show the research behind the design: ENEA's redesign documents 8 user interviews, 4 staff focus groups and two usability-test rounds, and Santander Consumer Bank's covers 16 test respondents. Santander is the one case with results the design can claim—20% shorter loan applications and 45% higher user satisfaction; elsewhere the figures are platform usage or the client's own business numbers, such as Najiz's 57,000 weekly court cases. The weaker fit is…"
— UXAgencies editorial team, reviewed Oct 7, 2026
Read full review →What we said about IDEO
"IDEO publishes 15+ case studies spanning nearly 50 years, with standout projects for H&M (22% stock reduction, 34% sales increase via supply chain redesign), Teal Health (FDA-authorized at-home screening device tested with 220 participants), and Boom Supersonic (full-scale cabin prototyping leading to American Airlines order)—each showing documented research, prototyping, and measurable business outcomes. At €200+/hr, IDEO operates at the top of the market, and the work justifies the…"
— UXAgencies editorial team, reviewed Feb 11, 2026
Read full review →Best for
Where each agency measurably leads — on pricing, team capacity, declared specializations, and editorial scoring. Use these to match an agency to your project priorities.
Choose Crafton if you need
- •a more cost-effective engagement (~67% lower rate)
- •disclosed specialization in FinTech / EdTech
- •broader service offering — also covers UX Audit and Design Systems
- •a higher overall editorial score
Choose IDEO if you need
- •disclosed specialization in Healthcare / Retail
- •broader service offering — also covers Innovation
Strengths and watch-outs
Both upsides and risks, straight from our editorial assessments.
Crafton
✓ Strengths
- •Long-running enterprise accounts—LOT Polish Airlines since 2019, plus 6 projects over 3 years for STC—suit buyers who need a partner for years, not one launch
- •Accessibility is documented, not just listed: the Poznań University of Economics site was tested with blind, low-vision, dyslexic, deaf and motor-impaired students against WCAG 2.1 AA
- •Aviation work covers both sides of a trip—LOT's booking engine and Manage My Booking, plus Riyadh and Jeddah airport portals with indoor wayfinding and flight tracking
⚠ Watch-outs
- •Ask how the published numbers were measured: SAB Invest's 92% digital registration is a bank-wide figure and Najiz's 57,000 weekly court cases is platform usage, so neither shows what the redesign changed
- •Budget for project totals, not just the €40-90/hr rate: Crafton quotes websites at tens to hundreds of thousands of złoty and says it recommends other agencies to smaller companies with simple needs. If your budget is fixed, share it up front—the agency offers to scope a smaller MVP to fit it
- •Several of the deepest case studies—ENEA, TEB Edukacja, Poznań University of Economics—are published in Polish only; ask for English write-ups if you can't read them
IDEO
✓ Strengths
- •Published case studies include specific business metrics—H&M saw 34% sales increase and 22% stock reduction; Teal Health achieved FDA authorization with 97% ease-of-use in a 220-person clinical study
- •Nearly 50-year track record with C-suite client testimonials from Ford, Moderna, and Intercorp—signals a firm that operates at the executive level, not just the project level
- •Work spans physical products (Boom cabin, Teal Wand, Fizik helmets), digital platforms (FEMSA/OXXO, Sephora), and organizational design (Ford, Moderna)—rare breadth backed by evidence in each category
⚠ Watch-outs
- •At €200+/hr with no published maximum rate, request a detailed scope and fee structure early—IDEO's engagements are typically large-scale and may not suit projects under six figures
- •London office is one of several global locations—confirm which team and office will lead your engagement, as case studies span US, Latin America, and European work
- •Most published case studies focus on strategy and product creation rather than ongoing UX design or interface optimization—if your need is iterative digital product improvement, clarify whether IDEO's model fits
Service coverage
Where each agency overlaps and where each is unique.
Only Crafton
Only IDEO
- •Innovation
Industry coverage
Where each agency overlaps and where each is unique.
Pricing math
Estimated cost of a typical 12-week senior engagement (~480 hours), at each agency's published rate.
Crafton
Rate: €40-90/hr
€19,200–€43,200
IDEO
Rate: €200/hr
€96,000+
For most general product engagements, Crafton delivers better ROI per hour. For Healthcare-specific work, IDEO's premium is justified by their declared specialization.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Crafton or IDEO?
- Crafton is cheaper by roughly 67% — €65/hr median vs €200/hr at IDEO. The premium reflects either brand or specialization — see the editorial pull quotes for context.
- Which scores higher overall, Crafton or IDEO?
- Crafton scores 81/100, 4 points higher than IDEO at 77/100. Both portfolio quality and business credibility feed into the score — see our methodology for the full breakdown.
- Which is faster to engage, Crafton or IDEO?
- IDEO is typically faster to engage — smaller team, fewer procurement gates. Crafton runs a larger team and more procurement steps, which usually means longer lead times. Kickoff availability is the number that actually varies, so ask both for their current start date before signing.
- When should I consider both Crafton and IDEO?
- Consider running parallel discovery briefs with Crafton and IDEO if your project spans multiple workstreams, you want competitive proposals to compare scope and approach, or you're undecided between the specialization angles each brings (see the Best for cards above). Most engagements ultimately go with one — but the parallel-brief phase is a low-cost way to validate fit.
Read the full reviews
Side-by-side comparison is a starting point. The full editorial reviews include portfolio analysis, case studies, and the buyer-strength / watch-out detail behind the bullets above.