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Upwork publishes its client pricing: a 7.99% service fee on the free Basic plan, 10% on Business Plus, plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. Access to Expert-Vetted talent, the top 1%, exists only on Business Plus. Here is how that compares to a production subscription at €949.90 to €2,099.90 per month excluding VAT.
The No. 1 subscription-based design studio in France
Posting the job, filtering proposals, running interviews, reviewing deliverables, then starting over on the next contract. That work is real and it is billed nowhere.
No job to post, no proposals to filter, no interviews to run before anything starts.
The subscription price is the invoiced price. No service fee, no contract initiation fee.
A team in France, reachable during business hours, with no lag to absorb into your deadlines.
Design Elite is a subscription design studio: Prestige at €949.90, Elite at €1,399.90 and Commando at €2,099.90 per month excluding VAT, no commitment, with lower rates on 3, 6 and 12-month terms. Motion design is on the Commando plan only.
Unlimited requests, a project manager who sequences them, one team across the whole brand.
We do not do development, email marketing, video production, paid media, CRM setup or moderated user research. Upwork is far better stocked than we are on all of those.
Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace in the world: more than 18 million freelancers across 180 countries. Its client pricing is public. The Basic plan is free and charges a 7.99% service fee, so a $100 contract costs $107.99, plus a contract initiation fee between $0.99 and $14.99. Business Plus raises the fee to 10% and drops the initiation fee except on small fixed-price contracts.
On vetting, the distinction is worth knowing. Upwork verifies the identity and location of every freelancer, which is not a check on skill. The pool that is genuinely assessed, Expert-Vetted, is the top 1% and is only reachable from Business Plus, at the 10% fee.
What Upwork does better than us: reach and contractual flexibility. Hourly billing with time tracking, escrowed payments, dispute protection, and a spread of skills we do not cover, development included. If you need to assemble a custom team or find rare expertise, no studio our size competes.
€949.90 to €2,099.90 per month, excluding VAT
None
Hiring and art direction, both in-house
Not applicable, the team is already built
A dedicated project manager carries it
Monthly subscription, cancel when you want
Design only, motion design on Commando
Design is a continuous workload to hold
Freelancer's rate plus a 7.99% or 10% fee
Contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99
Identity and location; skill only in Expert-Vetted
Expert-Vetted, limited to the 10% plan
Posting, filtering, interviews and review are yours
Hourly, fixed-price, escrow: genuinely flexible
18 million profiles, every skill there is
Rare skill, scoped project, hourly budget
Billing model
Extra fees
What gets vetted
Access to the top 1%
Management overhead
Contract flexibility
Scope
Pick this when
Upwork
Client service fee, Basic plan
7.99%
Upwork
Business Plus, required for Expert-Vetted
10%
Design Elite
Elite plan, nothing added on top
€1,399.90 / month
Upwork hands you 18 million profiles and leaves you the selection work. If that is the work you want to stop doing, the subscription exists for exactly that.
A versatile design team, expert in branding, acquisition and conversion.
Clearly the best design agency. Professional, responsive, dedicated, and above all, exceptionally good at design – everything is perfect. Thank you for your work, I highly recommend them.
Mathis Faivre
CEO - Agence Short
Very responsive agency that meets announced deadlines. The quality/price ratio is quite impressive. Thanks to the whole team.
Julien Mouttet
SEO Manager - Arkée
A great alternative to traditional agencies. Fast deliveries and almost always spot-on from the first version. That's quite impressive! Special shout-outs to Margaux and Samy, who are very personable and make the business relationship even smoother.
Emmanuel Logeais
CEO - DailyUp
An excellent experience with this agency. The process is clear, the follow-up is thorough, and the final result is perfect!
Soorya Suntha
I am delighted to work with this agency! Their creativity is always on point, and their responsiveness is impressive. Every project is handled with care, attention to detail, and a true understanding of our needs.
Amandine Jacquelin
Trade Marketing Coordinator APAC - Withings
Top-notch and super responsive team, great for daily creatives 👏 👏
Jean-Christophe Stienlet
Founder - Scalebay
The deliverables are always clear, consistent, and well-executed. It's particularly valuable to have a reliable partner you can count on, especially when managing multiple projects simultaneously. I recommend Design Elite without hesitation.
Hubert Haar
Top job, thanks to the Design Elite team
Emmanuel Torrent
Director - Drinkee
Move to a simple, fast and flexible model that produces design continuously and fuels their growth. Book a discovery call to see how we can accelerate yours.
