Comparison · Bttr. vs. Agency
Bttr. vs. a traditional design or product agency
A traditional agency sells a scope of work and delivers artifacts. Bttr. designs, builds, and operates the product through launch and beyond, with senior people doing the work, not selling it.
Short answer: Use an agency for a well-scoped, one shot deliverable. Use Bttr. for mission critical product work where the team that ships has to live with what ships.
Side by side
| Dimension | Bttr. | Traditional agency |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Senior team only. The people you meet are the people who design and ship the product. | Seniors sell. Juniors and contractors typically execute. The pitch team is rarely the build team. |
| Engagement shape | Designs, builds, and operates the product. Strategy through launch and ongoing operation. | Scope of work, delivered artifacts, handoff to a different team for build and operation. |
| Time to start | Days. We hold to two or three active clients at a time; the senior team engages immediately. | Weeks. RFP, SOW negotiation, account ramp, kickoff workshop. |
| Pricing model | Per-engagement, sized to scope. No bench, no overhead, no hourly games. | Hourly or fixed-bid with margin layered for sales, account management, and bench. |
| Ownership of outcome | On the hook for the product working in the wild, not the deliverable looking good in a deck. | On the hook for the deliverable. Production reality is the client’s problem after handoff. |
| Best for | Mission critical builds where failure is not an option, regulated environments, ambiguous scope. | Well-defined, scoped work: a brand refresh, a marketing site, a one shot deliverable. |
| Not the right fit | Stable, well-defined, low-stakes work with a fixed timeline that doesn’t need senior judgment. | Mission critical product work where the team that ships has to live with what ships. |
Common questions
The questions every buyer asks.
How is Bttr. different from a traditional design agency?
Bttr. is a senior-only team that owns the product end to end: strategy, design, engineering, and operation. A traditional agency typically sells a scope of work, delivers artifacts, and hands off. The most measurable difference is who does the work · at Bttr. the senior people you meet are the people building the product, not the people pitching it.
Why would I pick Bttr. over an agency?
Pick Bttr. when the work is mission critical and the path is still ambiguous. We start in days, hold two to three active clients at a time, and stay on the work through launch and operation. Pick a traditional agency when the scope is fully defined and the deliverable is the whole job (a brand refresh, a microsite, a campaign).
Is Bttr. more expensive than an agency?
Per hour, often. Per outcome, usually not. Agencies layer margin for sales, account management, and a bench of juniors. Bttr. is senior-only with no bench, sized per engagement, and on the hook for the product actually working · so the cost is closer to the cost of the result.
How big is Bttr.?
Small on purpose. We hold to two or three active clients at a time so the senior team stays close to every piece. The team that meets you is the team that ships.
Do you sign NDAs and work in regulated industries?
Yes. Roughly half our work is under NDA in regulated environments: aerospace (GE), healthcare (Allergan, JUVÉDERM, BOTOX Cosmetic), biotech (Tiger BioSciences). We sign mutual NDAs before any deliverables, screens, or financials change hands.
Who has Bttr. worked with?
GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, Allergan Aesthetics (JUVÉDERM, BOTOX Cosmetic, Allē), Tiger BioSciences, Alterra Mountain Company (Ikon Pass), Opendoor, Tarform, Great Dane, Air Company, Ross J Barr, Ciitizen, and others. The public case studies are at makebttr.com/work.
Decide together
Tell us about the project. We will tell you the truth about fit.
We design, build, and run digital systems for the science, aerospace, and biotech industries.