How Much Does It Cost To Become A Digital Product Designer? (In 2024)
Looking to start a digital product designer?
But curious about:
- how much it costs to start a digital product designer?
- what are the typical digital product designer startup costs?
- or the actual cost of starting digital product designers?
Well, we have the data to prove it, supported by real digital product designers and how much they actually cost to start.
Let's go over it.
What is the average cost of starting a digital product designer?
Based on our data reported by actual digital product designer founders, the average cost of starting a digital product designer is between $5 and $15,000.
Additionally, our data shows that the the median startup costs for a digital product designer are around $1K.
Remember, though, not all digital product designers are the same - and neither are people's budgets. It's important to distinguish between different levels or types of digital product designers
Real World Examples: How much does it cost to start a digital product designer?
We asked real digital product designer founders and business owners how much it actually cost to get started?
Here is what they said:
Dávid Pásztor
Founder of UX studio ($169K/month)
"To create a company is a bit more expensive. There are lawyers' costs, and you need a minimal amount of financial assets, but having a digital service business that I already started as a contractor, these were easy to manage."
Dávid Pásztor is the founder of UX studio, a user experience design agency based in Budapest, Hungary, that provides a wide variety of UX-related services to clients worldwide.
Ana Colak-Fustin
Founder of By Recruiters ($3.5K/month)
"My main initial investment was the time I put into creating products, along with $0.20 per template to publish them on Etsy (totaling $4 invested for the first 20 templates I posted), which looking back seems crazy low."
Ana Colak-Fustin is the founder of ByRecruiters, a website and resume shop for job seekers that started in 2018, supporting over 6,000 job seekers on their career journey.
Danielle Thompson
Founder of Design Match ($32K/month)
"Since the start of the business, I’ve invested $40k of my own money into product development and some early hires."
Danielle is the founder of Design Match, a platform that connects startups with designers, which started in 2022.
Marilyn Wo
Founder of MeetAnders ($7.32K/month)
"I didn’t have to come up with any up-front capital to make anything. I just started by contacting a few of my previous clients to ask them if they needed help."
Marilyn Wo is the co-founder of MeetAnders, a productized graphic design company started in 2015.
Sunil Aggarwal
Founder of VecRas Creations Pvt. Ltd. ($12K/month)
"The initial investment required was not too high, so it was self-invested and there arose no need for borrowing loans."
Sunil Aggarwal is the founder of VecRas, a digital design business that started in 2007 and has grown to generate $20,000 - $30,000 per month with its flagship products being Vinyl Ready Vector cut file templates and Smart PSD mockups for various devices.
Ellen Yin
Founder of Ellen Yin Media LLC ($80K/month)
"In the 3 years since I started my business, I’ve profitably bootstrapped our growth from an initial $300 client project into 7 figures in lifetime revenue (and on track to hit one million dollars in annual revenue in 2021); a milestone of only 2% of female founders achieve, and one that feels especially momentous to me as a first-generation Asian American."
Ellen Yin is the founder of Ellen Yin Media, a digital marketing and education business that started in 2018 and offers courses and services to help coaches and service providers achieve financial success.
George El-Hage
Founder of Wave Connect ($25K/month)
"I found a small dev shop in Montreal to start building the MVP. I had saved $10,000 to get this done, though we got it complete with $5000."
George El-Hage is the founder of Wave Connect, a sales and marketing tool business that simplifies contact exchange and management.
Jeff Gapinski
Founder of Huemor ($250K/month)
"To start, our initial costs were essentially just a domain name, hosting, and filing/service fees via LegalZoom."
Jeff is the founder of Huemor, a digital marketing agency that helps companies transform their digital presence and has earned over 100 international awards.
Georgina Lupu Florian
Founder of Wolfpack Digital ($300K/month)
"The first 2 years were highly unstable financially, with huge variations in workload, and I relied on my personal savings to pull through."
Gina Lupu is the founder of Wolfpack Digital, an app development agency based in Romania that started in 2015.
Andrew Askins
Founder of Krit ($91K/month)
"They gave us $16,000 and 3 months of mentorship to help us get the business off the ground."
Andrew Askins is the founder of Krit, a software agency that partners with non-technical founders to design and build Minimum Lovable Products.
Enjoyed reading these real world examples?
Our platform is full of case studies of successful digital product designers that you can learn from.
Starting a digital product designer - what you should know:
Embarking on a journey to become a digital product designer comes with various cost considerations that can significantly impact your budget.
Educational Costs
Formal education is one route to becoming a digital product designer, but it can be costly. Tuition for reputable design schools or universities can range from $10,000 to $30,000 per year. Alternatively, online courses and bootcamps provide a more budget-friendly option, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the program's length and depth.
Software and Tools
Investing in the right software is critical. Industry-standard tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes Photoshop, XD, and Illustrator, cost around $52.99 per month. Figma, an increasingly popular design tool, has a free tier, but the professional version is $12 per editor per month. Sketch is another option at $99 per year. Keep in mind, these costs can add up quickly as you may need licenses for multiple tools.
Hardware Necessities
A high-performance computer is essential for design tasks. A MacBook Pro, frequently used by designers, costs between $2,000 and $3,500. For those preferring desktop setups, expect to spend at least $1,500 on a robust setup inclusive of a powerful CPU, ample RAM, and a high-resolution monitor designed for color accuracy, which can cost between $300 to $1,000.
Business Expenses
Starting as a freelance digital product designer involves additional expenses like website hosting, which can range from $3 to $25 per month. Marketing yourself likely means investing in a portfolio site, which can cost around $100 per year, and possibly in advertising or networking events, collectively ranging from $200 to $1,000 annually.
Understanding these costs upfront helps in budgeting effectively and making informed decisions on where to allocate your resources as you kickstart your digital product design career.
Potential Costs of Starting a Digital Product Designer
Starting a digital product designer involves a variety of costs, ranging from software tools to hosting fees and labor costs. Below is a detailed breakdown of the potential costs in USD.
| Cost Category | Description | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Software Tools | ||
| Design Tools | Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, XD) | $52.99/month |
| Figma Professional Plan | $12/user/month | |
| Sketch (One-time purchase) | $99/year | |
| Prototyping Tools | InVision (Pro Plan) | $7.95/user/month |
| Marvel (Pro Plan) | $12/user/month | |
| UX Research Tools | UserTesting | $49/month |
| Optimal Workshop | $199/month | |
| Development Tools | ||
| Code Editors | Visual Studio Code (Free) | $0 |
| Sublime Text (One-time purchase) | $80 | |
| Version Control | GitHub (Team Plan) | $4/user/month |
| Package Managers | npm (Free) | $0 |
| Yarn (Free) | $0 | |
| Hosting Services | ||
| Web Hosting | Bluehost Basic Plan | $2.95/month |
| AWS (Amazon Web Services) | $3.50/month to $500+/month | |
| Domain Registration | GoDaddy Domain Name | $9.99/year |
| Google Domains | $12/year | |
| Labor Costs | ||
| Freelance Designers | Contracting Freelancers | $50-$150/hour |
| Full-Time Designers | Hiring Full-Time Designers | $60,000-$100,000/year |
| Marketing & Branding | ||
| Branding Services | Logo and Branding Package | $300-$2000 |
| Website and Marketing Materials | $500-$5000 | |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Training and Courses | Online Courses (e.g., Udemy, Coursera) | $50-$200/course |
| Office Supplies | Software Licenses, Stationery, etc. | $100-$500 |
| Hardware | Computers, Tablets, etc. (e.g., MacBook Pro, Wacom Tablet) | $500-$3000 |
These costs can vary widely based on the specific needs and scale of the digital product design project, but this table provides a comprehensive overview of the essential expenses to consider.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
