When businesses and entrepreneurs want to bring new products to life, they often turn to product development companies for their expertise in end-to-end product creation.
There are several thousand product development firms worldwide, with about 1,500 located in the US. They mainly fall into two categories: digital and physical.
- Digital product development agencies produce software, mobile applications, platforms, and digital experiences. Product companies that create software are different from software development companies in that they create multiple types of digital products and those products are often built to be monetized.
- Physical product development agencies may produce hardware and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, mechanical products, consumer electronics, or other general consumer products.
Some product development companies are able to take a product from ideation to market. More often than not, product agencies specialize in just a few key areas of the product development lifecycle and recommend close partners to support the rest.
Common product development services are:
- Market research
- Product strategy
- Product and/or UI/UX design
- Product development and/or prototyping
- Testing & QA
According to the Marketing Research Association, only 40% of new products ever make it to market and only 60% of those ever generate any revenue. This means it’s critical to select a product development company that 1) has proven success, 2) can handle as much of the product development lifecycle as possible, and 3) can recommend marketing agencies that will help market and monetize your product.
We reviewed hundreds of US-based firms to identify thirty of the best companies for product development. “Best” is always a subjective measurement. In this case, we’ve considered customer reviews, as well as the firms’ capabilities, past projects, positioning, and location.
Most of these agencies focus on digital products, with some crossing over into IoT. This is no surprise with the rising demand for digital products and experiences. Far fewer firms provide physical product development services. However, you will find a few on this list.
Here are our recommendations for the top product development firms in the US.
Wandr, 5 Rating on Clutch, Los Angeles, CA
Definery, 5 Rating on Clutch, Oakland, CA
Funsize, 5 Rating on Clutch, Austin, TX
BiTE Interactive, 5 Rating on Clutch, West Hollywood, CA
AJProTech, 5 Rating on Clutch, Los Angeles, CA
Metova, 5 Rating on Clutch, Franklin, TN
Tarlow Design, 5 Rating on Clutch, San Rafael, CA
Intuitio Labs, 5 Rating on Clutch, Atlanta, GA
Cartisien Interactive, 5 Rating on Clutch, Greenville, SC
Itransition, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Denver, CO
altr, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Boston, MA
Fuzzy Math, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Chicago, IL
Waker, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Columbus, OH
Think Company, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Conshohocken, PA
PureLogics, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Larkspur, CA
Catalyst UX, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, San Mateo, CA
Mobisoft Infotech, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Houston, TX
Ingenious, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Denver, CO
Prime Studio, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, New York, NY
Ventive, 4.9 Rating on Clutch, Boise, ID
Saritasa, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Newport Beach, CA
Uruit, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Los Angeles, CA
Emerge, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Portland, OR
Postlight, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, New York, NY
Digital Scientists, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Alpharetta, GA
Bynd, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, San Francisco, CA
Viget, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Falls Church, VA
Ueno, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, San Francisco, CA
NAO Design, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Palo Alto, CA
Studio Red, 4.8 Rating on Clutch, Menlo Park, CA
A Closer Look at the 9 Best Product Development Firms
Nine firms on this list of product development companies hold 5-star review ratings on Clutch.
They represent a range of boutique agencies with small teams to established firms with more than 100 employees.
Below, you’ll find detailed information about the top nine firms on this list, including portfolio clients, services, customer reviews, and more.
1. Wandr
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 23 reviews
Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA
About Wandr
Wandr is a product strategy and design firm with a dominant focus on B2B SaaS products. Its global team provides design and development services to startups and enterprise organizations.
Portfolio Clients
IBM, Dollar Shave Club, Geico, PWC, Burt's Bees, Samsung, Allstate, U.S. Air Force, WWF, Synchrony
Services
- UX audit
- UX/UI design
- Design systems
- Startup bootcamp
What Clients Say About Wandr
“WANDR has a diverse team that fills every niche that a company may need…they showed a genuine interest in designing something beautiful and effective, and they took the time to understand our business, asking important questions to help guide design choices…[They did] a phenomenal job at [understanding our] value proposition…and getting stakeholders to align to that.” – Product Manager, PetPartners, Inc.
2. Definery
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 14 reviews
Headquarters: Oakland, CA
About Definery
Definery is a digital product design and innovation company that transforms ideas into products. It works across multiple industries, including fintech, privacy, security, CPG, AI & ML, bio, pharma, IoT, cannabis, insurance, music, legal, and telecom.
Portfolio Clients
Salesforce, Epic Games, A3 Ventures, Azlo, BBVA, Card.com, Denizen, Facebook, Dialpad, Lucidworks, StrivePD, West
Services
- UI/UX design
- Digital product innovation
- Testing
- Prototyping
What Clients Say About Definery
“They have a really energizing, people-first culture, and a cohesive and close-knit team that really enjoy working together…the second thing you will notice is the talent—and not just at an individual level, but a real dream team…A really fast, incredibly smart, very experienced, super productive, and unimaginably creative [team].” Co-Founder & CEO, Parsnip
3. Funsize
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 10 reviews
Headquarters: Austin, TX
About Funsize
Funsize is a product design agency that strategizes, creates, and optimizes digital products and experiences. It works with small and large product teams around the world to bring new products to market, evolve digital products and services, and explore future opportunities.
Portfolio Clients
Volvo Cars, Toast, Northwestern Mutual, Dell, Electronic Arts, Credit Karma, Capital One, Oracle, AT&T, AlienVault, GoDaddy, Toyota, Honeywell, Adobe, OpenTable, PayPal, Groupon
Services
- New technology design
- Visual language transformation
- User research
- Product design
- Prototyping
- Team augmentation
What Clients Say About Funsize
“They were great; I can’t say enough nice things about them. They really care for their clients…The entire team at Funsize was invested in how we wanted to succeed [and] what we needed to get done.” – Design Director, GoDaddy
4. BiTE Interactive
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 9 reviews
Headquarters: Austin, TX
About BiTE Interactive
BiTE Interactive is a mobile product studio dedicated to Jobs-to-be-Done strategy, accessible design, and behavior-driven development of iOS and Android applications.
Portfolio Clients
Prudential, Infiniti, NASA, H&R Block, Nestle, Rachael Ray, CA Technologies, PRA Health Sciences, General Mills
Services
- Product strategy
- UX design
- iOS development
- Android development
- IoT development
- Backend engineering
- Code rescue
- Cross-platform development
- Behavior-driven development
- Embedded team support
What Clients Say About BiTE Interactive
“The time and attention they spent to understand our underlying needs were outstanding. It’s easy to get prescriptive and say ‘based on my experiences…’ but they set aside their preconceived notions understood our process through documentation, stakeholder interviews, and collaborative reviews.” – Executive Director, Product Team, Mobile Tech Platform
Visit BiTE Interactive’s Website
5. AJProTech
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 6 reviews
Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA
About AJProTech
AJProTech is an engineering partner that builds consumer electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) products, and mobile applications. It works with companies of all sizes, from solo-founder startups to Fortune 500 corporations.
Portfolio Clients
Google, Fedora Lab, Hyundai, ABOM, Guardio Safety, Kinetic Ceramics, KWLocks, Exxon Mobile
Services
- Product ideation and planning
- Feasibility studies
- Hardware engineering
- Prototyping
- Product and mechanical design
- Software development
- Mobile application development
- Computer vision
What Clients Say About AJProTech
“Overall, we were impressed that they were able to overcome certain design challenges during our partnership…They were committed to figuring things out…They kept iterating until we received what we wanted.” Founder, Gaming Startup
6. Metova
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 5 reviews
Headquarters: Franklin, TN
About Metova
Metova is a strategic digital product agency that creates mobile applications, web applications, and IoT products. Its expertise spans multiple industries, including telehealth, telemedicine, heavy equipment, and fleet management.
Portfolio Clients
Dropbox, Yelp, Blue Cross Blue Shield, eHarmony, WebMD, TruGreen, SiriusXM, Acxiom, Department of State, Department of Defense
Services
- Research and strategy
- Tech assessments
- Product design
- UI/UX design
- Custom software development
- Mobile application development
- Internet of Things (IoT) development
- QA testing
- Maintenance and support
What Clients Say About Metova
“Their responsiveness was impressive, and they were willing to work hard for our business even though we are a really small company. We felt heard, important to them.” – Co-Founder, SILO Compliance System
7. Tarlow Design
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 3 reviews
Headquarters: San Rafael, CA
About Tarlow Design
Tarlow Design is an industrial design firm that turns great ideas into profitable products. It's a one-stop solution for product design, prototyping, engineering, patenting, and manufacturing assistance.
Portfolio Clients
Sharper Image, Hartleigh Creations, Smart Inventions, Spitfire Ventures, The Donut Factory, Fast Track Tie Rack, Chute Lamp
Services
- Prototype construction
- CAD engineering drawings
- Patents and patent searches
- Manufacturing assistance
- Licensing assistance
What Clients Say About Tarlow Design
“Tarlow Design is very experienced and competent…They had the ability to not just design and build my product, but also to take it to the next stage, which is commercialization… The entire project has changed my way of thinking and has made me very optimistic about the future of my device.” – Patent Attorney, Self-Employed
8. Intuitio Labs
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 3 reviews
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
About Intuitio Labs
Intuitio Labs is a full-service agency that designs, builds, grows, and maintains digital products. Its global team of 65 people is spread throughout the US, Canada, India, and Croatia.
Portfolio Clients
Gravy, Mile Auto, TuneCore Social, Ikonik Golf, Movin’ Nutrition, Rocket Partners, Knots & Vows
Services
- Product consulting
- Product design
- UI/UX design
- Full-cycle development
- Prototyping and MVP build
- Website development
- Mobile application development
- eCommerce implementation
- CRM design and implementation
What Clients Say About Intuitio Labs
“The team takes pride in their work and their deliverables are of high quality…They think beyond the requests and ask smart questions to arrive at efficient solutions.” – Head of Product, Training Company
9. Cartisien Interactive
Clutch Score: 5.0 stars, 2 reviews
Headquarters: Greenville, SC
About Cartisien Interactive
Cartisien Interactive is a boutique product design and development studio that helps startups build products and bring their visions to life. Its team designs intuitive user-centered dashboards and SaaS applications.
Portfolio Clients
Reddit, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Nintendo, Riot Games, Microsoft, Saatchi & Saatchi, Macy's, eBay
Services
- Product and marketing UX strategy
- SaaS application design
- UI and visual design
- Front-end engineering
- Platform integrations
- Prototyping
- Custom CMS development
- Mobile app design and development
What Clients Say About Cartisien Interactive
“We selected Cartisien Interactive from six different consultancies because their past work closely matched our business goals…The partnership was seamless…The team took feedback well and iterated quickly.” – Co-Founder, Tempo Automation
Visit Cartisien Interactive’s Website
Commonalities Among the Top Product Development Companies
It’s not easy to build a five-star product development company. A lot takes place behind the scenes to ensure projects go smoothly and customers are delighted. There are some common criteria that significantly affect customer experience during the product development process:
- Communication and collaboration: How well the team communicates and collaborates effectively both internally and with clients.
- Project management: How effective the provider is at keeping the project on track from launch to finish.
- On-time and within budget: Whether the product is delivered within the original estimated timeline and stayed within budget, or how any overages were handled.
Organizations that deliver on these criteria typically have intelligent planning systems, like Mosaic, in place that streamline and standardize their planning processes so product teams can obsess over serving the customer—rather than waste time on administrative tasks and data entry.
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