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Why Rubik

Process

Pricing

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Services

Why Rubik

Process

Pricing

Let's Talk

Book a Call

Services

Why Rubik

Process

Pricing

Let's Talk

Book a Call

Rubik vs. Penji: Which Design Subscription is Right for Your Startup?

As a founder, you know world-class design is essential. But traditional agencies are slow and expensive, and a senior designer is a six-figure commitment.

Book A Call

Rubik vs. Penji: Which Design Subscription is Right for Your Startup?

As a founder, you know world-class design is essential. But traditional agencies are slow and expensive, and a senior designer is a six-figure commitment.

Book A Call

Rubik vs. Penji: Which Design Subscription is Right for Your Startup?

As a founder, you know world-class design is essential. But traditional agencies are slow and expensive, and a senior designer is a six-figure commitment.

Book A Call

Rubik vs. Penji: Which Design Subscription is Right for Your Startup?

As a founder, you know world-class design is essential. But traditional agencies are slow and expensive, and a senior designer is a six-figure commitment.

Book A Call

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Quick Verdict: Is Rubik or Penji Better for Startups?

Rubik is best for startups needing a complete, end-to-end solution for both design and Framer development. Penji is built for businesses that need a large volume of graphic design and marketing assets at an extremely affordable price point.

Rubik's team model is built for complex, parallel work. Penji's model is a production line for unlimited graphic design requests, handled one at a time.

Quick Verdict: Is Rubik or Penji Better for Startups?

Rubik's team model is built for complex, parallel work. Penji's model is a production line for unlimited graphic design requests, handled one at a time.

Quick Verdict: Is Rubik or Penji Better for Startups?

Rubik's team model is built for complex, parallel work. Penji's model is a production line for unlimited graphic design requests, handled one at a time.

Quick Verdict: Is Rubik or Penji Better for Startups?

Rubik's team model is built for complex, parallel work. Penji's model is a production line for unlimited graphic design requests, handled one at a time.

Feature	Rubik	Penji
Core Model	✅ On-demand, multi-disciplinary team	❌ High-volume graphic design team
Best For	✅ Startups needing design & Framer	✅ SMBs needing marketing assets
Throughput	✅ Unlimited, parallel requests	❌ One request at a time
Tech Stack	✅ Framer & No-Code	🟡 Graphic Design (No Dev)
Founder(s)	✅ Ex-startup founders	✅ Volume provider model
Price	✅ Starts at $1,500/mo	⭐ Starts at ~$499/mo

The Core Model

On-Demand Framer Team vs. The High-Volume Graphic Design Service

Rubik's On-Demand Team Model

Rubik operates like an extension of your own team. For a flat monthly fee, you get a multi-disciplinary team of designers and developers with a specific focus on Framer.

Penji's High-Volume Graphic Design Model

Penji functions as an outsourced graphic design department. They leverage a global talent pool to offer unlimited graphic design requests for a low flat monthly fee.

How it works

Best For

Rubik

Submit unlimited requests in Slack. Your dedicated team works on them in parallel, delivering daily updates. The model is built for speed and high throughput on complex projects, eliminating bottlenecks.

Fast-moving startups that need to tackle multiple design and development tasks simultaneously, from marketing sites to UI updates.

Penji

Clients subscribe and submit requests through Penji's platform. A designer is assigned to work on one request at a time, delivering drafts within 24-48 hours. The model is built for quantity and affordability.

SMBs, marketing teams, and agencies that need a constant stream of marketing materials, social media graphics, and illustrations.

The Core Model

On-Demand Framer Team vs. The High-Volume Graphic Design Service

Rubik's On-Demand Team Model

Rubik operates like an extension of your own team. For a flat monthly fee, you get a multi-disciplinary team of designers and developers with a specific focus on Framer.

Penji's High-Volume Graphic Design Model

Penji functions as an outsourced graphic design department. They leverage a global talent pool to offer unlimited graphic design requests for a low flat monthly fee.

How it works

Best For

Rubik

Fast-moving startups that need to tackle multiple design and development tasks simultaneously, from marketing sites to UI updates.

Penji

SMBs, marketing teams, and agencies that need a constant stream of marketing materials, social media graphics, and illustrations.

The Core Model

On-Demand Framer Team vs. The High-Volume Graphic Design Service

Rubik's On-Demand Team Model

Rubik operates like an extension of your own team. For a flat monthly fee, you get a multi-disciplinary team of designers and developers with a specific focus on Framer.

Penji's High-Volume Graphic Design Model

Penji functions as an outsourced graphic design department. They leverage a global talent pool to offer unlimited graphic design requests for a low flat monthly fee.

How it works

Best For

Rubik

Fast-moving startups that need to tackle multiple design and development tasks simultaneously, from marketing sites to UI updates.

Penji

SMBs, marketing teams, and agencies that need a constant stream of marketing materials, social media graphics, and illustrations.

The Core Model

On-Demand Framer Team vs. The High-Volume Graphic Design Service

Rubik's On-Demand Team Model

Rubik operates like an extension of your own team. For a flat monthly fee, you get a multi-disciplinary team of designers and developers with a specific focus on Framer.

Penji's High-Volume Graphic Design Model

Penji functions as an outsourced graphic design department. They leverage a global talent pool to offer unlimited graphic design requests for a low flat monthly fee.

How it works

Best For

Rubik

Fast-moving startups that need to tackle multiple design and development tasks simultaneously, from marketing sites to UI updates.

Penji

SMBs, marketing teams, and agencies that need a constant stream of marketing materials, social media graphics, and illustrations.

Tech Stack

Framer-First vs. Graphic Design-Focused

Framer-First vs. General Design Expertise

Rubik: The Framer-First Advantage

Rubik specializes in Framer, helping startups launch interactive sites quickly without code. The focus on Framer and Relume means production-ready sites are delivered in days, not weeks. Founders can easily manage their sites post-launch.

Penji: Graphic Design-Focused, No Development

Penji is a design-only service focused on creating assets in tools like Adobe Creative Suite. Their core strengths are in graphic design, illustrations, and marketing collateral. While higher-tier plans include UI design, they do not offer any coding or website development in Framer, Webflow, or any other platform.

Pricing & Value

All-Inclusive Flat-Rate vs. Low-Cost, Tiered Production

Predictable Flat-Rate vs. Tiered Individual Access

Rubik: Predictable Growth Investment

Rubik's pricing is simple and predictable.

On-Demand Design Team: $1,500/month for unlimited design and Framer development requests.
Website Management: Starts at $99/month for ongoing website edits and support.

The value lies in unlimited, parallel throughput for both strategic design and development in a single subscription.

Penji: Low-Cost, High-Volume Tiers

Penji's pricing is designed to be highly accessible.

Pro Plan: ~$499/month for unlimited graphic design, illustrations, and logos.
Team Plan: ~$699/month adds presentations and basic web design (UI only).
Agency Plan: ~$999/month adds custom illustrations and motion graphics.

The value is in securing a high-volume production team for the cost of a freelance designer for a few days.

Communication & Workflow

Agile Collaboration vs. Platform-Based Production

Communication & Workflow: Agile Collaboration vs. A Centralized Platform

Rubik: Built for Startup Speed

Rubik’s workflow is designed for agility. Communication happens asynchronously in a dedicated Slack channel, where you can collaborate directly with your design team. Requests are submitted via a simple brief, and you receive daily progress updates, ensuring a constant feedback loop.

Rubik: Built for Startup Speed

Penji: Platform-Based Production Line

Penji uses a custom platform to manage all requests. Clients submit a brief, and a designer picks it up. Communication and revisions happen within the platform. The workflow is highly structured and optimized for simple, repeatable graphic design tasks.

Penji: Platform-Based Production Line

The Founders

Startup Experience vs. The Volume Provider Model

Rubik: Built by Founders, for Founders

Rubik was built by founders to solve the design bottleneck they faced. The entire service, from async Slack comms to the Framer stack, is tailored for startup speed and agility.

Penji: The Volume Provider Model

Penji's model is built on operational efficiency. By leveraging a global talent pool and a streamlined platform, they can offer a high volume of creative work at a market-leading low price, democratizing access to professional design.

At-a-Glance Feature Comparison

Feature	Rubik	Penji	Notes
Core Services
UI/UX Design	✅	🟡	Penji offers basic UI in higher tiers, but it's not their specialty.
Branding	✅	✅	Both services offer branding and logo design.
Graphic Design	✅	⭐	Key Differentiator: This is Penji's core strength.
Development
Framer Development	✅	❌	Key Differentiator: Penji does not offer any development.
Webflow Development	❌	❌	Neither service offers Webflow development.
Motion Graphics	❌	✅	Included in Penji's "Agency" plan.
Workflow & Communication
One-Time Project Option	❌	❌	Both services are subscription-focused.
Request Management	Unlimited, Parallel Queue	One request at a time	Rubik's model is built for complexity; Penji's for volume.
Flexibility & Terms
Pause or Cancel Anytime	✅	✅	Both offer monthly flexibility.
Team Access	Full, multi-disciplinary team	Dedicated designer per task	Rubik provides a consistent team; Penji assigns the next available designer.

Who is Rubik For?

Rubik is the ideal partner for founders and startups that:

Need an end-to-end solution, from design to a live, production-ready website.
Want to build their website on Framer for maximum speed and interactivity.
Need to move extremely fast and handle multiple, complex requests at once.
Value the strategic input and collaborative power of a full, multi-disciplinary team.

Who is Penji For?

Penji is an excellent choice for founders and companies that:

Need a high volume of graphic design work like social media posts, ads, and flyers.
Are looking for the most affordable way to access unlimited design requests.
Do not require website development or complex product design.

Have a budget of ~$500 - $1,000/month.

Conclusion

Specialized Startup Partner vs. Scalable Graphic Design Workforce

Choosing between Rubik and Penji is a choice between a strategic partner for building a product and an affordable workforce for producing marketing assets.

Penji offers an unbeatable value proposition for businesses that need a high quantity of graphic design. They function as a scalable, on-demand production line for all your marketing creative.

Rubik is built for the focused needs of startups. Its specialized team handles both design and development in Framer, creating a lean, powerful, and end-to-end partnership that turns ideas into live products with speed and precision.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We keep things simple, but we know you might have questions.

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1. Why is Penji so much cheaper than Rubik?

Penji's model is optimized for affordability. They use a global talent pool and focus on more standardized graphic design tasks, which allows them to offer a lower price. Rubik provides a more specialized, multi-disciplinary team that includes developers for complex product and web projects.

1. Why is Penji so much cheaper than Rubik?

2. Can I pause or cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes. Both services are designed to be flexible, allowing you to pause or cancel your subscription monthly.

2. Can I pause or cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes. Both services are designed to be flexible, allowing you to pause or cancel your subscription monthly.

2. Can I pause or cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes. Both services are designed to be flexible, allowing you to pause or cancel your subscription monthly.

2. Can I pause or cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes. Both services are designed to be flexible, allowing you to pause or cancel your subscription monthly.

3. Does Penji build websites?

No. Penji's higher-tier plans include web and app design (the visual UI), but they do not provide any coding or development. You would receive the design files and need to hire a separate developer to build the actual site.

3. Does Penji build websites?

4. Why is an integrated design and development model better for an early-stage startup?

For startups that need to launch and iterate quickly, an integrated model like Rubik's eliminates the friction and time delay of a "handoff" between designer and developer. The same team that designs the product also builds it in Framer, leading to faster launches and more cohesive results.