Studio Designer pricing: $69–$119 per user, and what that means at five seats
Studio Designer bills per user, not per firm. Exact tier prices from its own pricing page, checked 2026-07-31, and what a three- or five-person studio actually pays.
By Idan Mann, founder of NYA
The short answer
Studio Designer is billed per user, not per firm: $69 to $119 per user per month depending on tier and billing cycle, from its own pricing page. The seat maths compounds fast — a three-person studio pays $207/mo on Essentials annual billing, and five people pay $345/mo.
All competitor prices on this page were taken from the vendor's own pricing page on July 31, 2026 and are linked at the bottom. Prices change — tell us if you spot one that has.
Studio Designer publishes every tier price, while Houzz Pro publishes Pro and quote-gates Custom. The thing to understand is that every Studio Designer figure is per user — so the number you see is not the number your firm pays.
Published tiers
| Tier | Annual billing | Monthly billing | Charged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $69 / user / mo | $79 / user / mo | Per user |
| Enterprise | $79 / user / mo | $89 / user / mo | Per user |
| Premier | $109 / user / mo | $119 / user / mo | Per user |
What the tiers actually differ on
All three tiers include project management and the double-entry accounting Studio Designer is known for — the ledger is not an upsell. In the page's own words, Essentials is "a streamlined set of project management and accounting features" with "a limited set of customization and support options"; Enterprise — the tier the page marks as popular — is "a comprehensive set" with "a robust selection of customization and support options"; and Premier adds "several high-touch support and service offerings." The feature matrix pattern is Standard versus Advanced on reports, proposals, purchase orders and invoices as you move up.
Three billing rules that are easy to miss
- Everyone needs a seat. There is no flat firm price at any tier — every person in the software is a paid user, at the full tier rate.
- You can upgrade mid-subscription, but not downgrade. The pricing page's own FAQ states a firm can move from Essentials up to Enterprise or Premier mid-term, but can only step a tier down when the annual subscription period ends. Pick the lower tier first if you are unsure — the door only swings one way until renewal.
- Your bookkeeper can be half price. Accountants, CPAs and bookkeepers in Studio Designer's Financial Consultant Partner program pay 50% of the selected tier's user rate; consultants outside the program pay full price. If an outside bookkeeper runs your books, ask whether they are in the program before you do the seat maths.
What that multiplies out to
A three-person studio on Essentials pays $207 a month on annual billing. Five people on Premier pay $545. The software does not change — only the headcount does.
| Software | 1 seat | 3 seats | 5 seats | Billing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYA | $49 | $129 | $129 | Flat per firm |
| DesignFiles (Full Service) | $75 | $135 | $195 | $75 + $30/user |
| Programa (Pro, annual) | $71 | $133 | $195 | $71 + $31/seat |
| Studio Designer (Essentials, annual) | $69 | $207 | $345 | Per user |
| Studio Designer (Premier, annual) | $109 | $327 | $545 | Per user |
| Gather (Spec Pro) | $199 | $277 | $355 | $199 + $39/seat |
| Houzz Pro | $249 | $369 | $489 | $249 + $60/user |
- Over a year: one Essentials user is $828; a three-person studio is $2,484; five people are $4,140 on Essentials and $6,540 on Premier — all at the annual rates.
- The monthly-billing premium: every tier costs $10/user/mo more month-to-month, so a three-person studio paying monthly adds $360 a year for the flexibility.
- With a partner-program bookkeeper: three designers plus a half-rate bookkeeper on Essentials annual is $241.50/mo — the 50% discount softens, but does not remove, the per-user model.
How you actually start
There is no self-serve public trial: the pricing page routes new firms to a demo, followed by a walk through implementation options. The page's FAQ does describe a faster account-creation path for people who used Studio Designer at a previous firm. Budget for an onboarding process, not an afternoon signup.
Who Studio Designer is genuinely right for
Common questions
- Is Studio Designer priced per user or per firm?
- Per user. Its pricing page lists Essentials at $69, Enterprise at $79 and Premier at $109 per user per month on annual billing, checked 2026-07-31.
- What does Studio Designer cost for a team of five?
- On annual billing, five users on Essentials is $345 per month and five on Premier is $545 per month, based on the published per-user rates.
- Can I downgrade my Studio Designer tier?
- Not mid-subscription. Per the pricing page's own FAQ, firms can upgrade from Essentials to Enterprise or Premier at any time, but can only downgrade when the annual subscription period ends.
- Do accountants get a Studio Designer discount?
- Yes — accountants, CPAs and bookkeepers in Studio Designer's Financial Consultant Partner program receive a 50% discount on the selected tier's user rate. Consultants outside the program pay the full per-user price.
- Does Studio Designer have a free trial?
- Not a self-serve one. New firms go through a demo and an implementation conversation; the pricing page's FAQ describes a quicker account path only for people who used Studio Designer at a past company.