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TL;DR
- Design Shifu starts at $549/month (monthly) or $458/month (annual). Every plan runs on 1 project per day, processed in a queue. Higher tiers add service types, not more daily projects.
- Flocksy starts at $1,699/month (monthly) or $1,199/month (annual) for 2 daily hours (42 hours/month). Higher tiers add more daily hours.
- Flocksy includes video, motion, and 140+ creative services on every plan. Design Shifu includes motion design and animation on its Scale plan ($1,099/month).
- Both offer unlimited requests and revisions, no contracts, cancel anytime, and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- The core difference is what you pay for: Design Shifu sells a daily project cadence; Flocksy sells blocks of dedicated time.
Design Shifu and Flocksy are both unlimited graphic design subscriptions. You pay a flat monthly rate, submit as many requests as you like, and get unlimited revisions. But they measure capacity in different units.
Design Shifu works on a project cadence: one project per day, delivered in a queue. Flocksy works on time: a fixed number of dedicated hours each business day.
That one difference shapes everything else, including price, which kinds of work fit best, and how far your plan stretches. This comparison lays out both side by side, with the figures taken from each provider's pricing page.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Prices change periodically. Confirm current rates on the Design Shifu pricing page and the Flocksy pricing page before you decide.
Full Plan Lineup
Design Shifu plans
Annual billing on Design Shifu equals two months free.
Flocksy plans
Flocksy also offers 7- and 8-hour plans, plus custom plans above 8 hours.
How Does Each Pricing Model Actually Work?
Design Shifu: a daily project cadence
On Design Shifu, your requests go into a queue. Your team works on one project per day and delivers first drafts within 24 hours, six days a week. You can keep the queue as full as you want. Projects are completed in order.
Upgrading doesn't add more daily projects. It widens what you can request: Growth adds illustration, UI/UX, email templates, and Webflow/Framer work. Scale adds motion design and animation.
Flocksy: blocks of dedicated time
On Flocksy, you buy a number of dedicated hours per business day. How much you get done depends on how long each request takes. A quick social graphic uses a small slice of your day. A full video edit might use several days.
Upgrading adds hours. All plans include Flocksy's full list of 140+ services, including video and motion.
What Does That Look Like in Practice?
Here are two example workloads. The time estimates are illustrative, not quotes from either provider. Real time varies with complexity and revision rounds.
Example 1: A steady stream of small requests
Suppose your team needs about 20 social graphics and ad variations a month, each fairly quick to produce.
- Design Shifu Starter ($549/month): One project per day, six days a week, covers roughly 24–26 projects a month. That fits 20 requests with room to spare.
- Flocksy 2 Daily Hours ($1,199/month annual): 42 hours a month. If each graphic takes around an hour, that covers the workload too, and leftover hours roll over for up to 30 days.
Both handle this workload. The main difference is price.
Example 2: Fewer, larger requests with video
Now suppose your team needs four product videos (each around 60–90 seconds) plus a handful of static assets each month.
- Design Shifu: Video and motion work needs the Scale plan ($1,099/month, or $916/month annual).
- Flocksy: Video and motion editing are included from the entry plan. If each video takes six to eight hours to edit, four of them would use most of the 42 hours on the 2 Daily Hours plan. A heavier video workload may call for a higher tier.
For video-heavy teams, compare Design Shifu Scale with the Flocksy tier that matches your monthly editing hours.
Where Do Design Shifu and Flocksy Differ Most?
Pricing unit
This is the biggest difference. With Design Shifu, you know exactly how many projects move forward each day. With Flocksy, you know exactly how many hours you get, but how many requests that covers depends on the work.
Entry price
Design Shifu has the lower starting price: $549/month on monthly billing ($458 annual). Flocksy starts at $1,699/month on monthly billing ($1,199 annual).
Service breadth
Flocksy lists 140+ creative services on every plan, including video editing, motion, illustration, web, and presentations. Design Shifu's service scope grows by tier: Growth adds illustration, UI/UX, email, and Webflow/Framer work, and Scale adds motion design and animation.
Team support
Design Shifu's Starter plan includes 2 designers and a dedicated account manager, and Scale adds full design team access. Flocksy assigns the same dedicated designer, video editor, motion editor, and illustrator on every plan. It adds a Production Coordinator at 4+ daily hours and an Art Director at 6+ daily hours.
Which Design Subscription Fits Your Team?
Design Shifu may fit if you:
- Want the lowest starting price of the two
- Send a steady flow of graphic design requests and prefer a predictable one-project-per-day cadence
- Want support six days a week and 24-hour first drafts
- Need motion design occasionally and are fine with the Scale plan when you do
Flocksy may fit if you:
- Need video editing and motion work on every plan
- Prefer to budget in hours rather than projects
- Have larger requests whose time varies a lot from one to the next
- Want unused hours to roll over within 30 days
Both include unlimited requests and revisions, no contracts, and a 14-day money-back guarantee. So you can test either one with little risk.
The Bottom Line
Choosing between these two unlimited graphic design subscriptions mostly comes down to one question: do you want to plan in projects or in hours?
If your work is mainly graphic design at a steady pace, Design Shifu's project cadence keeps things simple at a lower starting price. If video and motion are central to what you produce, Flocksy's hours-based plans include them from the first tier.
Want to see how a daily project cadence works for your team? Compare Design Shifu plans and start with the 14-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
How are Design Shifu and Flocksy different?
Design Shifu prices by a daily project cadence: every plan delivers one project per day from a queue, and higher tiers add service types. Flocksy prices by daily hours, from 2 to 8+ hours per business day, and higher tiers add time. Flocksy includes video and motion on every plan; Design Shifu includes motion design and animation on its Scale plan.
Which is cheaper, Design Shifu or Flocksy?
Design Shifu has the lower starting price: $549/month on monthly billing, or $458/month on annual billing. Flocksy starts at $1,699/month on monthly billing, or $1,199/month on annual billing. Real value depends on how much work you submit and whether your requests fit a project-based or hours-based model.
Does Design Shifu or Flocksy offer video editing?
Flocksy includes video editing and motion work on all plans as part of its 140+ services. Design Shifu includes motion design and animation on its Scale plan ($1,099/month, or $916/month on annual billing).
How many requests can I get done per month?
On Design Shifu, you get one project per day, six days a week, so roughly 24–26 projects a month on any plan. On Flocksy, it depends on how long each request takes: the entry plan includes 42 hours a month, and unused hours roll over for up to 30 days.
Do both offer unlimited revisions?
Yes. Both Design Shifu and Flocksy include unlimited revisions on every plan.
Can I cancel anytime with either service?
Yes. Both are no-contract and cancel anytime, and both offer a 14-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers. Design Shifu also lets you pause your subscription.
What's the difference between monthly and annual pricing?
Both providers charge less per month when you pay annually. Design Shifu's annual plans equal two months free (Starter drops from $549 to $458/month). Flocksy's annual plans save roughly 29–33% (the entry plan drops from $1,699 to $1,199/month).
About the author
Sameena is an Organic Growth Specialist and Content Writer at Design Shifu, crafting SEO-driven content that boosts visibility, builds brand authority, and drives meaningful organic growth.
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