Compare · Penji
Recast or Penji: graphics at volume, or a product.
Penji is a graphic design subscription with three plans, at $995, $1,995 and $4,500 a month, working two, three or four projects at a time. Recast is one product design plan at $3,900 a month: five tasks at once, one lead designer as your contact, with front-end build and Arabic design included. Choose Penji if most of your requests are ads, social graphics, illustrations and decks; choose Recast if the work is a product's screens and the code behind them.
Checked · by Daniel Makhamreh, lead designer at Recast
- Recast
- $3,900 a month. One plan. Five tasks worked at once.
- Penji
- $995, $1,995 or $4,500 a month on its pricing page, for 2, 3 or 4 active workstreams.
- Turnaround
- Recast: first concepts in 48 hours, every day. Penji: one business day on Essentials, same day on Agency Partner.
- Your designer
- Recast: one lead designer on every call. Penji: the same designer is not guaranteed below Dedicated Team.
- Refund
- Recast: 14 days, in full. Penji: 30 days, in full.
- Build
- Recast: included. Penji: front-end development on the $4,500 plan only.
The short version
What is the difference between Recast and Penji?
Penji is a production service for graphic design, and Recast is a product design studio. Penji's site describes more than 120 design categories, from ads, social posts and illustrations to merchandise and print, with UX/UI as one category among them. Recast does one family of work: product screens and flows, design systems, websites, and the front end built from them.
Penji sells three plans. Essentials is $995 a month for two active workstreams, Agency Partner is $1,995 for three, and Dedicated Team is $4,500 for four. Recast sells one plan, $3,900 a month, with five tasks worked at once.
Oversight changes with the Penji tier. Its pricing page says Essentials is self-managed, with project managers and no art director; Agency Partner adds an art director; Dedicated Team adds a senior art director. On Recast one lead designer is on every call and accountable for every design choice, and there is no lower tier where that is missing.
Side by side
How do Recast and Penji compare, line by line?
Penji is faster on small assets, cheaper on two of its three plans, and has a longer refund window. Recast works more tasks at once, includes the build below Penji's top price, and gives you the same lead designer throughout.
The Penji column is taken from its pricing page and its scope-of-service page as they read on 12 October 2026.
| What is compared | Recast | Penji |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,900 a month, billed monthly. One plan. | Essentials $995, Agency Partner $1,995, Dedicated Team $4,500 a month. Discounts are listed for quarterly and yearly billing. |
| Tasks worked at once | Five, with the rest queued in your order. | Two, three or four active workstreams, by plan. The queue itself has no limit. |
| Turnaround | First concepts in 48 hours, counted in real hours. | One business day on Essentials, same day on Agency Partner, real-time collaboration on Dedicated Team. |
| Working days | Every day of the week. | Not stated on their pricing or scope page. Turnaround is quoted in business days. |
| Who does the work | A studio team. One lead designer is your contact and is accountable for every design choice. | Penji's own employed designers, in more than 20 countries. The same designer is not guaranteed below Dedicated Team. |
| Creative oversight | The lead designer, on every call. | A project manager on Essentials, an art director on Agency Partner, a senior art director on Dedicated Team. |
| Product and UX design | The core of the plan, with usability testing on request. | The scope page lists a UX/UI category that includes app design, website design and wireframing. |
| Revisions | Unlimited, on every task. | Made by annotating the design in Penji's platform. A limit is not stated on their pricing page. |
| Refund and cancellation | Full refund within 14 days. Cancel in one click, no notice period. | Full refund within 30 days. No contracts and no cancellation fees. |
| Build included | Front-end build hours in React, Next.js, Webflow or Framer. | Front-end development on the Dedicated Team plan only. |
| Arabic and right-to-left | Included. English and Arabic designed natively on the same flow. | Not stated on their pricing or scope page. |
| White-label for agencies | Included at no extra charge. | A white-label agency platform on the Agency Partner plan. |
Price
- Recast
- $3,900 a month, billed monthly. One plan.
- Penji
- Essentials $995, Agency Partner $1,995, Dedicated Team $4,500 a month. Discounts are listed for quarterly and yearly billing.
Tasks worked at once
- Recast
- Five, with the rest queued in your order.
- Penji
- Two, three or four active workstreams, by plan. The queue itself has no limit.
Turnaround
- Recast
- First concepts in 48 hours, counted in real hours.
- Penji
- One business day on Essentials, same day on Agency Partner, real-time collaboration on Dedicated Team.
Working days
- Recast
- Every day of the week.
- Penji
- Not stated on their pricing or scope page. Turnaround is quoted in business days.
Who does the work
- Recast
- A studio team. One lead designer is your contact and is accountable for every design choice.
- Penji
- Penji's own employed designers, in more than 20 countries. The same designer is not guaranteed below Dedicated Team.
Creative oversight
- Recast
- The lead designer, on every call.
- Penji
- A project manager on Essentials, an art director on Agency Partner, a senior art director on Dedicated Team.
Product and UX design
- Recast
- The core of the plan, with usability testing on request.
- Penji
- The scope page lists a UX/UI category that includes app design, website design and wireframing.
Revisions
- Recast
- Unlimited, on every task.
- Penji
- Made by annotating the design in Penji's platform. A limit is not stated on their pricing page.
Refund and cancellation
- Recast
- Full refund within 14 days. Cancel in one click, no notice period.
- Penji
- Full refund within 30 days. No contracts and no cancellation fees.
Build included
- Recast
- Front-end build hours in React, Next.js, Webflow or Framer.
- Penji
- Front-end development on the Dedicated Team plan only.
Arabic and right-to-left
- Recast
- Included. English and Arabic designed natively on the same flow.
- Penji
- Not stated on their pricing or scope page.
White-label for agencies
- Recast
- Included at no extra charge.
- Penji
- A white-label agency platform on the Agency Partner plan.
Penji's figures and terms are from penji.co/pricing and penji.co/scope-of-service, read on 12 October 2026. Check their site for the current ones.
The honest part
When is Penji the better choice?
Penji is the better choice when most of what you need is graphic design in volume, when the budget is under $2,000 a month, or when you want a longer refund window.
Marketing graphics, every day
Ad creatives, social assets, illustrations, infographics and presentations are on every Penji plan. That is the work its plans are built around.
Video and motion
Short-form video and motion graphics are included from Agency Partner up. Recast's plan does not include video.
A budget under $2,000
Essentials is $995 a month and Agency Partner $1,995. Recast has no plan at that level; the nearest thing is the $490 pilot, which lasts one week.
Small assets, the same day
Penji lists one business day on Essentials and same day on Agency Partner. Recast's first concepts arrive within 48 hours.
Thirty days to decide
Penji refunds the first month within 30 days. Recast's refund window is 14.
The other side
When is Recast the better choice?
Recast is the better choice when the work is a product, when you want the same accountable designer every time, and when the design has to be built.
Product design is the whole job
Flows, states, a maintained design system and usability testing on request, delivered as developer-ready Figma with components, tokens and spec frames.
The same designer, from the first call
Penji's page says the same designer is not guaranteed below Dedicated Team. On Recast one lead designer is your contact throughout.
The build without the top tier
Penji lists front-end development on its $4,500 plan only. Recast includes build hours in React, Next.js, Webflow or Framer at $3,900.
Five in parallel
Penji's largest plan lists four active workstreams. Recast works five tasks at once.
Arabic, and the weekend
English and Arabic are designed natively on the same flow, and the team works every day of the week.
The numbers
What does each cost over three and twelve months?
Over twelve months on monthly billing, Penji costs $11,940, $23,940 or $54,000 depending on the plan, and Recast costs $46,800. Penji's two lower plans cost far less than Recast; its top plan costs $7,200 a year more.
The sums: $995 × 12 = $11,940. $1,995 × 12 = $23,940. $4,500 × 12 = $54,000. $3,900 × 12 = $46,800. Penji's pricing page also lists 15% off for quarterly billing and 20% off for yearly billing, which lowers its figures if you commit for longer. Recast has no annual option and no discount.
The like-for-like comparison is Dedicated Team against Recast, because that is the Penji plan with front-end development and a dedicated designer. There the difference is $600 a month, for four workstreams against five tasks.
| What is compared | Recast | Penji Essentials | Penji Agency Partner | Penji Dedicated Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One month | $3,900 | $995 | $1,995 | $4,500 |
| Three months | $11,700 | $2,985 | $5,985 | $13,500 |
| Twelve months | $46,800 | $11,940 | $23,940 | $54,000 |
| Worked at once | Five tasks | Two workstreams | Three workstreams | Four workstreams |
One month
- Recast
- $3,900
- Penji Essentials
- $995
- Penji Agency Partner
- $1,995
- Penji Dedicated Team
- $4,500
Three months
- Recast
- $11,700
- Penji Essentials
- $2,985
- Penji Agency Partner
- $5,985
- Penji Dedicated Team
- $13,500
Twelve months
- Recast
- $46,800
- Penji Essentials
- $11,940
- Penji Agency Partner
- $23,940
- Penji Dedicated Team
- $54,000
Worked at once
- Recast
- Five tasks
- Penji Essentials
- Two workstreams
- Penji Agency Partner
- Three workstreams
- Penji Dedicated Team
- Four workstreams
Penji's monthly-billing prices as read on penji.co/pricing on 12 October 2026, before its quarterly and yearly discounts.
Questions
Asked before the call.
Is Penji cheaper than Recast?
- Two of its three plans are. Essentials is $995 a month and Agency Partner $1,995, against Recast at $3,900. Penji's Dedicated Team plan is $4,500 a month, which is $600 more than Recast.
Does Penji do UX and UI design?
- Yes. Its scope page lists a UX/UI category that includes app design, website design and wireframing, and web and landing page design is on every plan. Front-end development is listed on the Dedicated Team plan only.
Will I get the same designer every time on Penji?
- Penji's pricing page says it is not guaranteed: you can request a favourite through your project manager, and a fully dedicated designer comes with the Dedicated Team plan. On Recast one lead designer is your point of contact throughout.
Which Penji plan is closest to Recast?
- Dedicated Team, at $4,500 a month. It is the plan with front-end development, a dedicated designer and a senior art director, and it lists four active workstreams. Recast at $3,900 works five tasks at once and includes the build, a maintained design system and Arabic design.
Can an agency white-label Penji or Recast?
- Both, in different ways. Penji's Agency Partner plan, $1,995 a month, includes a white-label agency platform. Recast includes white-label delivery in its one plan at no extra charge.
Should I use Penji for graphics and Recast for the product?
- It is a sensible split. Penji's Essentials plan covers ads, social graphics and presentations for $995 a month, and Recast covers the product's screens, design system and front end for $3,900. Together that is $4,895 a month on monthly billing.
Sources
Other companies change their prices and terms. If something here is out of date, write to hello@recastux.com and we correct it.
Twenty minutes. Your product on the screen.
The pilot call is with the lead designer who would run your work. Show the screens that bother you most, pick up to 3 tasks for a one-week pilot, and leave knowing the price and the scope. The call is free; the pilot is $490 once, credited against your first month.