UI/UX Designer vs Web Designer: What's the Difference?

A detailed comparison of ui/ux designer and web designer freelancers — key differences, rates, and when to hire each for your project in Canada.

UI/UX designers and web designers both create visual designs for the web, which makes them easy to confuse. However, their scope, process, and skill depth differ significantly. A web designer typically creates the visual layout and aesthetic of websites — focusing on how pages look. A UI/UX designer takes a more research-driven approach, designing interfaces for digital products with a deep focus on user behavior, usability, and interaction design. In Canada's growing tech and creative sectors, knowing which designer to hire can mean the difference between a beautiful website and a product that actually works well for users.

Role Overview

UI/UX Designer

A UI/UX designer combines two disciplines: User Interface (UI) design and User Experience (UX) design. The UI side covers the visual design of interfaces — layouts, buttons, icons, typography, and color systems. The UX side involves researching user needs, creating wireframes, building prototypes, and testing designs with real users. In the Canadian market, UI/UX designers are essential for SaaS products, mobile apps, and complex web platforms where user satisfaction directly impacts business metrics. They approach design as a problem-solving discipline backed by user data.

Web Designer

A web designer creates the visual design for websites, focusing on aesthetics, layout, and the overall look and feel. They excel at creating visually compelling page designs, choosing color palettes, selecting typography, and arranging content for visual impact. Many web designers also have skills in HTML, CSS, and website builders like Webflow or WordPress. Canadian freelance web designers are commonly hired for corporate websites, portfolios, landing pages, and marketing sites where the primary goal is visual impact and clear content presentation.

Key Differences

Scope
UI/UX Designer: Designs complete digital product experiences — apps, SaaS platforms, and complex systems with multiple user flows and states.
Web Designer: Designs websites and web pages — focused on visual layout, content presentation, and page-level aesthetics.
Process
UI/UX Designer: Research-driven: user interviews, personas, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, usability testing, then visual design.
Web Designer: Visual-first: mood boards, style exploration, page layouts, responsive design, and final mockups.
User Research
UI/UX Designer: Central to the role. Conducts user interviews, usability tests, surveys, and analyzes user behavior data to inform design decisions.
Web Designer: Generally less research-intensive. May review analytics or competitor sites but doesn't typically conduct formal user research.
Deliverables
UI/UX Designer: User personas, journey maps, wireframes, interactive prototypes, design systems, component libraries, and usability reports.
Web Designer: Website mockups, style guides, page layouts, responsive designs, and sometimes coded templates (HTML/CSS).
Tools
UI/UX Designer: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD for design; Maze, Hotjar, UserTesting for research; FigJam, Miro for workshops.
Web Designer: Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Webflow, WordPress, and sometimes front-end code (HTML/CSS/JavaScript).

Rate Comparison

UI/UX designers command higher rates than web designers in Canada due to their broader skill set and the technical complexity of product design. Mid-level UI/UX designers charge $65–$110/hr, with senior product designers reaching $175/hr. Web designers at the mid level charge $55–$95/hr, with senior web designers earning up to $150/hr. UX researchers and those with strong prototyping skills command the highest design rates.

UI/UX Designer Rates (CAD/hr)

Junior$40–$65/hr
Mid-level$65–$110/hr
Senior$110–$175/hr

Web Designer Rates (CAD/hr)

Junior$35–$55/hr
Mid-level$55–$95/hr
Senior$95–$150/hr

When to Hire Each

Hire a UI/UX designer when you're building a digital product (SaaS app, mobile app, web platform) where users need to complete tasks, navigate complex flows, or interact with features regularly. If user satisfaction and engagement directly impact your business metrics, invest in UX.

Hire a web designer when you need a visually polished website — a corporate site, portfolio, landing page, or marketing website. If the primary goal is making a strong visual impression and presenting content clearly, a web designer is the right choice. For web applications that also need strong branding, consider hiring both.

Sample Freelancers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between a UI/UX designer and a web designer?

A UI/UX designer designs digital product interfaces based on user research and testing — focused on usability and user satisfaction. A web designer creates visual layouts for websites — focused on aesthetics and content presentation. UI/UX is research-driven; web design is visual-first.

Can a web designer do UI/UX design?

Web designers can handle basic UI work, but UX design requires specific skills in user research, information architecture, and usability testing. A web designer creating an app interface without UX training risks building something that looks good but frustrates users.

Should I hire a UI/UX designer or web designer for my startup?

If you're building a SaaS product or app, hire a UI/UX designer — user experience will make or break your product. If you need a marketing website or landing page, a web designer is more cost-effective. Many startups hire a UI/UX designer for the product and a web designer for the marketing site.

Who earns more: UI/UX designers or web designers in Canada?

UI/UX designers typically earn more due to the specialized nature of product design and strong demand from the tech industry. The UX research and user testing skills they bring add significant value that commands premium rates.

Is web design becoming obsolete?

No, but the role is evolving. With tools like Webflow and Squarespace, some basic web design work is being automated. However, skilled web designers who understand branding, visual storytelling, and custom design remain in high demand. Many are adding UX skills to expand their capabilities.

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