What Hop Studios does

Hop Studios is a Vancouver, Canada-based web development and design agency founded in 2001 by Susie Gardner and Travis Smith. The firm specializes in deep CMS expertise across ExpressionEngine (all versions EE1.x through EE7.x), Craft CMS, WordPress/Newspack, Laravel, PHP, and headless development approaches. It serves a primarily North American client base, with a strong concentration in non-profit organizations and NGOs (including YWCA Metro Vancouver, OpenMedia, Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, Center for Self-Determination Theory, and National Center for Home Food Preservation), supplemented by government, education, legal services, media, and SMB clients. Hop Studios is a fully virtual firm with distributed staff across six cities in Canada and the United States, operating since August 2020.

The company's revenue model rests on three pillars: project-based professional services (custom web development, redesigns, CMS migrations), recurring CMS maintenance and support subscriptions through the FREE Client Care Program, and one-time licensing of proprietary ExpressionEngine add-ons (Hop 404 Reporter, Hop Edit This, Hop Inject, Hop Deeploy Helper). Pricing is quote-based with no public tiers; the firm accepts multi-year contracts on maintenance engagements. Distribution is direct via website quote requests, supplemented by listings in the ExpressionEngine and Craft CMS partner directories and a content marketing strategy through a technical blog. Notable external validations include B Corp certification (July 2023), 1% for the Planet membership (December 2025), multiple Webby Awards (2007, 2013, 2018), Folio Awards, and recognition as a top-3 law firm website by Lawyerist.com in 2021.

Strategically, Hop Studios has remained a small (1-10 employee), privately held, bootstrapped operation under sole owner and President Travis Smith following co-founder Susie Gardner's 2025 departure to Automattic's Newspack team. The firm has expanded its service portfolio to include AI/LLM integration consulting and Newspack support while maintaining its core ExpressionEngine specialization and non-profit vertical focus. Its technology stack relies entirely on third-party CMS platforms and AI tools (ChatGPT, DALL-E, GitHub CoPilot) with no proprietary foundation models or AI products of its own.

Name

Hop Studios

Legal name

Hop Studios Inc.

Website

https://hopstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hop Studios is a Vancouver-based, fully virtual web development agency specializing in ExpressionEngine, Craft CMS, WordPress/Newspack, and Laravel development, primarily serving North American non-profits, NGOs, government, and SMB clients with custom builds, CMS upgrades, and proprietary add-ons.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web Development Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Blogging & CMS Content Platforms (BPAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Software Development (Programming, Frameworks, Dev Tools) (EDABAFAA)

Keywords

• CMS web development
• ExpressionEngine development
• Craft CMS services
• Website maintenance
• Accessibility audits

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Web Development & Design Services: Custom web design and development projects, including new website builds, redesigns, and specialized development work. Charged via project quotes and proposals.
2. CMS Maintenance & Support: Ongoing site maintenance, upgrades, security audits, and technical support services for ExpressionEngine, Craft CMS, WordPress and other platforms. Part of Client Care Program for active clients.
3. ExpressionEngine Add-ons: Sale and licensing of proprietary add-ons including Hop 404 Reporter and Hop Edit This for ExpressionEngine CMS.
4. Teaching & Consulting: Technical consulting and teaching services for CMS platforms, web best practices, accessibility, and SEO.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hop Studios is a custom web development agency that builds, redesigns, and maintains CMS-based websites using platforms such as ExpressionEngine, Craft CMS, and WordPress for nonprofit, education, mission-driven, and mid-size business clients. The firm also develops proprietary add-ons for these platforms and offers related services such as accessibility audits and CMS migrations.

Product overview

Hop Studios is a web development agency offering both professional services and proprietary software add-ons. Their service offerings include web development and database programming (specializing in ExpressionEngine, Craft CMS, WordPress, and other CMS platforms), social media and blogging, web design and logos, accessibility implementation, code reviews and audits, website security, headless development, and AI/LLM integration services. Their proprietary software products include Hop 404 Reporter (404 error logging module), Hop Edit This (front-end editing aid), Hop Inject (inline content embedding tool), and Hop Deeploy Helper (deployment management tool). These add-ons are primarily built for ExpressionEngine and are offered free to Hop Studios clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hop 404 Reporter: An ExpressionEngine module that logs 404 errors on websites to help identify and fix broken links for better SEO and user experience.
• Hop Edit This
• Hop Inject

Products and services

• Custom CMS Web Development
• Website Redesign
• Website Maintenance and Support
• Accessibility Audits and ADA Compliance
• CMS Migration Services
• Hosting and Infrastructure Management
• Hop 404 Reporter (Proprietary Add-on)
• Hop Edit This (Proprietary Add-on)
• Hop Inject (Proprietary Add-on)
• Hop Deeploy Helper (Proprietary Add-on)

Quantifiable outcome

• Security vulnerabilities addressed: ExpressionEngine has had only 14 vulnerabilities compared to WordPress's 360+
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• 1% for the PlanetcoreOthers · 1 December 2025Global network of businesses and environmental organizations. Hop Studios commits to donating at least 1% of annual sales to vetted environmental organizations. Network has contributed over $784 million in environmental giving.
• OpenMediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Hop Studios manages OpenMedia's website and digital tools. Travis Smith, Hop Studios President, serves on the OpenMedia board, creating a deep mutual relationship focused on digital rights advocacy.
• B LabcoreOthers · 1 July 2023Non-profit organization that certifies B Corporations. Hop Studios underwent rigorous assessment of policies, practices and impact on all stakeholders to achieve B Corp certification. Changed legal status to British Columbia Benefit Company.
• YWCA Metro VancouvermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2021Hop Studios developed five WorkBC Centre websites for YWCA Metro Vancouver, each with English/French phrase functionality, ongoing maintenance and ExpressionEngine upgrades.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vector Media Group: ExpressionEngine development partner and CMS agency that builds, supports, and hosts EE sites. Directly comparable to Hop Studios on CMS specialization, partner-directory presence, and target-client profile.
• Kanopi Studios: Agency delivering custom web design, development, and support across Drupal, WordPress, and Craft CMS. Comparable to Hop Studios on multi-CMS capability, ongoing-maintenance offerings, and non-profit/mid-market client base.
• Forum One: Digital agency specialized in web strategy, design, and development for associations, non-profits, and government organizations. Comparable to Hop Studios on non-profit/NGO vertical concentration and CMS-centric delivery.
• Foster Made: Small-to-mid digital agency delivering CMS-driven web builds, design, and ongoing support for non-profits and mission-driven organizations. Closely comparable on size, vertical focus, and project-based delivery model.
• Engine12: A small specialist web agency focused on ExpressionEngine development and support. Highly comparable to Hop Studios as one of the few remaining EE-expert shops serving similar mid-market and non-profit clients.

Broad incumbents

• Bluecadet: Larger digital experience agency known for museum, cultural, and non-profit web work. Comparable in client vertical and award-winning craft, but operates at materially larger scale and broader service scope.
• Viget: Established full-service digital agency with strategy, design, and development practices. Comparable in CMS-based web delivery and award-winning work, but materially larger and broader in scope.

Emerging players

• Pixel & Tonic: Creators of Craft CMS, one of Hop Studios' core platforms. Comparable because they serve the same CMS ecosystem and partner with similar agencies, but sit on the platform-vendor side rather than agency side.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hopstudios

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hop Studios