Suppose someone gave you a box. Would you be more interested in opening – the plain brown box or the one that’s stylishly wrapped?
Of course, the one on the right. (Except if it was Christmas, then I’d take any box!)
It looks more attractive and you can tell someone took the time and effort to wrap it.
Graphic design elements can do the same for your brand.
They make your brand look more attractive and professional, build a unique brand identity, and leave a lasting impression on your target audience.
But if you’re anything like me (graphic design is not my forte), you need someone to provide graphic design services. And it’s got to be more than just beautifying appearances.
Your solution: graphic design platforms
Now you can hire the right graphic designers to design and develop anything and everything your company needs, including logo design, website design, exclusive mobile apps, social media pages, landing pages, packaging and labeling, business cards, brochures, flyers, t-shirt design, etc.
Yes, I know you’ve already Googled this and found a list of top-notch graphic design platforms like 99designs.
While 99designs is a great online marketplace for graphic designers, it may not be the best site for you.
But you probably already knew that since you’re looking for 99designs alternatives.
So I’m going to make things easier for you. I’ve compiled a dozen options and pitched each design platform against 99designs. That way, you’ll have a better idea of which is the best design platform for you.
Ready to get started?
Our Verdict
OK, I'll get straight to the point.
Like I've said in my 99Designs review, it's probably the best platform out there.
It has by far the highest number of talented designers and the odds of getting exactly what you're after are the highest.
Well, there's one drawback. It ain't $99 anymore.
In fact, it's pretty pricy in a lot of categories.
The truth is that while some of these alternative platforms are pretty amazing and far cheaper – if you don't get what you're looking for, you'll end up spending way more money trying several of them, and paying designers to finish or edit things later on.
If you think about it, 99designs is still probably your best bet and worth the money.
That was my experience at least.
Either way, I've gone through dozens of these platforms and tested them out, so you don't have to.
Here are three of the best 99designs alternatives:
- If you’re looking for the same work processes as 99designs but cheaper, DesignHill is the ideal platform.
- If you need high-quality designs quickly, Design Pickle is your best option.
- If you’re looking for professional graphic designers, head on over to Designbro.
Why Consider a 99designs Alternative?
99designs is a popular online marketplace for graphic designers. Over 444,000 people and businesses have used their services. However, it falls short in certain areas when compared to other platforms.
For instance:
- It can get expensive. If you require professional services and more experienced designers, the more you'll have to pay.
- Employers must make a judgment about a designer based on the work they upload. While you can view portfolios, other projects won, and testimonials, you can’t review the designer’s qualifications or conduct an interview to understand their design skills more thoroughly.
- Setting up a contest comes at a higher cost. This is challenging for any business owner with a limited budget.
- It’s a good platform for designers to get more experience and improve their skills. So you’ll come across designers looking for opportunities to make a mark in the industry. Therefore, you need to be careful about the design quality.
- One-on-one projects can get risky. You have to pay for the design, even if you’re not completely satisfied, even after requesting revisions and edits.
- Some users have complained of poor customer support. Though the platform has an FAQ section, additional support is hard to get. They had to fill out lengthy forms, type emails, and wait for the support team to respond.
12 Best Alternatives to 99designs
If you find that 99designs doesn’t work for you, you’re not alone. Several other sites can cater to your graphic design needs, that too at a fraction of the cost.
Let’s check out some of the best alternatives to 99designs.
1. DesignHill
Designhill is a versatile design platform, offering solutions for every budget. With work processes similar to 99designs, you can host contests or hire a single designer.
Designhill has a paid invite feature. For a nominal fee, you can invite your favorite designer to join a design contest. This encourages top designers to enter your contest and submit high-quality designs in a short time.
Choose DesignHill if you need professional design with a smaller price tag.
What Makes DesignHill Better Than 99designs?
DesignHill is more than just an online marketplace. It also offers a range of design tools to help you create designs by yourself.
Furthermore, it supports real-time interaction with designers to ensure users have a more satisfying experience. And it offers both design and printing services.
Where 99designs Beats DesignHill?
99designs supports more design submissions per hosted contest; fewer designers are registered on DesignHill.
DesignHill Prices
DesignHill doesn’t have fixed pricing plans or packages. The price depends on the category.
Find a budget-friendly option on DesignHill.
2. Design Pickle
Design Pickle is a platform where you can get unlimited high-quality, creative designs and unlimited revisions. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Choose Design Pickle IF you have high design needs with quick turnarounds.
What Makes Design Pickle Better Than 99designs?
Depending upon the subscription package, users can receive faster turnaround times, such as same-day concept delivery or first concept in 1-2 business days. Pro users can communicate in real time.
On 99designs, standard contests run for 7 days, but designs can be received quicker at an additional cost.
Where 99designs Beats Design Pickle?
99designs is an online marketplace so that users can pick the best designers for their projects.
However, with Design Pickle, you’re assigned a graphic designer who complements your graphic design needs.
Design Pickle Price
Plans start from $499/month and onwards.
Get your creative services from Design Pickle.
3. Designbro
Designbro is another crowdsourcing, one-stop solution for all your digital design needs. Here, you can run contests and pick the best design.
Choose Designbro IF you want designs from top-notch designers at a competitive price.
What Makes Designbro Better Than 99designs?
Designbro supports a community of expert, competitive designers. So you will find only professional designers on this platform at a lower price than 99designs.
DesignBro awards prize money to the top three graphic designs – the winner gets the larger sum.
Where 99designs Beats Designbro?
Clients cannot work on a one-on-one project on Designbro. However, 99designs supports this as well as a blind design contest and private project.
Designbro Price
Designbro doesn’t offer fixed pricing plans or packages. Prices vary depending on the project and category.
Run a design contest on Designbro.
4. DesignEvo
DesignEvo is a DIY design software to help you create professional logos. The platform is simple and easy to use. Simply browse through 10,000+ templates and 100+ fonts to create your customized logo design for use online, in print, or anywhere you want.
Choose DesignEvo if you want to create a logo for under $50.
What Makes DesignEvo Better Than 99designs?
DesignEvo is a logo editor that gives you the freedom to design an icon from scratch. It offers a good price point, making it easy to fit into the tightest of budgets.
You can save your file on the cloud and make unlimited edits anytime you want or scale it to any size without pixelating.
Where 99designs Beats DesignEvo?
99designs offers a comprehensive solution for all your design needs. DesignEvo is simply a logo maker.
DesignEvo Price
DesignEvo has three pricing packages for different file formats and sizes. The entirely free package offers an online logo maker (300px, limited edits).
A one-time payment of $24.99 offers a 5000px resolution with unlimited edits, while $49.99 adds copyright ownership and access to vector files.
Level up your logo style with DesignEvo.
5. DesignCrowd
DesignCrowd is a contest-based platform that’s the most similar to 99designs but a cheaper alternative. It’s an online marketplace where nearly a million designers readily offer services in over 50 different categories.
Choose DesignCrowd IF you’re on a tight budget but are looking for a platform just like 99designs.
What Makes DesignCrowd Better Than 99designs?
DesignCrowd offers affordable, basic marketing materials that startups need to get off the ground.
Advanced filter options facilitate search by allowing employers to find a graphics designer based on rank, the number of projects won, the payment received, reviews, ratings, or the product you want.
Where 99designs Beats DesignCrowd?
99designs helps create a more thorough and thoughtful creative brief. It brings clients and designers onto the same page quickly, producing better results.
DesignCrowd Price
DesignCrowd doesn’t offer fixed pricing plans or packages.
Prices vary depending on the project and category. However, a few hidden costs include a Posting Fee of up to $129, a 4% transaction fee, and a 20% Project Management Fee for packages over $200.
Hire a designer or hold a contest and get the design you need on DesignCrowd.
6. CrowdSpring
CrowdSpring is another crowdsourcing platform that’s cheaper than 99designs. You can run contests and select the winning design or work with one designer.
You can find quality designers more easily since CrowdSpring doesn’t charge designers a commission, which means they keep all their earnings.
Choose CrowdSpring IF you have extra money to spare.
What Makes CrowdSpring Better Than 99designs?
CrowdSpring allows designers to approach clients. They can communicate with employers to understand the design request, propose more ideas for the highlighted project, or negotiate.
Where 99designs Beats CrowdSpring?
Both offer nearly identical design options, but 99designs is a more affordable platform. Moreover, it allows users to claim the money-back guarantee within 60 days, while CrowdSpring only gives 30 days.
CrowdSpring Price
CrowdSpring doesn’t offer fixed pricing plans or packages. Prices vary depending on the project and category.
Develop an authentic brand identity with CrowdSpring.
7. Fiverr
Fiverr is the go-to site for freelance graphic designers, from web designers to logo designers and everyone in between.
While initially launched as a platform for low-cost services, it’s transitioning into a more refined platform where you can find top-level designers.
The Fiverr Pro features top-notch designers that offer premium services. While you’ll receive better quality, you should also expect higher rates.
Choose Fiverr IF you're looking for a cheaper alternative to 99designs.
What Makes Fiverr Better Than 99designs?
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that lets you find the best graphic designers. It narrows the search by filtering results for logo style, file format, seller's level, price, or delivery time.
On the other hand, 99designs only filters designers by category and industry.
Where 99designs Beats Fiverr?
99designs is a dedicated platform for graphic designers. It has more registered designers, meaning you have a lot more options here.
Fiverr Prices
Freelancers set the prices of the gig, so you'll have to pay whatever the freelance graphic designer proposes. Moreover, most designers have a tiered package.
Fiverr also charges a commission which designers typically pay more than the clients do.
Find the best freelance graphic designer for your project on Fiverr.
8. Wix Logo Maker
Wix Logo Maker offers logo-generation services in multiple languages. Create a custom logo by yourself or hire a professional designer to create one for you.
The platform integrates with additional tools on Wix to help you develop a professional online presence.
Choose Wix Logo Maker IF you’re looking for an easy-to-use logo generator with strong customization options.
What Makes Wix Logo Maker Better Than 99designs?
Wix Logo Maker is an affordable option for small businesses in need of logo designs. The drag-and-drop editor allows people without design experience to design and edit their own logos.
Where 99designs Beats Wix Logo Maker?
99designs is a one-stop solution for complete brand identity. But, if we look at just logo creation, 99designs allows you to host logo design contests and find logo designers who will create high-end designs.
Wix Logo Maker Price
Wix Logo Maker has three pricing plans. The free version offers a downloadable PNG file suitable for non-commercial purposes. The Basic Plan is available for a one-time fee of $20, while the Advanced Plan is $50.
Create your logo on Wix Logo Maker.
9. Tailor Brands
At first glance, Tailor Brands looks like a logo maker. But it’s more than that. It helps businesses develop a comprehensive online presence.
Choose Tailor Brands IF you want to develop a strong online presence.
What Makes Tailor Brands Better Than 99designs?
Like 99designs, Tailor Brands allows users to design and build a logo, website, business cards, and branded merchandise. But it also optimizes websites for search engines (SEO) and helps create business listings and a professional email address.
Where 99designs Beats Tailor Brands?
99designs users can hold a design contest and gather various design concepts from great designers.
Tailor Brands, an AI-powered tool helps you create your logo.
Tailor Brands Price
Tailor Brands has three subscription plans:
Basic: $9.99/month
Standard: $39.99/month
Premium: $69.99/month
Set up your online presence with Tailor Brands.
10. Looka
Looka provides the tools and templates to help you design your own graphic art, from logos to T-shirts to business cards.
Choose Looka IF you need high-resolution, custom business logos.
What Makes Looka Better Than 99designs?
The user-friendly, AI-powered tools on Looka are free to use. However, if you create a design you like, you have to pay to get its copyrights.
Where 99designs Beats Looka?
Designers design the best logo for you. Additionally, 99designs has a money-back guarantee, while Looka doesn’t offer a refund.
Looka Price
Looka offers several pricing plans, ranging from $20–$80, with multiple differently priced package add-ons.
11. Freelancer
Freelancer is a platform where freelancers from around the world can collaborate on any project. You can browse through categories to find the right designer for your needs.
Choose Freelancer IF you're looking for a cheaper alternative to 99designs.
What Makes Freelancer Better Than 99designs?
Freelancer is considerably cheaper than 99designs as there’s an abundance of freelancers.
Where 99designs Beats Freelancer?
99designs is a dedicated site for graphic designers and has clearly tiered pricing structures.
Freelancer Price
Freelancer offers various prices and fee structures.
Find a freelancer for your project on Freelancer.
12. DesignContest
DesignContest is a design contest site that features qualified designers. All designers on the platform must clear qualification tests before they can submit proposals to a contest.
Moreover, the platform supports integrated polling so you can get feedback from friends, family, and colleagues before selecting a design.
Choose DesignContest IF design quality is your number one criterion.
What Makes DesignContest Better Than 99designs?
Since designers must pass a round of qualification tests before participating in a contest, the platform maintains high-quality standards.
Where 99designs Beats DesignContest?
99designs offers a clear money-back guarantee. While DesignContest provides this as well, it has a much stricter policy.
DesignContest Price
DesignContest has a different, clear-cut rate for every project. Figures are listed on their website.
Get your custom design from DesignContest.
What to Look For in a 99designs Alternative?
When deciding on an alternative to 99designs, key points to remember are:
Logo Customizability
Creating a unique logo requires customizing the color palette, fonts, icons, etc. The platform should allow you to select design preferences.
Design Options
Consider a comprehensive platform that matches your needs and helps grow the business with a variety of design types, including digital and print services.
Also, make sure to understand what are the guidelines for copyright and ownership of the final work.
Process
Graphic design requests are processed differently depending on the service you need. Make sure you understand how the platform processes design requests and how the designers communicate with clients.
Furthermore, learn what is the platform's vetting process for designers, and does the platform host contests, or can any designer join by uploading their portfolio.
Ease of Use
Platforms should be user-friendly, whether you’re hiring a professional designer or creating a design element using a wizard. This is an essential feature for those who have no prior experience in graphic design.
Budget-Friendly
Graphic design is often a costly affair and business owners on a tight budget are left searching for cheaper alternatives. Always look at the platform's different pricing models, such as pay-per-project, hourly rate, subscription packages, etc.
Payment Portals
Since payments are made online, inquire about payment gateways the platform supports and its security.
Customer Support
Customer support is essential for online service providers. Discover how responsive is the platform’s customer support team, and what channels of communication are available.
Ratings and Reviews
Previous platform users can offer first-hand experiences about the platform. Check ratings and reviews to find a trustworthy and reliable site you want to use over and over again.
Why Choose 99designs?
Every business is unique, so some may still find 99designs better than the alternatives mentioned above.
Why?
By Far the Biggest, Global Marketplace
99designs is a crowdsourcing platform that allows designers and clients worldwide to connect, collaborate, and create custom designs. 99designs users have access to a huge talent pool and get hundreds of bids on a single project.
More importantly, it’s a comprehensive platform. You’ll find everything for your design needs, including logo design, web design, mobile app design, landing page, business cards, product labels, merchandise design, and more.
Uses the Contest Model
A crowd of designers submits design ideas when they enter a contest. You can review all the submissions and choose the best one. So, while you pay for only one design, you get access to countless others.
Furthermore, the concept is based on fixed bids. That means you won’t end up paying more. For example, a designer paid by the hour could take longer and crank up the bill. But that’s not the case here.
Large Quantities Make Prices Competitive
99designs can be pricey for small businesses. However, it’s great for agencies and companies with a high demand for designs as the high volume helps beat down the price.
Intuitive Design Posting Process
The process allows clients to present a clear design brief so that designers can understand exactly what they need. Needless to say, this helps produce better results.
One of the long-term benefits is that you can find a designer you like and focus on one-on-one projects rather than running contests.
Money-Back Guarantee
Their money-back guarantee means you don’t have to pay for unsatisfactory results.
So, if you agree with these benefits and price is not an issue, I recommend using 99designs.
Conclusion
Graphic design is a necessity of the digital era. And since technology is everywhere, creativity is more accessible.
So, instead of handing over your entire design process to a high-end design agency or opting for the DIY route, it’s time to consider hiring designers for your design projects.
Honestly, if budget isn't an issue… There's hardly a reason not to use 99designs.
But otherwise – after reviewing and comparing a dozen design platforms with 99designs, DesignHill, DesignPickle, and Designbro came out on top.
If you need:
- Budget-friendly design options, DesignHill is the solution.
- Faster turnaround times, choose Design Pickle.
- Exceptional graphic designs, Designbro is your best option.
But these are just my opinions, so make sure to use the guidelines I mentioned and survey the market for other alternatives.
