Among the many design services out there, 99designs is at the top of the list. It’s easy to get designs from the site by holding a design contest or hiring a freelancer. While 99designs is a solid website to get quality designs, it’s best to consider a 99designs alternative before making your final decision in using 99designs.
Here are nine 99designs alternatives to consider as your primary design provider.
- Freelancer
- DesignCrowd
- Penji
- Fiverr
- Canva
- Toptal
- Design Hill
- Upwork
- Design Pickle
99designs alternatives
Freelancer.com is one of the general freelance marketplaces where you can find freelancers for any project. Designers of different expertise are listed on the site, where you can hire them in a few clicks. You can also start a design contest, which is exclusive for designers on the site.
Freelancer.com has a dedicated app where you can post projects and contests and even hire freelancers. Here, you can chat with freelancers directly. Plus, you can pay freelancers directly and securely.
Pricing
- Freelancers charge rates starting from $10/hr
- Set your budget for design contests, but can charge up to $1,500 ($35 fee for 1-day turnaround)
Pros
- Chat with a designer before hiring them
- 100% money-back guarantee when you don’t like the design
- Some designers bear the orange Preferred Freelancer badge, ensuring they are one of the top freelancers on the platform
Cons
- Quality design outputs not guaranteed
- May have a slow turnaround time
- Fake projects
Design Turnaround: Minimum 1-day delivery
Image credits:
Marco C. - Logo Design
Ira Devi Miranty T. - Packaging Design
Md. Ataur R. - Website Design
DesignCrowd is the more affordable 99designs alternative. It follows the same business structure, where you can start a design contest (crowdsourcing) or hire a freelancer. Currently, over 900,000 designers are on the platform.
They also offer a logo maker that gives you a design in minutes If you’re looking for a logo only. Designers have submitted logos on the site to use by anyone and edit it accordingly. You can edit it, but you have to pay to get the design exclusively.
Pricing
- Design contests start at $89 + up to $129 posting fee + 4% transaction fee
- Freelance fees vary
Pros
- Invite favorite designers for a new design contest
- 100% money-back guarantee
- If their design is chosen, designers can still revise based on your feedback
Cons
- Not great when you need designs instantly
- Quality designs not guaranteed
Design Turnaround: Minimum 24 hours
Image credits to:
JACQUI - Logo Design
SD Web Creation - Label Design
Sajin - Business Card Design
If you’re not looking to hire freelancers and want a design service with an established designer team, you can subscribe to Penji. It’s an unlimited graphic design service, where you can request an unlimited number of designs in a month for a flat monthly fee. With that said, Penji and other unlimited design services have become trusted 99designs alternatives.
With the hiring process taken out of the equation, you can start requesting designs once you subscribe to Penji. You’ll receive a draft within 24 to 48 hours. Don’t like it? Their team will revise it until you’re 100% happy with the design. And you can download it once done. Plus, you get ownership of the designs too.
Pricing
- Pro - $399/mo
- Team - $499/mo
- Agency - $999/mo
Pros
- Own design and communication platform
- Vetted, professional designers
- 24 to 48-hour turnaround
Cons
- You need a high volume of design projects to maximize your subscription
- Talking to designers is limited on the platform
Design Turnaround: 24 to 48 hours
Fiverr is a general freelance marketplace where you can find designers. You can buy a gig or post a job listing to find freelance designers. It’s a 99designs alternative that will have you browsing for design types that you may not see on 99designs.
Thousands of expert designers are ready to accept gigs or find projects on the site. Logo designers, graphic designers, web designers, you name it, Fiverr would have freelancers for that. And that’s why corporations like Facebook, Google, and PayPal trust Fiverr.
Pricing
Rates start at $5/hr
Pros
- Freelancers at an affordable rate
- Tiered plans give you options on a number of designs, turnaround, and revisions
- Fiverr Business will help you find the top and trusted talent
Cons
- Limited revisions
- No guarantee of design asset copyright
Design Turnaround: Minimum 2-day delivery
Image credits to:
dianeth - Packaging Design
stefanmosimann - Logo Design
jakubjeziors740 - App Design
Canva is a top choice among businesses and individuals looking to save money on designs. It’s a do-it-yourself graphic design service for anyone who wants to try their hand at designing or has any design experience. That’s why it’s a popular 99designs alternative.
Even without design experience, Canva can help users create designs in minutes. Users can explore thousands of templates ready for editing and publishing.
Pricing
- Free
- Pro: $12.99/mo
- Enterprise: $30/mo
Pros
- Free plan for those on a budget
- Thousands of assets available when editing
- Ease of use
Cons
- Other brands may use the same templates for designs
- Select file types available on the Free account
Design Turnaround: Minimum within minutes
Toptal houses the Top 3% of all global freelancers. They have a strict and rigorous hiring process, allowing you to only work with vetted and professional freelancers. The freelancers undergo five steps to get to the elite Top 3% to be part of this exclusive community.
Unlike some 99design alternatives on this list, Toptal ensures that they find the perfect fit for each client, having a 90% success rate of matching freelancers to clients on the first try. So far, they have served 16,000 clients; among them are Bridgestone, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Calm.
Pricing
Toptal rates vary, depending on the designer’s rate. Multiple sources find that a designer charges $30/hr (minimum).
Pros
- No-risk 2-week trial - won’t be billed if you’re not satisfied with the results
- You can get paired with a designer within 48 hours
- Vetted freelancers
Cons
- Expensive
- $500 deposit for hiring a freelancer
Design Turnaround: Minimum 24 hours
Image credits to:
Ivana Miličić - Business Card Design
Calin Balea - Logo Design
Roman Pittner - Website Design
Design Hill is another 99designs alternative because you can start a design contest. Plus, you can hire designers and buy a gig. You can even submit a job posting, enabling designers to reach you directly.
Unlike most graphic design services, Design Hill also owns PrintShop. Anyone can buy clothing and personal items. Designers can submit their artwork and get up to 20% commission. It’s another way you can support the designers on the platform.
Pricing
Design Contests
- Fast Track: $249
- Standard: $399
- Executive: $699
- Premium: $99
One to One Design Projects
- Set your own price + 5% Design Hill Commission
Pros
- Affordable Logo Design Service
- 100% money-back guarantee when not satisfied from Design Contests
- Use of design poll to ask opinions for others before choosing the winning design
Cons
- Quality of work may not be on par with other design services
- Designers may include elements or assets that they have no permission to use
Design Turnaround: Minimum 24 hours
Upwork is another popular freelance marketplace where you can hire freelance designers in a few clicks. You can find designers of different skill sets and nationalities to handle your projects.
It’s easy to hire a freelancer on Upwork because you can see a preview of their portfolio. Plus, their rates are upfront. This will make it easy for you to narrow down your choices based on their completed designs and rates.
Pricing
Starts at $15 to $35/hr
Pros
- View a designer’s portfolio before hiring them
- Get designs ASAP by buying projects
- Payment protection for both client and freelancer
Cons
- Sellers may encounter scams
- No vetting process
Design Turnaround: Minimum 1-day delivery
Image credits to:
Pankaj Singh R - Logo Design
Muhammad A. - Packaging Design
Saquib H. - Website Design
Design Pickle is another unlimited design service on our list. Like Penji, Design Pickle has flat monthly rates that will suit your budget. That said, you can choose which design plan would benefit your company the most.
They have fulfilled over 1 million projects. Among those, they’ve completed projects for Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Unilever, and Poshmark.
Pricing
- Scale: $499/mo
- Pro: $995/mo
Pros
- Slack integration
- Fast turnaround time
- Don’t like a designer? Request a new one or your favorite designer to work on your project
Cons
- Need to purchase a separate plan for illustrations, presentations, and motion graphics
- Not all designs will be entertained in one month
Design Turnaround: 1 to 2 days
FAQ
What is 99designs
99designs is both a marketplace and design contest site. You can get designs such as logos, websites, packaging, and more. To receive these designs, you can hire a freelancer on their marketplace or start a design contest.
Why might 99designs not be for you?
Unfortunately, design services like 99designs may have their drawbacks.
For one, it can be expensive. Your business deserves high-quality designs, but to receive those, you may have to pay a steep price to limit submissions to high-level designers. In addition, if you start a design contest, you may not see your designers’ portfolios or give feedback.
