8 Best 99designs Alternatives for Affordable Custom Designs
Discover the 8 best 99designs alternatives, offering a range of design services for businesses seeking quality, affordability, and flexibility.
Alternatives | Software | By Don Turrobia
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This guide to the best 99designs alternatives will help you find the perfect solution for your project.
Are you tired of waiting weeks for design results and unsure if you’re getting the best value?
Is 99design not cutting it for you, but you find the many design platform choices online too overwhelming?
You’re not alone.
In this article, I’ve combed through countless options to bring you the most effective and cost-efficient alternatives to 99designs.
If you’re ready, let’s dive right into it.
What are the Best 99Designs Alternatives in 2024?
Kimp
- Unlimited graphic design requests for a monthly fee
- Get assigned a designer who gets to know your brand
- Receive design drafts within 48 hours
- Easy-to-use platform empowers some DIY design control
- Limited design customization compared to freelance platforms
- Design quality might vary depending on project scope
Kimp is a subscription-based unlimited graphics design service.
They specialize in social media, marketing graphics, and presentations, but they can handle almost any design project you need.
They sport a user-friendly platform and easy integration with other popular design and project management services.
With Kimp, you get assigned your very own dedicated team headed by a project manager who handles all team-related management.
Kimp is an excellent choice if you’re looking for unlimited graphic design from a dedicated team without the headaches. Win-win!
Design Pickle
- Fast turnaround times and priority support
- Ideal for ongoing design needs and brand consistency
- Extensive design library aids communication and inspiration
- Cost-effective for frequent design requests
- Limited design control compared to direct freelancer communication
- Less suitable for one-off projects with a tight budget
- Might be pricier than some competitors
Design Pickle is another unlimited graphics design service, much like Kimp.
You get assigned a project manager who serves as your liaison to the pool of talented designers.
Turnaround times are pretty quick. Smaller projects usually take 24-48 hours, depending on complexity.
Communication is top-notch, too. The service uses Slack to facilitate faster communication with the team.
Quick note: Their queue-based project management style would need some getting used to if you’re more at home with Kanban-style services like Trello and Asana.
Envato Elements
- Vast library for DIY design needs and project inspiration
- Cost-effective for projects requiring multiple design assets
- Commercial licenses ensure legal use of downloaded content
- User-friendly platform simplifies design asset acquisition
- Requires design skills to assemble and customize assets
- Lacks the personalized touch of custom design services
Envato Elements is a treasure trove of stock media assets.
They have tons of stock images, videos, graphics, and more.
The platform itself is very user-friendly. It’s easy to pick up, even for non-designers.
This is a great service if you need many simple assets, but it might not be suitable for complex design projects.
Looka
- Quick and easy logo creation, ideal for startups or non-designers
- Affordable solution compared to custom design services
- AI-powered suggestions offer a starting point for logo ideas
- Commercial licensing ensures legal use of the created logo
- Limited design complexity compared to working with a professional designer
- Relies on user input for logo direction, limiting creative exploration
Looka is an AI-powered logo design service that sports an easy-to-use user interface.
The AI generates custom logos based on user answers to prompts.
These prompts hone in on the user’s vision through various choices such as font styles, color, and logo inspirations.
Looka then generates different variations of the logo to choose from within seconds.
You can also expand this further and build brand kits for your brands.
Looka is a perfectly fuss-free service to help launch your brand as quickly as possible.
Placeit
- Ideal for showcasing designs on various products and marketing materials
- Wide variety of mockups and templates
- Video creation tools offer additional functionality for design presentations
- Customization options allow for some level of personalization
- Limited creative control compared to designing mockups from scratch
- Effectiveness depends on the user’s design skills for placement and customization
- Might require a paid subscription for full access to mockups and video features
Placeit is another service from Envato.
Unlike Elements, Placeit’s focus is on providing assets for mockups.
Its vast mockup library is perfect for brands with both physical and digital products.
The most popular on their roster are mugs, shirts, business cards, and brochures.
Placeit also has a user-friendly interface to create and edit mockups right on the platform.
If the majority of your graphic design needs are for mockups, Placeit is the service you need.
Fiverr
- Highly customizable solution – tailor projects to your specific needs and budget
- Access to a diverse range of design talent and expertise
- Competitive pricing options for various project complexities
- Secure payment system protects both clients and freelancers
- Transparent system with seller reviews and ratings for informed decisions
- Significant quality variation – requires careful seller selection based on reviews
- Project management responsibility falls on the client
- Can be time-consuming to find the perfect freelancer
Fiverr is a household name in the freelancing community.
This popular freelance marketplace is home to talented professionals, especially in graphic design.
Here, you get full control of the entire hiring process to find the right freelancer who understands your vision.
You get to choose based on each freelancer’s portfolio and skills.
If you want a more hands-on approach in selecting the best graphic designer for your projects, this is a great place to explore.
DesignCrowd
- Budget-friendly option to receive a variety of design concepts
- Access to a large pool of designers with diverse design styles
- Potential to discover hidden design talent at competitive prices
- Contest format can spark creative ideas and unexpected solutions
- Less control over the design direction compared to working with a single freelancer
- Time investment required in setting up the contest, reviewing entries, and selecting a winner
- Copyright ownership needs to be clearly defined to avoid disputes
If you prefer a similar contest approach to 99designs, DesignCrowd is a great alternative.
You get to set up a design contest with a set budget and watch designers submit their entries.
You can set up these contests in stages while giving feedback to the designers.
DesignCrowd offers a budget-friendly marketplace with a sizeable pool of talent, making it worth a try for your next design project.
Upwork
- Access to a highly skilled and experienced pool of design talent
- Detailed project descriptions ensure clear communication and expectations
- Ability to screen and interview freelancers before hiring for a good fit
- Upwork Talent Scout service streamlines the process of finding qualified designers
- Secure payment system with milestones protects both parties
- Requires active project management from the client (communication, revisions, milestone approvals)
- High competition for top talent can lead to increased project costs
- Can be time-consuming to find the perfect freelancer and complete the hiring process
Here is another established freelance marketplace.
Upwork has been one of the most prominent figures in the freelancing industry for years.
The platform boasts one of the biggest talent pools in graphic design, social media management, copywriting, and many more.
It sports a secure payment system that works on either an hourly or a milestone basis.
This gives both the client and the creative clearly defined goals and payment schedules.
Upwork also streamlines finding the right creative for you via their Talent Scout Service.
This makes hiring freelancers easier and as fuss-free as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Best 99Designs Alternatives
How does 99designs work?
99designs is a platform where clients launch design contests. Designers submit their work, and the client chooses a winner. The winning designer receives the prize money, minus the platform fee.
Does 99designs take a commission?
Yes, 99designs takes a commission from the winning designer. This fee is deducted from the prize money you set for the contest.
Can I negotiate with designers on 99designs?
Direct negotiation with designers isn’t possible on 99designs. The platform operates on a contest-based model where designers submit their work based on the provided brief.
How do I choose the best design platform for my needs?
Consider your budget, the type of design you need, and the level of control you want over the design process. If you need quick and affordable designs, Looka or Envato Elements might be suitable. For custom designs, Fiverr or Upwork offer more flexibility.
Can I switch between design platforms?
Yes, you can switch between design platforms. Many designers work on multiple platforms, so you can explore different options to find the best fit for your project.
Don Turrobia is a travel writer and amateur photography enthusiast from the Philippines. When he is not typing away on his laptop, he is out beach bumming or exploring the natural beauty of the Philippines.
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