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We recommend you hire freelancers on DesignBro over Fiverr and 99Designs because:
However 99Designs and Fiverr have more freelance talent than DesignBro.
You can read our individual reviews to help you make an informed decision:
Or continue reading to learn why we chose DesignBro over Fiverr and 99Designs to hire designers.
One of the biggest benefits of hiring on Fiverr is how fast you can hire someone to work at a reasonable price. Especially for a pre-defined project.
Let’s say you want to hire someone on Fiverr to improve your SEO:
You can filter workers by:
But this next example shows that Fiverr workers deliver promising results.
In 2016, AdEspresso tested three marketplaces: Fiverr, 99Designs, and Upwork. Their goal was to hire a few designers to A/B test their Facebook ads:
Of the three freelance marketplaces, Fiverr had the highest click-through rate (CTR) of 0.91% and lowest cost-per-click (CPC) of $0.37.
AdEspresso’s designer beat the Fiverr designer with a 1.5% CTR and $0.33 CPC, which may decrease as the ad quality score improves.
But that’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.
Fiverr costs only $5 for one graphic. For you to hire AdEspresso’s designer, it would take time to find, hire, train, and pay for ongoing costs. The value of hiring a quality freelancer is you don’t need to keep paying them until you’re ready for them to go full-time.
Fiverr began with a promise to find simple professional services at $5. As entrepreneurs had bigger projects and freelancers wanted bigger paychecks, the gigs began to expand.
Then in 2017, Fiverr launched Fiverr Pro.
To become a Fiverr Pro, each freelance applicant has to apply and go through three rounds of vetting.
During the first round, two Fiverr managers will make sure a freelancer has the level of professionalism and experience expected.
Next, the vetting varies on the category the person applies to become a Pro.
It’s common for Pros to submit a portfolio, a list of past clients, years of experience, and other typical resume info.
Freelancers who get Fiverr's approval receive a “Pro” icon in their profile page:
99Designs has two options for any project:
Because 99Designs is one of the largest freelance marketplaces, you could get over 100 bids on a single contest. This is a fantastic choice if you have no idea how to explain your concept to a graphic designer.
The nature of a design contest gives you many options at a fixed price. That means you’ll never pay more than what you set upfront.
Additionally, 99Designs will give you an estimate of the expected number of submissions based on your budget.
Before starting your design contest, you’ll present your vision to the designers with their simple onboarding process.
First, you’ll select a few logos you like to give designers an idea what you have in mind:
Second, give the designers a flavor of your brand’s style:
Third, you’ll select up to three colors to communicate your brand values:
Fourth, 99Designs will give a project brief to let designers know more about your company:
Finally, you’ll select your pricing plan along with any other promotional upgrades:
After most contests, you’ll get 20-50 submissions, depending on what price you pay.
DesignBro, allows you to run contests to get a selection of work to choose from.
What sets DesignBro apart from 99Designs and Fiverr is that DesignBro handpicks a handful of professionals that apply to the platform.
And the curation shows to pay off.
After going through 475 DesignBro reviews from entrepreneurs, the vast majority gave a 5-star review. Less than 10% of reviews from entrepreneurs gave either a 4 or 4.5 star rating.
Step 1: You’ll start by filling out their simple creative brief. This will help define your project by learning about your brand, audience, and any other business plans.
Here’s an example of the DesignBro logo brief, where you can select logo designs which fit your style:
And here’s another example as you map out your brand DNA for a brand identity project:
Step 2: Next, DesignBro connects you with relevant top-rated designers. Depending on what you pay, you’ll get 3-10 designers who will work directly with you. Everyone’s work is secret, so you’ll always get unique and creative designs.
Once DesignBro picks a designer for your project, they have 10 days to submit a design. During this time, you’ll have the opportunity to review the designs and give feedback to each designer. If there’s time left, the designer can modify their design and submit a new design.
This open dialogue between you and the freelancers gives both of you a better chance to get the right design the first time.
DesignBro also provides a rough estimate of the time it takes to get your final project:
Step 3: Once your first design is ready, you’ll rate the designs and give feedback to the freelancers. By chatting directly with the freelancers, you can collaborate to create a design that best represents your business.
Step 4: Finally, you’ll pick up to three finalists who will perfect your logo with your feedback. The finalists have 5 days to enhance and resubmit their designs for your review.
Once you pick a winner, you’ll receive your product-ready files.
The best logos create meaning by connecting an image with your business. Here are some logos examples from each freelance website.
The price you’ll pay for each project depends on the work you want done. Most projects range between $299-$2,500.
Here is a sample of five design contest prices:
Each design project comes in four base price plans: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. In addition to getting more designs, gold and platinum packages will attract top designers.
Here’s a sample of the four price plans for blog design:
99Designs offers several add-ons, including:
As the name implies, most Fiverr gigs will cost you $5.
Fiverr also released Fiverr Pro, a high-end freelance service. According to Fiverr, only 1% of applicants receive pro status. These hand-selected freelancers often offer services between $500 and $10,000.
When you buy a Fiverr Gig, Fiverr charges you $2 for all gigs that cost up to $40. All gigs above $40 have a 5% fee. Fiverr Pro uses the same fee structure, charging 5% as well.
Although you may view this fee as annoying, these costs are typical for most freelance platforms. This fee covers all processing fees, project disputes, and customer service.
Unlike 99Designs, all project prices include DesignBro’s fee. Further, because DesignBro curates their talent, you get more value at a lower price.
DesignBro’s top five design pricing packages include:
If you are looking for another type of project, you can contact the DesignBro team for a custom quote.
99Designs offers a 60-day, 100% money-back guarantee.
There are three exceptions to the guarantee:
If you are not satisfied, Fiverr will refund the entire amount of your purchase to your balance, including your buyer fees.
If you’re not satisfied with your designs, DesignBro has a refund policy. They do have a few hoops you need to jump through to get it, and they may charge a $20 administration fee too.
But with a 98% satisfaction rating, it’s unlikely you’ll need a refund.
We recommend you hire freelancers on DesignBro over Fiverr and 99Designs because:
That said, Fiverr and 99Designs are both beneficial for other hiring needs.
For most businesses, DesignBro is our preferred choice because they provide the most value for the price.
If money is no object, 99Designs will offer the most designs with any contest you run. That said, you will need to spend more time filtering logos to find the one you want.
If you are looking for something quick, cheap, and easy to get your website going, go with Fiverr. Fiverr Pro also has some quality options if you want better work for a premium.