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When starting a business, you're bound to need a graphic designer or illustrator at some point. You may want to create the perfect business card, get a fresh logo, or craft a new design for team t-shirts.
Whatever the case may be, finding the right designer is simple with online hiring platforms. You've likely already considered using 99Designs as the design-for-hire platform to find freelance talent.
This isn't your only option, however. This comparison guide can get you started in your search for 99Designs alternatives.
Rather than making you look at dozens of designs to find the best for your brand, DesignBro simplifies the process by screening the graphic designers.
Because you don't pay for designs you do not need, DesignBro's price is lower than what you would pay at 99Designs.
To learn more, you can register with DesignBro, read our comparison of DesignBro and 99Designs, or read our full DesignBro review.
As you get ready to compare 99designs to similar hiring platforms, there are a few key points to keep in mind. Organizing your research along these guidelines will ensure that you don’t miss any essential details.
So when comparing 99Designs to other sites like 99Designs, what should you look for?
In addition to these general points, you may also want to check out third-party ratings and reviews, particularly in terms of trustworthiness.
Like 99Designs, DesignCrowd is another niche platform exclusively working with designers.
Both platforms provide the option to run contests for designers. When it comes to the user interface, 99Designs reviews suggest that this website is superior. One of the biggest complaints in DesignCrowd reviews is the non-intuitive interface.
In terms of price, both sites are clear about fee structures. DesignCrowd prices tend to range anywhere from $99 to upwards of $699.
With 99Designs offers tiered price plans in bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. A bronze blog design plan runs at $599, for example. The most expensive option is platinum, which starts at $2,499. While that might seem like a lot, these specialist platforms tend to connect you with higher-quality creators than those found on generalist work-for-hire sites.
Fiverr is a generalist platform that includes designers and copywriters, SEO pros, coding experts, and more.
This sets it apart from 99Designs, which is explicitly focused on graphic designers and illustrators. While you can use Fiverr for more, you will likely find the quality isn't as high. This is a common complaint in Fiverr reviews.
That said, if you stick to Fiverr Pro profiles, you can find quality that's up to par with 99Designs.
Individuals can only join Fiverr Pro after a stringent vetting process, requiring three rounds of assessment. In terms of cost, Fiverr is free to join. You can simply browse freelancers to find those who suit your needs. You will have to pay $2 for any job you book valued up to $40. For jobs above $40, expect a 5% fee.
Since 99Designs is a niche provider, 99Designs reviews report the overall quality is decent.
Freelancers have the option to become verified. Additionally, you can easily view portfolios to check quality. The platform also gives you the opportunity of holding a design contest to see various concepts. You can even have your competition featured on the 99Designs blog, reaching 10,000 designers per day, for just $19.
DesignBro is a superior 99Designs alternative worth taking the time to check out. Like 99Designs, this platform lets you run contests to select suitable candidates quickly.
Where DesignBro wins points is its selection of professionals. Unlike 99Designs, every freelancer on this site is thoroughly vetted and chosen for their expertise. 99Designs reviews often note that submission gets monotonous.
If you read our DesignBro review, you’ll find many entrepreneurs say the platform is also intuitive and easy to use.
When you want to put out a call for a project, the website guides you through a step-by-step process to formulate a creative brief. This allows you to narrow down your pool of talent even further. You also get a rough estimate of when you can expect your completed project.
Toptal focuses on design, developer, and finance professionals.
It's still a worthy opponent when measured against the 99Designs specialist platform. Toptal often comes out on top thanks to its strict vetting process.
Before any freelancer can join the platform, they are tested for language ability and personal traits and design skills. The selection process also involves a life screening and test project.
This procedure is more stringent than what 99Designs offers, meaning you can expect a higher caliber of design professional on Toptal. 99Designs reviews likewise flag the inconsistent quality of work, noting that not every contest will bring quality designs.
Another significant benefit of Toptal is the trust factor. Toptal has a score of 4.6 on Trustpilot. In contrast, 99Designs has a rating of only 3.7.
CrowdSpring is another design-centric freelance platform.
It's been used by top brands like Starbucks and Amazon. The platform is simple to use. You simply post a project, which contributors then submit designs to. It's even possible to review and rate submissions as they come in.
Like 99Designs, CrowdSpring allows you to get many submissions. This is also a drawback if you don't feel like sifting through all the options. Some CrowdSpring reviewers complain about the quality of work, suggesting that designs feel rushed.
99Designs reviews also indicate a higher level of customer satisfaction. However, you lack the collaborative atmosphere of CrowdSpring, which allows you to invite others to help manage your project.
In terms of pricing, CrowdSpring and 99Designs stack up similarly. Both offer tiered fee models. With 99Designs, you can also purchase add-ons like rush deliveries, allowing for a 24-hour turnaround for an added $79. In terms of trust, CrowdSpring ranks slightly higher with a 4.0 rating on Trustpilot, compared to 99Designs’s 3.7.
Designhill stands out from the crowd of specialist design-focused sites thanks to its collaborative nature.
The platform boasts more than 50,000 designers, serving as a social platform that encourages interaction. It’s a community, not just a hiring service. This makes it easier to network with professionals, getting to know them and their work better.
Both Designhill and 99Designs encourage design contests. Pricing structures are flexible for both platforms.
Despite these similarities, Designhill wins clearly on one critical point. The site has a 4.8 TrustScore rating on TrustPilot. In comparison, 99Designs has a 3.7 rating.
Designhill reviewers also praise the platform's wide variety. In contrast, 99Designs reviews flag that if you don't run a blind contest, you will get near-duplicate designs.
LogoTournament is a crowdsourced logo contest website.
To use LogoTournament, you fill out the logo questionnaire. Then designers submit their ideas. You can provide real-time feedback and rankings as they come in. Finally, you pick your favorite logo. You can download it directly from the platform.
Both LogoTournament and 99Designs provide a money-back guarantee. LogoTournament is a bit cheaper than 99Designs, with contests starting at just $275. Looking at our 99Designs review, a logo from the platform usually starts at $299.
Although this might seem like a bargain, LogoTournament has a significant drawback due to its size. The platform is smaller, giving you fewer designers to choose from.
Size also limits the amount of external third-party feedback you can find. 99Designs is on TrustPilot, with a decent rating of 3.7. LogoTournament doesn't appear to have any feedback on the platform, however. You have less of an idea of what you're getting into with this less visible option.
Freelancer allows you to find people working in everything from software engineering to copywriting.
This platform’s lack of specificity tends to result in lower-quality work, however. Additionally, the professionals on Freelancer haven’t been screened in any way. Freelancer reviews also highlight other problems, such as a complicated fee structure.
In short, don't look to Freelancer as a reliable 99Designs alternative. 99Designs wins this race for many reasons.
First, it's a specialist platform, meaning you get access to experts who exclusively work in design. Second, it has clearly tiered pricing structures, according to 99Designs reviews. Finally, 99Designs lets you quickly find the perfect person for your project through design contests, a capacity Freelancer doesn't offer.
Upwork is without a doubt the behemoth of freelance work-for-hire platforms.
Whether it's a website or a logo, a focused platform like 99Designs is often preferred by entrepreneurs when it comes to design projects. The quality of professionals is better overall because they are exclusively design-centered.
Upwork reviews frequently point to the disparity between good and bad work on the site. This is less of a risk with 99Designs.
99Designs reviews further reveal that 99Designs offers something unique that Upwork doesn't. With this specialty platform, you have the opportunity to hold design contests to choose the right creator for your project. This way, you can easily and quickly select from multiple samples.
99Designs also offers more flexibility with its pricing plans, thanks to its tiered pricing model.
Looking at the above list, you already have a solid introduction to viable 99Designs alternatives.
With a bit of extra digging, you can quickly and easily determine which one best fits your business’ unique design needs. It shouldn’t take long for you to find the 99Designs competitor that works for you.