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Running a business is a lot of work, and it often means more multitasking than one person can handle. Thankfully, freelancers can offload some of your load so that you can focus on key tasks.
Hiring freelancers can be a challenge, especially if you have a tight budget, unique needs, or a rushed deadline. DesignCrowd is a viable option for many companies, but it may not be the best freelance platform for you.
Let’s take a look at some DesignCrowd alternatives and what they have to offer. Maybe one of these is just the solution your team needs.
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 DesignCrowd.
To learn more, you can register with DesignBro, read our comparison of DesignBro and DesignCrowd, or read our full DesignBro review.
There are several freelancing sites to choose from, and you can find somebody to fill just about any role you need. However, not every site offers freelancers in every category, especially in specialized roles, like graphic design. Choose a site that offers the design services you need.
While DesignCrowd boasts a massive community of freelancers, Toptal claims to give you access to top talent. The site relies on a thorough 5-step screening process that substantially narrows the field of applicants before you even see them.
Sure, many freelance sites offer some level of applicant vetting, but few commit to the process like Toptal. Freelancers pass a language and personality test, skill review, live screening, weeks of test projects, and continuous evaluation of work quality.
On the other hand, while DesignCrowd offers you access to a massive community of freelancers, they only perform minimal screening for quality.
Toptal also trumps DesignCrowd in pricing. You don’t have to buy a package with Toptal because they attach fees to freelancer rates. DesignCrowd offers some variation in fee structure, but they charge posting fees for projects and a 4% fee for new projects.
DesignBro may be new to the freelancing scene, but they created a fresh platform that’s gaining steam. They already garnered impressive reviews from entrepreneurs who used DesignBro freelancers.
Unlike DesignCrowd, DesignBro offers your project to its freelancers as a competition. You create a design brief, and DesignBro gives you a selection of designers to work with in a give-and-take process.
DesignBro’s method involves open communication between you and the designer at each stage of the “competition.” This process ends with a winning freelancer and a design you love. However, if you don’t love any of the designs, you can reject them all and request a refund.
DesignCrowd’s contest-style setup lacks the open communication setup that DesignBro uses. Having a dialogue with freelancers to explain what elements of a design work and which ones need improvement helps you find exactly what you want.
OnlineJobs.ph offers you an opportunity to hire skilled designers from the Philippines. The site takes the stress out of the recruiting process by finding freelancers who fit your needs.
One of the perks of OnlineJobs.ph is their pricing. You can choose from three pricing plans that put DesignCrowd’s scale to shame. OnlineJobs.ph even has a free package for entrepreneurs looking to test the waters with a few job posts.
Additionally, OnlineJobs.ph doesn’t tack on fees to what you charge the freelancers. Factor in some of their free resources and the time-tracking software, and it’s not difficult to see why it’s worth your while to find a freelancer through OnlineJobs.ph.
99Designs is an online marketplace that employs a crowdsourcing process. They give you access to a selection of designs from different freelancers.
For example, if you need a logo design, the site hosts a design contest. Then, you choose the best design.
Though 99Designs uses a tiered fee structure like DesignCrowd, there are some distinct differences. 99Designs allows you to select from four tiers based on the level of talent you want and how much assistance you need in the process. They also offer several add-ons to create a custom experience.
Additionally, 99Designs attaches a 60-day, 100% money-back guarantee (with a few exceptions) to every pricing package. You also receive full copyright ownership of the designs.
Crowdspring boasts an impressive list of clients, including some top tier companies. Over the past several years, Crowdspring fine-tuned its approach to deliver a selection of designs for you to review before selecting a winner.
The fee structures are similar for Crowdspring and DesignCrowd. However, Crowdspring may cost you a bit more in terms of experience and talent.
Additionally, Crowdspring could deliver a slightly superior product because you get more designs to review. The smallest package promises around 60 designs to choose from. If having too many designs to choose from sounds overwhelming to you, then DesignCrowd may be a better option.
Whether you’re just starting out or a little tight on the budget for a project, Fiverr is a solid option because you can expect to pay just five dollars for a design. Of course, you can pay more if you want, but the point of Fiverr is five-dollar jobs.
There may be some variation in work quality, especially at a rate of five dollars for a job. However, you can upgrade to a Fiverr Pro if you want a better selection of professional designers. All freelancers tagged as Fiverr Pros passed through a three-stage vetting process.
Fiverr does have its issues with some freelancers committing questionable practices. There have been complaints about designers reselling copyrighted work or, at the very least, recycling designs from other jobs.
Questionable practices aren’t always an issue on Fiverr, but you tend to get what you pay for in life. That said, if price isn’t an object or you worry more about quality, you may want to stick with DesignCrowd’s pool of freelancers for your design jobs.
Designhill may be one of the most versatile sites for hiring a freelance designer. They offer a lot of variety, including a choice to hold a “contest” or work one-on-one with a designer.
Working with Designhill means access to thousands of designers from around the world. Using the design contest option can land you anywhere from twenty to eighty different designs.
You can generally expect reasonable prices - perhaps even a little more affordable at some levels than DesignCrowd. Additionally, Designhill only charges a fee based on what you choose. There’s no additional posting fee like you have with DesignCrowd.
Upwork was one of the first freelancing sites, and it remains a popular place to hire because it has thousands of freelancers at its disposal. You can find freelancers to meet all of your design needs within nearly any budget.
If you choose an upgraded account, like Business Plus or Enterprise, Upwork offers several extra perks, including an opportunity to add additional freelancers to a job and sourcing support. Unfortunately, they don’t offer as much support as DesignCrowd.
Some businesses have excellent luck with Upwork’s freelancers and may even find long-term or repeat hires. However, other companies note issues with Upwork terminating accounts without warning or explanation.
Upwork has its uses, especially if you don’t mind molding or training your hire a little. If you want experienced, vetted freelancers, you may have better luck with DesignCrowd.
Freelancer is another staple in the freelancing industry that may deliver just the designer you need. You get access to tons of applicants, and you can even set up project contests.
Sadly, unless you have time to muddle through the applications, it may not save you enough time and effort to be effective. Also, there seem to be significant shortcomings in terms of quality, and Freelancer charges additional fees for almost everything.
DesignCrowd may not have the numbers that Freelancer has, but it tends to offer better quality. However, if you only need a basic design and can avoid the upsells, you may get a good deal on Freelancer.
If you want something truly creative, Hatchwise may be your best bet of the DesignCrowd alternatives. The international company gives you access to creators from all over the world. You can choose to do a rush project or a contest.
Pricing is another perk with Hatchwise. You can choose one of their four established, reasonably priced plans. Or, if none of the plans fit your needs, you can create a custom plan with variable price options and upgrades available.
Hatchwise is affordable, flexible, fits with the creative spirit, and they have some impressive designers. You may have more selection with DesignCrowd or one of the others on this list, though.
TaskRabbit made a name for itself by providing local freelancers to handle everything from moving and furniture assembly to data entry and graphic design. Unfortunately, it seems that most of their hires handle moving, assembly, delivery, and repair work.
You can hire designers virtually by telling them what you need and the deadline. Browse their freelancers and choose the one that works for you.
Pricing varies depending on the freelancer’s level of skill and the tasks assigned.
While TaskRabbit has decent reviews and respectable pricing, it may not give you what you need in terms of design. The site focuses on different types of work, so it doesn’t have the selection of graphic designers that you can find elsewhere.
Also, TaskRabbit is not as user-friendly as DesignCrowd, or many of the others on the list.
Hiring a freelancer should make your life easier and free up time to handle more pressing tasks for your business.
Finding the right freelancer for your design project starts with choosing a site that you feel comfortable using and one that fits your needs. DesignBro and Toptal are two DesignCrowd alternatives that offer a lot in terms of pricing, talent, and user experience.
If money is an object and you need to stick with freelancers on the cheap, you may want to consider Hatchwise or Fiverr.
Whether you go with DesignCrowd or another site, you have plenty of options to choose from. It just might take a little patience and experimentation to find the right fit.