99designs vs Competitors: Which Design Platform is Right for You?

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Contents

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What is 99designs?

99designs is a leading online design marketplace connecting businesses and individuals with freelance graphic designers globally. Since 2008, it has served over 500,000 customers and facilitated more than 1 million design projects. The platform offers flexible solutions for developing visual concepts, whether establishing a brand identity or working on product packaging and website design.

99designs homepage

Service Models of 99designs

Two primary service models form the foundation of 99designs’ operation:

  • Design Contests: Clients post project briefs where multiple designers submit competing concepts.
  • Direct Hiring: Clients can search through designer portfolios before selecting experts for personalized collaboration.

This two-pronged strategy provides users with diverse options while maintaining control over their design choices.

How 99designs Works: Step-by-Step

The following steps illustrate how a typical design contest on 99designs operates:

  1. Create a Project Brief: Explain your project requirements, desired outcomes, stylistic preferences, and sources of inspiration.
  2. Launch a Contest or Hire a Designer: Host a public design contest or directly hire a designer.
  3. Receive and Review Submissions: Designers submit multiple concepts within the first few days of a contest launch.
  4. Give Feedback and Refine Designs: Provide feedback through comments and ratings while requesting improvements.
  5. Pick a Winner and Finalize: Choose your favorite design and receive all final files from the designer while maintaining complete rights.
  6. Secure Payment System: 99designs handles all payments to provide security for both clients and designers.

Stat: Logo contests on 99designs receive an average submission range of 30 to 60 distinct designs.

Services Offered by 99designs

99designs offers a comprehensive variety of creative services that span multiple categories, such as:

  • Logo & Brand Identity
  • Website & App Design (UI/UX)
  • Product Packaging
  • T-shirt & Merchandise Design
  • Book & Magazine Covers
  • Business Cards & Stationery
  • Social Media Graphics
  • Infographics & Email Templates

Case in Point: A food startup engaged 99designs to handle their packaging, logo, and website assets through three contests held within a month and achieved a full brand identity launch.

Pricing Model Explained

The platform employs tiered pricing structures for contests that determine the quantity and quality of designers who participate.

Logo Design Contest Tiers:

  • Bronze: $299 (Entry-level designers)
  • Silver: $499 (Moderately experienced designers)
  • Gold: $899 (Highly rated professionals)
  • Platinum: $1,299 (Top-tier, pre-vetted designers only)

Design submissions for each tier remain constant while designers from varying experience levels are accessible. The percentage of successful direct hires depends on both the designer’s expertise and the complexity of the project.

Pros and Cons of Using 99designs

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Pros:

  • Access: Vast, global talent pool
  • Variety: Dozens of unique ideas from one brief
  • Transparency: Designer ranking system
  • Support: Great customer support and dispute resolution
  • Flexibility: Offers design services for both logos and complete websites.

Cons:

  • Pricing: Premium pricing compared to Fiverr or Freelancer
  • Submissions: Design contests result in many unusable submissions because only one design wins.
  • Quality: May vary in lower-tier contests.

99designs delivers a quality-focused design solution with creative direction for both new companies seeking distinctive logos and established brands looking to refresh their identity while benefiting from its longstanding trust and credibility.

99design vs 99designs: Clearing Up the Confusion

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Users often search for “99designs” but should correct their searches to “99designs.” The correct name is 99designs (plural). The brand uses this name consistently on every platform.

Is it 99designs or 99designs?

It’s 99designs. People often mistakenly type “99designs” as the wrong version of the brand name. Creating an SEO strategy that incorporates both forms proves to be a wise choice for brand visibility.

Brand Naming and SEO Implications

“99designs” is the correct brand name.

The incorrect spelling of “99designs” appears frequently in search queries each month.

Search intent optimization benefits from including both the correct brand name and its common misspellings.

What Users Are Searching For

According to Ahrefs:

  • “99designs” – 27,000 monthly searches (global)
  • “99design” – 3,800 monthly searches (global)

99designs vs the Competition

We will compare 99designs with major competitors from the freelance and crowdsourcing design sector.

Comparison Overview

99designs vs Fiverr

99designs vs fiverr

99designs caters to curated design contests with professional designers, whereas Fiverr lets anyone offer services generally at a reduced price.

Key Differences

  • 99designs: Pre-qualified designers, contests, premium design
  • Fiverr: Services starting at just $5, reducing the entry barrier for new sellers.

Best For

  • 99designs: Businesses needing brand consistency
  • Fiverr: Quick, budget-conscious design tasks

99designs vs Upwork

99designs vs upwork

Upwork is a general freelance platform. It provides better solutions for ongoing projects with hourly payments, while 99designs offers efficient processes for single creative assignments.

Case Study

A startup founder organized a logo contest on 99designs and received 120 submissions within five days. The founder also used Upwork to hire a full-time designer for social media content. Both platforms served different purposes effectively.

Key Differences

  • Upwork: Hourly and project-based hiring
  • 99designs: Focused on short-term, high-quality design contests

99designs vs DesignCrowd

99designs vs DesignCrowd

DesignCrowd operates with a crowdsourcing framework that usually draws designers from a wide range of experience levels.

Numbered Highlights

  1. 99designs has better designer vetting.
  2. DesignCrowd is more budget-friendly.

Users experience a more streamlined interface and better usability on 99designs compared to other platforms.

99designs vs Freelancer

99designs vs Freelancer

Freelancer is another broad freelance platform that includes design categories within its offerings.

Freelancer Strengths

  • Larger freelancer base

The platform allows users to find professionals with expertise in writing, coding, and design, among other skills.

Design Quality Comparison

99designs targets professional designers who have specialized skills and expertise.

Clients need to perform additional vetting when using Freelancer to ensure qualified professionals.

Comparison Table

Platform Best ForStarting PriceDesign QualityContest Option
99designsHigh-quality contests$299HighYes
FiverrBudget design$5VariesNo
Upwork Long-term freelanceVaries  VariesNo
DesignCrowdAffordable contests $99MediumYes
FreelancerGeneral freelancingVaries VariesNo
Comparison Chart of different platform

Top 7 Game-Changing Websites Similar to 99designs

Looking for websites similar to 99designs? Here are some powerful alternatives:

DesignCrowd:

  • Affordable contest-based model
  • Wide designer base, but mixed quality
  • Good for small businesses
DesignCrowd Homepage

 Fiverr:

  • Gig-based design work
  • Users can use filters to organize designers by budget requirements, work experience, and client ratings.
  • Popular for logos, banners, and one-off tasks
Fiverr Homepage

Freelancer:

  • Global marketplace for all types of freelancers
  • Good if you’re managing multiple services (e.g., content + design)
Freelancer Homepage

 Toptal:

  •     The platform accepts only the top three percent of freelancers.
  •     Great for high-budget, corporate-level projects
  •     Higher cost but unmatched quality
Toptal Homepage

Crowdspring:

  •  Offers a curated designer pool.  
  •  Ideal for brand development and packaging
Crowdspring Homepage

48 Hours Logo: 

  • Specializes in fast-turnaround logo contests.    
  • Simple platform with low-cost entry
48hourslogo Homepage

Dribbble: 

  •  Hire designers directly based on their portfolios.
  •  Ideal for one-on-one collaborations
  •  Includes high-end illustrators and UI/UX specialists
Dribbble Homepage

Quick Comparison Table

PlatformUnique StrengthPrice Range
DesignCrowdCost-effective contests$$
FiverrQuick & cheap gigs$
FreelancerBroad freelancer pool$$
ToptalElite design talent$$$$
CrowdspringCurated creative community$$$
48 Hours LogSuper-fast logo delivery$$
DribbblePortfolio-based hiring$$$

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Your project type, budget, and timeline will determine your platform choice. Here’s a guide:

Best for Budget Projects

  • Fiverr: Gigs starting at $5
  • DesignCrowd: Affordable contests
  • Freelancer: Low-cost bidding model

Best for High-End Design Needs

  • 99designs: Access to top-tier professionals
  • Toptal: Hand-picked elite freelancers
  • Dribbble: Portfolio-based hiring for custom projects

Best for Quick Turnaround

  • 448 Hours: Logos in under 48 hours
  • Fiverr: Instant gig selection
  • DesignCrowd: Fast contest submissions

Ideal for Long-Term Collaboration

  • Upwork: Track hours, milestones, and team members
  • Freelancer: Tools for ongoing communication
  • Dribbble: Develop lasting relationships based on designer portfolios

Final Verdict: Is 99designs Worth It in 2025?

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Summary of Key Features

  • Design contests: Encourage a creative variety.
  • High-quality designers: With profile ratings
  • Transparent pricing and simple project management

Trusted by Over 500,000 Businesses Globally

Who Should Use 99designs

  • Small businesses launching new brands
  • Startups that need full branding kits
  • Business founders who appreciate numerous design choices before making a decision

When to Consider Alternatives

  • The budget is under $100
  • Need a logo within 24 hours
  • The goal is to establish an ongoing relationship with a creative partner

Call-to-Action or Recommendation

99designs stands out as the top pick for businesses that prioritize high-end design services combined with effective teamwork. To match your needs for urgent tasks or limited budgets, look at the above alternatives to find what works best for you.

FAQs About 99designs and Similar Websites

1. Is it possible to hire designers directly through 99designs?

Absolutely! 99designs provides a direct hiring feature, allowing you to review designer portfolios and select candidates based on their design style, experience, and ratings. This method works well when you have previous contest work experience with a designer. Direct hiring gives clients greater control over their projects while providing clear timelines and enabling continual collaboration.

Case Study: After participating in a logo contest, a boutique coffee brand discovered a designer they adored. They hired the designer directly to create their product packaging and a Shopify website, ensuring brand consistency across all touchpoints.

2. Which platform is superior for logo design, 99designs or Fiverr?

It depends on your goals:

Choose 99designs if you want:

  • Multiple concepts from experienced designers
  • A more professional, brand-driven process
  • Access to approved professionals through competition structures and classification systems

Choose Fiverr if you:

  • Have an extremely limited budget, starting at $5
  • Need something simple or fast
  • Are you comfortable doing your designer vetting

Stat: A 2024 survey revealed that 72% of startups chose 99designs for their branding projects, while 61% opted for Fiverr for individual graphic tasks.

Are 99designs Designers Vetted?

Yes, but with levels. Designers are categorized into:

  • Entry Level – New to the platform
  • Mid Level – Consistently good performance
  • Top Level – Consists of elite designers who have demonstrated successful outcomes after vetting.

Platinum-tier hiring allows you to access a network of pre-screened top-level professionals.

What’s the Refund Policy on 99designs?

Refunds exist for most contests but not for those marked “Guaranteed.” For non-guaranteed contests, you can apply for a refund if you didn’t select a winner and remain unsatisfied.

Tip: Ensure you understand the contest terms and deadlines before entering a guaranteed contest.