99designs Pricing & Plans – How Much Does It Really Cost?

99designs is a unique graphic design platform that connects designers with people who need designs. Users submit a design brief, outlining the project specifications and preferences, and then connect with a single designer or multiple designers, and then pick their favorite design. You are able to collaborate back and forth with the designer until you get the design that you want.

In this post, we will detail the different 99design plans below. To briefly summarize, you can choose a fixed design pricing package for design contents, or negotiate the price of your project with a single designer. Below we will break down the different pricing options.

Pricing Types

99designs has three types of pricing. Individuals or smaller businesses will typically use fixed-pricing content packages or a one-to-one designer. For agencies, there is 99design Pro. The prices fluctuate based on the type of campaign you will run.

99designs is an okay platform if you have a one-off design project. Except most businesses don't need just a logo. They need business cards, marketing collateral, social media graphics, a web design, and more. Using 99designs for all of these products get expensive fast. If you're looking for agency quality design work at a fixed monthly cost, we recommend hiring an unlimited graphic design company.

Top Unlimited Graphic Designers

Fixed-Pricing Contest Packages

With contest packages, you can get fixed pricing plans that remain the same no matter what designer you choose. The cost of the package will vary based on the type of design project. For example, the bronze tier costs $199 for business card design, but $299 for a magazine cover.

A contest means that you open your brief up to the 99designs design community, and numerous designers submit their ideas. You get to choose your favorite design to own and use, for the set price of the contest package. After choosing your designer, you collaborate with them to refine the design and then obtain full copyright in the end.

There is a fixed pricing contest option for every budget. Here’s the a quick breakdown to show how you can view the various contest packages:

99designs Pricing Table

Here's a quick run down of the range of 99designs prices broken down by project:

Negotiating with a Designer

The alternative on 99designs to fixed contest packages is to hire an individual designer. Request quotes from multiple designers and then negotiate the price of your specific designer. When you directly hire a designer, you still get copyright ownership, designers vetted for quality and production-ready files for print and digital.

The downside is that there is no set price for hiring a designer. Based on the type of design project, 99designs will provide you with an estimated price range. The range can be quite large and does not give the best insight as to what you will pay. For example, the estimated price range for a social media page design is $99-$499. The only way to determine the actual price is to go through the process of negotiating with a designer.

99design Pro

99design Pro is the subscription specifically designed for agencies. With 99design Pro, a dedicated account manager connects you with a designer for each project to streamline the process of working with freelance designers.

99design Pro Features

The Pro tier comes with a myriad of features that the other two plans do not include. In addition to ownership of all files and copyrights, secure payment processing, and vetted designers, you get:

• Personalized designer pairing
• A dedicated account manager
• Added free perks for contents like making private contests, expediting, and invite-only contests.

99designs Pro Cost

The Pro subscription costs $500 per year for a membership fee. On top of the membership fee, you then pay for either fixed-rate content packages or negotiate with individual designers just as you would otherwise.

Are There Additional Fees on 99designs?

In addition to the project costs, clients must pay a 5% platform fee. The platform fee covers marketplace protection, customer support, and payment processing. Those in Australia will also pay a 10% added value to cover the Goods and Services tax.

Which 99design Plan Should You Choose?

Before choosing a 99design plan, you should first read our comprehensive 99design review. There is no 99designs free trial, so it does not make sense to jump in headfirst. Whether you are an agency, individual, or small company, it makes the most sense to start with a smaller commitment test than to dive into 99design Pro.

In most cases, begin with the design contest. There is very little to lose with this format, as you know the fixed cost and can choose from a number of submissions. Once you become comfortable with this, you may opt for higher tiers of contests, or even start working with designers one-on-one. By that time, you would have a better understanding of what is reasonable to pay and may have built up a list of reputable designers whose work you enjoyed.

If you find that 99designs is working well for your needs, but you are an agency that needs some more bandwidth, then you may consider if the Pro category is the right fit for you. Overall, you want to assess if 99designs crowdsourcing format is the best strategy for you to see multiple options for each project, or if you would be better off opting for an unlimited graphic design provider.

99designs is an okay platform if you have a one-off design project. Except most businesses don't need just a logo. They need business cards, marketing collateral, social media graphics, a web design, and more. Using 99designs for all of these products get expensive fast. If you're looking for agency quality design work at a fixed monthly cost, we recommend hiring an unlimited graphic design company.

Top Unlimited Graphic Designers