Maya K.
Senior Full-Stack Developer
$120/hr
★★★★★4.9
DesignCrowd Pricing and DesignCrowd Cost in 2026, Fees, Packages and Price per Design
DesignCrowd pricing for a logo runs about $109 to $739 a project, depending on how many designs you want back. On top, DesignCrowd's own fee page lists a posting fee of up to $129 and a 4% transaction fee, and neither is refundable.
For one logo, a contest is cheap per concept and we would not talk you out of it. For design you need every month, paying one freelancer by the hour usually costs less and keeps the same person on your brand.
$109 to $739 reported logo packages
4% + up to $129 non-refundable fees
$349/mo, 0% our plan, no project fee
Find your freelancer
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Role
Budget
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Your top matches
2 of 3 can start this week All 3 available this month Flexible start dates
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Sofia R.
Product Designer
$95/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Daniel O.
Conversion Copywriter
$110/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Lucas M.
Growth Marketer
$115/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Hana Y.
Video Editor
$85/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Rachel N.
Small-Business Bookkeeper
$55/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Grace A.
Executive Virtual Assistant
$45/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Elena M.
Technical SEO Consultant
$120/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Dana R.
Google Ads Consultant
$130/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Mara B.
Meta Ads Consultant
$125/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Ravi K.
Senior Data Scientist
$140/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Tobias A.
Senior DevOps Engineer
$135/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Ava L.
Social Media Manager
$65/hr
★★★★★4.9
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Julian C.
Management Consultant
$165/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Grace H.
Freelance CPA
$120/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Dana R.
Direct-Response Copywriter
$115/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Ivan V.
Senior QA Automation Engineer
$105/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Ravi T.
Certified Salesforce Developer
$125/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Lena C.
Senior UX Designer
$115/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Elena B.
Senior Webflow Developer
$105/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Sofia M.
Certified Legal Translator
$75/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Nadia P.
Senior Commercial Illustrator
$105/hr
★★★★★5.0
+ 2 more on a full shortlist
Fund milestone 1 · $1,800 in escrow · $4,800 in escrow · $12,500 in escrow · released on your approval
$349/mo, or $174/mo billed yearly. Freelancers apply to your post and you pick who to hire.
Fees come from DesignCrowd's published fee page as of September 2026. DesignCrowd has no single pricing page, so package prices are the figures reported by current reviewers, and they vary by category and currency at checkout. Where a contest is the better buy, we say so.
What you actually pay
DesignCrowd fees, line by line, and which ones come back
DesignCrowd splits a project into two kinds of money. The project budget is the prize the designers compete for, and it is refundable under the money-back policy. Everything wrapped around it, the posting fee, the transaction fee and any upgrades, is kept whatever happens.
That split matters more than the headline price. If a contest produces nothing you like and you ask for your money back, you recover the budget but not the fees. On the smallest logo package, a posting fee near the $129 ceiling would be larger than the package itself, so read the checkout total before you commit.
On the designer side, DesignCrowd keeps 15% of design charges. Designers price that in, the same way freelancers on every percentage marketplace do.
DesignCrowd fee schedule for customers
- Posting fee, varies by project type
- up to $129, kept
- Transaction fee
- 4%, kept
- Project management fee, packages of $200 and over
- 20% of budget
- Project budget
- refundable, 60 days
- Upgrades such as private, express or top designers
- reported $30 to $150, kept
- Designer commission
- 15% of design charges
Source: designcrowd.com/fees, September 2026. Upgrade range as reported by reviewers; DesignCrowd lists upgrade prices only at purchase.
The package ladder
DesignCrowd logo packages and the price of each concept
The packages sell a target number of submissions, not a number of designers or hours. Divide the price by the minimum designs promised and the ladder has one obvious sweet spot. Below it you pay $36 to $38 per concept. At 50 designs the price per concept falls to $6.38.
1 to 3 designs
$109
$36.33 per design
Closer to a small one-off order than a contest.
6+ designs
$229
$38.17 per design
The most expensive concept on the ladder.
50+ designs
$319
$6.38 per design
The sweet spot. $90 more than 6+ for 8.3 times the concepts.
100+ designs
$499
$4.99 per design
Each extra concept over 50 costs $3.60.
150+ designs
$739
$4.93 per design
Each extra concept over 100 costs $4.80.
Look at the marginal price, not the average. Going from 50 to 100 designs adds 50 concepts for $180, or $3.60 each. Going from 100 to 150 adds 50 more for $240, or $4.80 each. The top package makes every extra concept more expensive than the one before, and you still only use one logo. Reviewing 150 entries at 30 seconds each is 75 minutes of your time before any feedback round.
Prices are the figures current reviewers report for logo projects in USD. DesignCrowd shows the live price at launch and it moves with category and currency. The 4% transaction fee on the $739 package alone is $29.56.
Where the money goes
How a DesignCrowd project spends your budget in four steps
-
1
You pick a package and pay up front. The budget, the posting fee and the 4% are charged at launch.
-
2
Designers submit concepts. Many of them, working unpaid unless they win, which is why volume is high and depth per entry is thin.
-
3
You rate, comment and shortlist. Feedback rounds are where the quality is made, and they cost your time, not money.
-
4
One winner is paid. If you guaranteed the budget, a winner must be chosen and the refund route closes.
The crossover
DesignCrowd cost against one freelance designer for a month of work
A contest buys one deliverable. Most businesses that start with a logo then need a business card, social templates, a landing page hero and ad graphics. Here is the same monthly need bought as separate contests and bought as hours from one freelance designer at a mid-range US rate of $60, through a $349 flat plan with no project fee.
| Monthly need | As $229 contests, before fees | Freelancer hours at $60 | Freelancer plus $349 plan | Cheaper route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One logo, nothing else | $229 to $319 | 6 to 10 hrs | $709 to $949 | DesignCrowd |
| 2 pieces a month | $458 | 4 hrs | $589 | DesignCrowd |
| 4 pieces a month | $916 | 8 hrs | $829 | Freelancer |
| 6 pieces a month | $1,374 | 12 hrs | $1,069 | Freelancer |
| 10 pieces a month | $2,290 | 20 hrs | $1,549 | Freelancer |
The crossover sits near 3.2 pieces
At two hours of freelance work per piece, contests and the freelance route cost the same at about 3.2 pieces a month. Above that, the flat plan pulls ahead, and contest fees widen the gap.
Fees make contests dearer
The table leaves out DesignCrowd's posting fee and 4% on purpose, to be fair to contests. Add them and the crossover moves lower.
The hidden line is continuity
Each contest can be won by a different designer. A freelancer who built your logo in month one already knows the brand in month three.
The nearest rival
DesignCrowd prices next to 99designs and a salaried designer
On price per concept DesignCrowd is the cheaper contest site. Its $319 package targets 50 or more designs, about $6.38 each, while 99designs Bronze at $299 targets about 30 concepts, about $9.97 each. At $499 DesignCrowd targets 100 or more against roughly 60 on 99designs Silver. Both offer a 60 day money-back route that closes once you guarantee or move into a final round. Our 99designs alternative comparison covers that side in full.
A salaried designer is a different purchase. The BLS May 2025 median for US graphic designers is $62,960. Loaded at 1.43 for benefits and payroll taxes, that is $7,502.73 a month. The top DesignCrowd package is 9.8% of one month of that cost.
| Option | Entry price | How you buy | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DesignCrowd | $109 to $739 a project | Contest, many concepts, one winner | A single logo or one-off asset |
| 99designs | $299 to $1,299 a contest | Contest or one-to-one, 5% client fee on one-to-one | Logo contests with more tiers |
| Flocksy | from $1,199/mo annual | Daily creative hours | Steady multi-format production |
| In-house designer | $7,502.73/mo loaded | Salary plus benefits | Full-time, product-embedded work |
| Freelancer, $349 plan | $349/mo plus hours | Hourly, paid directly, no project fee | Recurring work, one designer |
Subscriptions such as Flocksy pricing make sense once you have daily volume. Below that, see what freelance graphic design costs by the hour and by the project.
Fair is fair
When DesignCrowd is the right buy, and when a freelancer is
Run a DesignCrowd contest when
- You need one logo and have no idea which direction you want. Fifty concepts for about $319 is a cheap way to find out.
- You are fine spending an hour or two reviewing and commenting on entries.
- You do not need the same designer again next month.
- You want the option of a refund on the budget, and you will not guarantee the project.
Hire a freelance designer when
- You need four or more pieces a month, or a full identity with website, social and ad assets that must match.
- You want one person who knows the brand, answers questions and fixes things quickly.
- The work needs depth, such as a pitch deck, packaging or a product UI, that a spec contest cannot produce.
- You want to agree the rate with the designer and pay them directly, with no percentage taken on the project.
Start with vetted freelance logo designers for identity work, or hire a freelance designer for ongoing graphics.
Questions
DesignCrowd pricing questions buyers ask
How much does DesignCrowd cost?
A DesignCrowd logo project is reported at $109 for 1 to 3 designs, $229 for 6 or more, $319 for 50 or more, $499 for 100 or more and $739 for 150 or more. DesignCrowd's own fee page adds a posting fee of up to $129 and a 4% transaction fee, both non-refundable, plus optional paid upgrades.
What percentage does DesignCrowd take?
DesignCrowd publishes three percentages. Customers pay a 4% transaction fee, and on packages of $200 and over a 20% project management fee is part of the budget. Designers give up 15% of their design charges as commission. Registering as a designer is free.
Does DesignCrowd give refunds?
Yes, with conditions. The project budget is refundable if you ask within 60 days and you did not guarantee or commit the project. The posting fee, the 4% transaction fee and any upgrades are non-refundable, so you never get back the full amount you paid at checkout.
Is DesignCrowd worth it?
For a one-off logo where you want to see many directions, yes. The 50 plus design package at about $319 works out near $6.38 per concept, which is hard to beat. For ongoing design work it is a poor fit, because each contest starts over with new designers who do not know your brand.
Is DesignCrowd cheaper than 99designs?
Per concept, usually yes. DesignCrowd's reported $319 package targets 50 or more designs, about $6.38 each, while 99designs Bronze at $299 targets about 30 concepts, about $9.97 each. At $499 DesignCrowd targets 100 or more designs against about 60 on 99designs Silver.
What is cheaper than DesignCrowd for ongoing design?
For steady monthly work, one freelance designer paid by the hour usually costs less than running a new contest for every piece. Four $229 contests a month is $916 before fees, while a $349 flat plan plus 8 hours at $60 is $829, with the same designer every time.
Need more than one logo this year
Post the brief once and see which vetted designers apply. Agree the rate, pay the designer directly and keep the same person on your brand. $349 a month for the post, no project fee.
Business is $349 per month, or $174 per month billed yearly (50% off), for a project post on the SuperGig project board, with no project fee.