Short answer There’s no single best logo design service, only the best one for your stage. Pre-launch with almost no budget: an AI maker such as Looka. Want many ideas: a 99designs contest. Ongoing design needs: a freelancer on Upwork. A custom, human-made logo at a fixed price in days: a design service such as Logomint. Raising a big round and rebranding: an agency.

Logomint is our own service, and it’s in this list. To keep it fair, we explain how we compared, show where others are the better fit, and link every fact about other companies to their own pages (checked on 14 October 2026).

Which logo option fits your situation: Looka or a cheap Fiverr gig to test an idea, Logomint to launch, 99designs for many directions, a freelancer for ongoing work, an agency to reposition A quick guide to which option fits your situation.

How we compared

We looked at what matters to a startup buying its first real logo:

  • Total price, including platform fees, as published by each company
  • Who designs it: a person you choose, many people in a contest, AI, or a matched designer
  • Speed to first ideas and final files
  • Files and ownership, so the logo works everywhere and is yours
  • What happens if you don’t like it

Prices can change, and some sites show prices for your location. Always check the total before paying.

The shortlist

Service Best for Price (as published) Human designer Speed
Logomint A custom logo at a fixed price, fast €129 – €299, no fees on top Yes, a senior designer from our team Concepts in 48 h, files in 7 days
99designs Many ideas from many designers Contests from €289 to €1,299 (our location, excl. tax) Yes, many About 7 days per contest
Fiverr The smallest budgets Logo gigs from €5; buyer service fee on top Yes, the seller you choose Set by each seller
Upwork An ongoing design relationship Upwork cites $150 – $500 for a simple logo; fees on top Yes, you hire one You agree it with the freelancer
Looka A quick placeholder $35 – $72, or $96/year No, AI plus your edits Minutes
Branding agency A full rebrand with strategy Usually €5,000 and up Yes, a team Weeks to months

1. Logomint: best for a custom logo at a fixed price

Logomint is a logo design service. You choose a plan, fill in a short brief, and a project manager matches you with a senior designer from our team. No contest, no seller to vet, no fees on top.

  • €129 Starter: 1 concept, 2 revisions
  • €199 Growth: 2 concepts, unlimited revisions
  • €299 Premium: 3 concepts, unlimited revisions, branding analysis, brand guidelines, stationery, social media kit and 3D mockup
  • First concepts within 48 hours, final files within 7 days, all source files included
  • A money-back guarantee if the concepts aren’t right for you

Choose something else if you want to see dozens of directions from different designers (a contest does that better), or if you need a large strategic rebrand with workshops and research (that’s agency work).

2. 99designs: best for seeing many ideas

On 99designs, you launch a contest and designers compete for your brief. When we checked, logo contests cost €289, €479, €859 or €1,299 (excluding sales tax, for our location), with higher tiers limited to more experienced designers. A contest runs about 7 days, and 99designs says the number of entries is an estimate. It offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on contests, with exceptions such as contests that have entered the final round, and it doesn’t allow generative AI in logo contests.

Choose something else if your budget is under €300 or you’d rather work with one designer than review a contest. Full comparison: Logomint vs 99designs.

3. Fiverr: best for the smallest budgets

Fiverr has logo gigs at almost every price, starting at €5 when we checked, and a “Vetted Pro” tier for more experienced sellers. You choose the seller and the package, and Fiverr adds a buyer service fee at checkout. Refunds from cancelled orders go to your Fiverr balance by default. We compare it in detail in Logomint vs Fiverr.

Choose something else if you don’t have time to vet sellers, or if you need source files and enough revisions without paying for the top package.

4. Upwork: best for an ongoing design relationship

Upwork is closer to hiring. You post a job, interview freelancers and agree a fixed price or an hourly rate. Upwork’s own guide gives $150 to $500 for a simple logo concept and $1,500 to $5,000 for a brand identity, and charges clients a marketplace fee plus a small fee per new contract.

Choose something else if you need a logo this week: finding and briefing the right person takes time.

We compare it with a design service in Logomint vs Upwork.

5. Looka: best for a quick placeholder

Looka uses AI to generate logos you then edit yourself, from $35 for a single PNG to $72 for vector files, or $96 a year for a brand kit. It’s fast and cheap. Nobody thinks about your positioning, though, and Looka gives you copyright of the logo as a whole but not of its individual elements. For a lasting brand, a human-made logo is easier to protect (see can you trademark an AI-generated logo).

Choose something else if the logo will go on your product, packaging or pitch deck for years. Full comparison: Logomint vs Looka.

6. A branding agency: best for a full rebrand

Agencies bring a team, research and strategy, and usually charge €5,000 and up, with timelines in weeks or months (what a logo costs in 2026). That makes sense when you’re repositioning a funded company.

Choose something else if you’re pre-seed or launching: you’ll get more from a strong logo now and a full brand system later.

Which one fits your stage?

Your situation Good fit
Testing an idea, budget under €100 Looka or a low-priced Fiverr gig
Launching, want a custom logo this month Logomint
Want to compare many directions 99designs
Need design help every month A freelancer on Upwork, or hired directly
Funded, repositioning the company A branding agency

Before you pay anyone

  • Ask for the total price, with fees and extras.
  • Check you get vector and source files (which formats you need).
  • Confirm you own the final logo.
  • Read what happens if you don’t like the result, and where a refund goes.
  • Watch for red flags like stock icons sold as custom work.

Building software, an app or an AI product? Our guide to logo design for tech startups covers app icons, favicons and dark mode. And if you’ve ruled out Fiverr and 99designs, the alternatives guide compares the other options.

FAQ

Which logo design service is best for an early-stage startup?

It depends on your stage. An AI maker such as Looka suits a pre-launch test with almost no budget, a 99designs contest gives you many ideas, an Upwork freelancer fits ongoing design needs, and a design service such as Logomint gives you a custom, human-made logo at a fixed price in days.

How much does a logo cost on 99designs compared with Fiverr?

When we checked, 99designs logo contests cost €289, €479, €859 or €1,299, excluding sales tax, for our location. Fiverr logo gigs started at €5, with a buyer service fee added at checkout.

Is an AI logo maker like Looka good enough for a startup?

For a quick placeholder, yes: Looka costs $35 to $72, or $96 a year for a brand kit, and takes minutes. But nobody thinks about your positioning, and Looka gives you copyright of the logo as a whole but not of its individual elements, so a human-made logo is easier to protect if it will be on your product or pitch deck for years.

Is a branding agency worth it for a pre-seed startup?

Usually not. Agencies typically charge €5,000 and up, with timelines in weeks or months, which makes sense when you’re repositioning a funded company. If you’re pre-seed or launching, you’ll get more from a strong logo now and a full brand system later.

Sources

Checked on 14 October 2026. Some sites showed prices for our location (Germany).

Starting your brand?

At Logomint, a senior designer creates your custom logo from €129, with first concepts in 48 hours, all source files and a money-back guarantee.