99designs in 10 slides
A design marketplace where clients launch contests that many designers enter, or hire a designer directly. Strong for logos, branding, and packaging, with money-back guarantees on contests.
- Design marketplace
- Freelance sites
- Based in Melbourne, Australia
What you do on 99designs
How the money is made: freelance services
- Build a profile
- Win a client
- Deliver the work
- Get paid
A design marketplace where clients launch contests that many designers enter, or hire a designer directly. Strong for logos, branding, and packaging, with money-back guarantees on contests.
Founded 2008 · next to 57 other freelance sites
Work and topics
Good for
What 99designs takes
Platform fee from 5% to 15%
From the published fees, before payment-processing, currency or withdrawal charges. Work out your own amount →
How the money reaches you
From sign-up to payout
- Sign upFree
- Quick profile or ID review
- Do the work
- Earnings clearAutomatic, about 6-10+ business days after client releases payment
- Withdraw3 ways to withdraw
$25
3 ways to withdraw
- Bank transfer
- PayPal
- prepaid card and more)
Can you join?
Yes, if you are 18 or older.
You need a computer, reliable internet and a portfolio or work samples. Your profile is reviewed before you start.
What you need
- 18 or olderMinimum age
- A computer
- Reliable internet
- A portfolio or work samples
- Free to joinSign-up cost
- Quick profile or ID reviewHow sign-up works
What people actually earn
99designs says its creator community of designers has earned more than $300 million on the platform since launch.
Source: 99designs.com ↗How it scores
Strong on access and proof of earnings.
- Fees3.5
- Getting paid3.5
- Access4.8
- Track record3.5
- Proof of earnings4.0
- Verified earnings
- Open worldwide
- Free to join
- Clear fees
- Payment protection
- 10 years running
- Fully documented
99designs against its peers
Guess: next to the 29 other freelance sites that charge a percentage, is 99designs…
The cut of all 30 freelance sites that charge a percentage
| Platform | Fee |
|---|---|
| Freelancehunt | 2.5% |
| Worksome | 4% |
| Braintrust | 5% |
| Comet | 5% |
| Mihuashi | 5% |
| Guru | 7% |
| Upwork | 7.5% |
| GoLance | 8% |
| 99designs | 10% |
| Freelancer | 10% |
| Malt | 10% |
| Terawork | 10% |
| Codeable | 10% |
| PeoplePerHour | 11.8% |
| Fastwork | 12% |
| CrowdWorks | 12.5% |
| Wishket | 12.5% |
| Kmong | 13% |
| Sribu | 15% |
| 99Freelas | 15% |
| Projects.co.id | 15% |
| Lancers | 16.5% |
| Mostaql | 17.5% |
| Fiverr | 20% |
| Ureed | 20% |
| Bionluk | 20% |
| Kolabtree | 20% |
| Comeup | 20% |
| Khamsat | 20% |
| Coconala | 22% |
- At 5%–15%, 99designs sits near the middle — the median fee across the 30 freelance sites we track that charge a percentage is 12.3%.
- 99designs offers 3 ways to withdraw — more than most freelance sites we track (typical: 1).
- 99designs is one of 9 of the 58 freelance sites we track with built-in payment protection (Money-back guarantee on contests).
- Founded in 2008, 99designs has been running for about 18 years — longer than 48 of the 58 freelance sites we track with a known launch year.
How much we know
We have 14 of the 17 things we track for every platform. Fees, payouts, join rules, countries and real earnings count most.
What we have
- What kind of platform it is
- Year founded
- Headquarters
- Fees
- Minimum payout
- How fast you get paid
- Withdrawal methods
- Payment protection
- Join requirements
- Countries it accepts
- Real earnings figures
- Review ratings
- Wikipedia or reference page
- Social accounts
Still missing
- Plain-English overview
- Support channels
- Mobile apps