Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover hiring & freelancers. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| 99designs | Twine | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $249 | From $139.99 |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Billing | One-time purchase | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Covers | Hiring & Freelancers, Design & Graphics, Thumbnails & Cover Art | Hiring & Freelancers |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Run a design contest, pick the entry you like
99designs, now owned by Vista, runs the contest model: post a brief and a prize, get dozens of submissions from designers around the world, pay only the one you choose. For a logo or a channel identity that is a lot of directions to look at for a fixed price. The people who dislike it dislike it on principle, because everybody who does not win works for nothing.
Our note
The objection to the contest model is real and worth stating: everybody who does not win works unpaid. If that sits badly, Dribbble and Contra both put you in touch with a designer who is paid for the work they do.
Only on this side
Freelance creatives, free to post a brief
Twine is a marketplace of freelance video editors, animators, designers, illustrators, copywriters and music producers, and posting a job costs nothing. What you pay is a service fee on the hire, and it drops once you have paid a freelancer enough. The published project ranges give you a straight answer about what work costs before you write the brief.
Our note
The falling fee is the reason to keep hiring the same editor here rather than moving off-platform once you like them. Upwork has far more people; Twine has fewer and they are all creative, which is worth something when you are the one reading the applications.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.