TL;DR: It really comes down to your budget and how often you need design. Do you want someone to handle it for you, week after week? Penji’s your pick. Need something quick and DIY? Canva. Just a one-time job? Fiverr. Curious about another subscription? Take a look at UnicornGO.
Every small business hits the same wall eventually: you need to look polished, but a full-time designer just isn’t in the budget. The good news? You’ve got more options than ever, and most of them cost a fraction of a salary. The trick is matching the right one to how you actually work, and that’s exactly what this guide is here to help you do. These four cover most small businesses.
1. Penji
Best graphic design partner for small businesses that need steady work. Think of Penji as a design team on tap. You send a request, a dedicated designer picks it up, and you get it back ready to use.
Price: Flat monthly plans, usually starting around $499/month. There’s no contract, and you get a 30-day money-back guarantee if it’s not for you.
Best for: Businesses that need design pretty much every week.
It handles 120+ types of design and gets you first drafts in a day or two. Next up is the do-it-yourself route.
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2. Canva
Best for quick, do-it-yourself design. Canva is that drag-and-drop tool everyone’s tried at least once. You build the graphic yourself from a template, and it’s honestly pretty tough to mess up.
Price: Free to start. Canva Pro runs about $15/month.
Best for: Simple social posts when you’ve got a few spare minutes.
It’s fast, easy to learn, and loaded with templates. But if you’d rather outsource graphic design, keep reading.
3. Fiverr
Best for one-off projects. Fiverr is a marketplace full of freelancers. You hire someone for a single job and move on.
Price: Per project, plenty of gigs start around $20 to $50.
Best for: Occasional needs, like a single logo or flyer.
You can scroll through styles, reviews, and delivery times before you commit. Now, here’s one more subscription to weigh.
4. UnicornGO
One of the best graphic design partner for small businesses is UnicornGO. It works a lot like Penji: a flat monthly rate with unlimited requests.
Price: Monthly plans, usually in the few-hundred-dollar range.
Best for: Comparing subscription graphic design services side by side.
You get a bunch of design categories and a queue where your requests line up. Okay, let’s clear up the usual questions.
FAQ
It’s basically a subscription. You pay one flat fee each month and send over as many requests as you want, and a design team or graphic design agency takes care of them for you.
Most of the time, yeah. A designer’s full salary costs way more than you’d ever spend on a monthly plan.
First drafts with Penji typically appear within a day or two. It truly depends on which tool or marketplace you choose, as some may take a little longer.
There’s no contract holding you back with Penji or UnicornGO; if it’s not working for you, just cancel and you’re done.
If you need design you can count on regularly, go with a subscription. Prefer to do it yourself? Canva. Just need one project knocked out? Use Fiverr to outsource graphic design one job at a time.
About the author
Je Ann Bacalso
Je Ann is a creative content writer who crafts engaging, SEO-friendly articles and web copy. With a passion for storytelling and a sharp eye for detail, she delivers clear, compelling content that connects with readers.
