Penji vs. Design Pickle: Side-by-Side Comparison and Analysis

Graphic design is a business essential, but finding the right fit can be a huge challenge. Two of the most popular options are Penji and Design Pickle. To help you decide, we’ve created this Penji vs. Design Pickle comparison guide.

Penji vs Design Pickle: Brand Recognition

Before we get into the gritty details of comparison, let’s take a look at how Penji and Design Pickle compete on Brand Recognition. To start, we use traffic data from Ubersuggest to estimate monthly website visitors. The total number of monthly visitors is related to how widely the brand is recognized online.

Currently, UberSuggest estimates Design Pickle’s organic traffic at 10,763 visitors per month. In comparison, Penji is estimated at 16,998 visitors per month. Based on this data, Penji’s market awareness is larger, with significantly more consumers likely to be aware of Penji.

Penji’s Traffic Data

Design Pickle’s Traffic Data

Why Unlimited Graphic Design is Better 

DIYing graphic design can save you money, but in reality, that could be one of the worst mistakes you can make. For instance, when you want to build a house, you go to the professionals. In the same way, something as crucial as graphic design should also be left to the experts.

Moreover, globalization has also paved the way for you to have access to graphic design freelancers. With that said, the abundance of platforms makes it difficult to know who to hire. On top of that, the recruitment and vetting process can be painstaking, consuming time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. To make matters worse, freelance graphic designers often charge high fees. 

In short, both DIY and hiring graphic design freelancers have their pros and cons. As a result, an unlimited graphic design service becomes the ideal middle ground. It’s affordable yet provides high-quality work. The question is, with so many choices of graphic design services out there, which one should you choose?

Design Pickle vs Penji: Which is Better? 

Two of the biggest and most well-known companies that offer this type of service are Penji and Design Pickle. In this article, we’ll do a back-to-back analysis to see which is the right fit for you. Before that, let’s get to know each of them a little. 

Penji 

Penji was created to give affordable solutions for startups and small businesses that require inexpensive graphic design.

Design Pickle

As seen on their website, the founders launched Design Pickle they saw the need for affordable, yet quality graphic design. They believe that their purpose of being is to change lives through creativity.

What Makes Penji Stand Out 

First and foremost, our commitment to giving back and helping the community is what we believe makes us different from the rest. At Penji, we take pride in being a socially responsible company. We strive to do more than just generate profits, but help those around us grow. 

From the very beginning, we pledged 10% of our monthly profits to help those who help others. In addition, we provide our full services to qualified non-profits and social impact startups. And this year, we added more programs to help. To sum it up, the following are the projects we hold close to our hearts:

• Penji Against Hate
• Supplies For Change
• Penji Partners
• Penji Champions
• Penji for nonprofits
• Startups Unlimited

Now, let’s get down to what each of these two has in common and what makes them different: 

The Cost 

Both of these platforms offer on-demand, unlimited graphic design services. They both have a flat monthly subscription fee. Additionally, both provide unlimited graphic design and revisions. With that said, let’s take a closer look at what their pricing is and what comes with it. 

Penji 

To start, Penji offers three subscription plans of graphic design solutions to companies of all sizes. In particular, they cater to agencies, marketers, and anyone who needs a steady supply of graphic design. Furthermore, Penji backs its service with a 30-day money-back guarantee, providing new customers with added peace of mind.

Starter

To begin with, Penji’s Business plan costs $499 monthly and includes unlimited design requests, brands, illustrations, and more. It allows for one project at a time, delivered in one day. However, this plan does not allow requests for presentation, web, or motion graphic designs.

Marketing & Ads

Moving up, at $995 per month, the Marketing & Ads plan gives you all that the Business plan will, but with website and presentation designs included. It allows for two projects to be delivered in a single day. In addition, a dedicated project manager and quality control manager will oversee your projects to ensure top quality.

Agency 

Finally, the Agency plan is $1,497 a month, inclusive of all the other plans and more. You can request two projects at a time, with same-day delivery. Moreover, you will be assigned a dedicated art director and a quality control manager and will have prioritized support, among many other perks and benefits.

Penji video review

For a more in-depth look at Penji’s registration process and how everything works internally, we recommend Phil Allen’s review of Penji.

Design Pickle 

Design Pickle’s pricing plans start at $1,918/month for 2 hours of daily design work, bundling platform access and creative services into one steep package:

What You Get for $1,600/month:

• Platform Access: Dashboard, request queue, storage, integrations, and user management
• Creative Services: 2 hours/day of design team time
  • Covers graphic design, motion graphics, presentations, and video editing
• Priority Support: Faster turnaround and access to feedback tools

They’ve moved away from tiered plans and discounts, opting for a transparent, flat-rate model that scales based on how many hours of design work you need each day.

Design Pickle’s video review

For a more thorough look at Design Pickle‘s internal dashboard and project management processes, watch My Lifestyle Dream’s video review below.

The Portfolios 

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so we took a few portfolio samples from Penji and Design Pickle. We’ll show you which one offers better quality. 

Penji 

Here are the illustration samples taken from our portfolio: 

Design Pickle 

Design Pickle has a dedicated plan for custom illustrations. It’s an add-on to a plan of your choosing, which means you’ll be paying extra for the service. Here’s a sample of their custom illustrations: 

This makes Penji even more ideal for you if you want to have custom illustrations made. Our Business and Marketing & Ads plans both have them so you can enjoy having a wider array of graphic design and illustrations included instead of paying extra for an add-on.

Customer Onboarding Process

The onboarding process with Penji vs Design Pickle is almost similar. These two also offer a free demo.

Penji

Watch Penji’s demo today.

Penji’s onboarding process is done through four easy steps. They are:

1. Choose a plan
2. Create an account
3. Fill in the billing information
4. Submit your first design request

Design Pickle

For Design Pickle, the process involves a couple of steps but is more complicated and can take you longer. The first is to enter your email address to schedule a consultation.

When it comes to ease and simplicity, Penji has made the onboarding process user-friendly. You also go straight to requesting a design, no more videos to watch or other instructions to read.

Submitting a Design Request  

After finishing the sign-up process, you can proceed directly to both Penji and Design Pickle’s dashboard. They both have made the submission process straightforward. Here’s how you submit your design request to each of these platforms:

Penji 

To get your first design on Penji, you only need to create the project, name it, and write a brief description. Wait for the designer to submit the first draft, send revisions, if needed, and then download the design once you’re happy with it.

This is also where you’ll communicate with them. In addition, the system automatically matches you with the most suitable designer for the job. However, you can always request for someone if you’re looking for a specific style. Furthermore, the dashboard is also the place where you tell your designer what needs to be revised or if you want to leave any feedback. 

Once approved, it is now ready for download. From there, you take full ownership of all designs. Finally, if you decide to cancel your subscription, we’ll keep them in our platform’s storage for up to 90 days before we completely delete them.

Design Pickle 

To submit a design request on Design Pickle, go to their platform. You’ll be asked to name the project and fill in the design brief. 

Penji takes pride in how our designers will go out of their way to understand what you want in your project. We won’t hesitate to ask questions to make it right the first time.

With Design Pickle, you’ll only be assigned the best designers if you sign up for the higher-priced plans.

Turnaround Time 

Penji’s turnaround time is anywhere between 24 and 48 hours, depending on the complexity of your design request. The same goes for Design Pickle.

Quality of Work 

As you can see from the illustration samples of Penji and Design Pickle, it’s obvious that Penji produces better quality graphic design. Penji’s professional graphic designers are vetted to be in the top 2% of the industry. With Design Pickle, you’ll only get their top designers if you’re on a higher-tiered plan. 

As proof of this, here’s a side-by-side look at some of the two platforms’ works:

Digital Ads

Penji

Design Pickle

Infographics

Penji

Design Pickle

Packaging

Penji

Design Pickle

Based on the above images, we can clearly see the diversity in the styles and quality skills that the Penji designers have. With Penji, not only will you be getting more for less, you’re assured of work that you’ll be proud to have on your marketing strategies.

Storing Completed Projects 

Both Penji and Design Pickle have their systems of storing completed files. While Penji saves your files as long as you’re subscribed, we’ll keep the files up to 90 days after you cancel. 

At Penji, we keep file storage simple and easy. It’s all accessible on your dashboard. Any member of your team can get them any time they need. You won’t need to go to third-party platforms to gain access to them.

Communication with the Design Team 

Both Penji and Design Pickle promise easy communication. Sending and receiving messages are done through both these platforms’ dashboards. Penji will send you a notification through email when your design is ready or when your designer has messaged you. 

As mentioned earlier, your Penji dashboard is a one-stop-shop for all your design requests. This is where you’ll access your designs as well as communicate with your designer. You won’t have to go to other channels to get designs or chat with designers.

Sign Up 

Penji and Design Pickle both have very straightforward sign-up systems. Here’s a look at their sign up pages: 

Penji

Design Pickle 

As can be seen from these images, both companies have simple and straightforward dashboards. But notice how Penji has fewer steps which can mean saving you more time to do more important tasks.

Penji vs. Design Pickle At a Glance

Let’s take a quick look at this comparison table between Penji vs. Design Pickle:

Feature	Penji	Design Pickle
Starting Price	$499/month (Business Plan)	$1,918/month (Base Platform + 2 Creative Hours)
Top Plan Price	$1,497/month (Agency Plan)	$2,098/month (Pro Platform + 2 Creative Hours)
Design Output	1–2 projects at a time, depending on plan	Time-based (2 hours/day minimum)
Turnaround Time	1-day or same-day delivery	24–48 hours depending on complexity
Motion Graphics & Video	Included in Agency Plan	Only in Premium or Power Plans ($2K+ monthly)
Team Collaboration	Unlimited users on all plans	Limited to 5 users on Base; unlimited on Pro
Project Management	Self-managed to fully managed (depending on plan)	Dedicated design team; white-labeling on Pro
Art Director Access	Included in Agency Plan	Only in Power Plans (custom pricing)
Nonprofit Support	$1/month for qualified nonprofits
Design Categories	120+ types, including branding, web, animation, ads	Graphic design, illustration, presentations, and video editing
Refund Policy	30-day money-back guarantee	No refunds for unused time

Now, for the services, this table lets us look at which of the two deserve your attention:

Service Category	Penji	Design Pickle
Graphic Design	Logos, flyers, brochures, business cards, posters	Logos, flyers, brochures, business cards, posters
Branding & Identity	Brand style guides, logo kits, visual identity systems	Brand style guides, logo kits
Social Media Graphics	Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok visuals	Social media posts, banners, thumbnails
Infographics	Custom data visualizations	Custom infographics
Web & UI/UX Design	Website graphics, landing pages, app UI/UX	Website graphics, landing pages, app UI/UX
Presentation Design	Pitch decks, slide templates	Presentation decks, slide design
Motion Graphics & Video	Included in Agency plan (animations, explainer videos)	Included only in higher-tier plans (Premium/Enterprise)
Print & Packaging Design	Labels, packaging, book covers, merchandise	Labels, packaging, book covers
Ad Creatives	Display ads, retargeting banners, promo visuals	Display ads, banners, promo visuals
Illustration	Custom illustrations, mascots, icons	Custom illustrations
Email Graphics	Email headers, newsletter visuals	Email headers, newsletter visuals
Video Editing	Basic editing included in higher plans	Available in Premium and Enterprise plans

Final Verdict on the Penji vs. Design Pickle Battle

For businesses weighing their options in the unlimited graphic design landscape, it’s clear that both offer solid features. However, when considering consistency, quality, and value, Penji stands out. Its diverse design capabilities, ease of use, smooth design process, and commitment to making a social impact make it more than your average graphic design service. It is a wise investment.