A logo is the essence of a brand’s identity.
Every successful brand has a memorable logo to help them stand out from the crowd, and that can’t be accomplished with craft paper, scissors, and markers. Only professional logo design software can create a professional logo.
But with so many kinds of logo design software, it can be difficult to navigate which ones are right for your brand. That’s why we’re here! We’ll break down our top picks for the best logo design software on the market and tell you the features, pros, cons, prices, and recommendations.
Contents
How to choose the best logo design software
With free and paid options available, you have a wide variety of logo design software to choose from. Ideally, you want to choose one that gives you the ability to create a great looking logo with minimal effort.
Typically, logo design software will give you drag and drop features and basic editing features which make it easy to use, even for novices. Those features will allow you to drag elements to your desired place to create the logo you have envisioned for your brand. This is ideal for novice users and something any non-graphic designer should be using. In addition, editing the font, size, color and image for your logo can also be done at the click of a button.
By using a free trial, you can make sure that the logo design software enables you to make the desired customizations you need, and then you can decide if it’s right for you. Depending on your logo needs, you may only require free software.
Canva Review
Canva’s goal is to make logo design as simple as possible. They provide the ingredients you need to quickly create a logo for free online. Canva’s logo maker and editor is made for non-designers: Simply drag and drop. Once you are done, all you have to do is download or print your logo to a business card or letterhead.
Features
Canva’s features include a wide range of professionally designed logo templates. All you have to do it add your brand name to your logo template, customize your logo with your brand’s colors, download and share your finished logo, or print your logo to brochures, flyers, and more. For additional features, they offer a Premium version that gives you more customizable options.
Pros
- Great for social media posts
- No experience needed
- Great for small businesses
- 30-day Free Trial for Pro
Cons
- Locked features for the free version
- Images aren’t free for the Premium version
- Charges for certain fonts
Canva Pricing
Canva Recommendation
Canva is both easy to use and provides tons of different templates, pictures, and graphics for people who aren’t gifted with graphic design. The sizing is also optimized to fit perfectly with different social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. However, you might notice that other logos may look the same as yours if you’re choosing their popular templates. You might decide to purchase the Premium version for more unique options.
How to create a Free Logo with Canva (VIDEO)
Adobe Illustrator Review
Adobe Illustrator is a software application that you can use on Windows or macOS for creating drawings, illustrations, and artwork. It can be used by a wide variety of people with different skill levels, from web designers, graphic designers, visual artists, and others to create high-quality artwork.
Features
Adobe Illustrator’s software has an excellent collection of capabilities that includes features and enhancements that should delight beginners and creatives alike. One of the software’s most attractive features includes the ability to import a scanned image, which is great for users who like to sketch their logo on paper and bring those ideas to life on the computer. You’ll also get over 16,000 font types so you’ll more than likely find the font that you’re imagining for your brand.
Pros
- Free and easy to use Transform tool
- Powerful vector illustration software
- Ability to transform illustrations
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Might require some patience
- High price point
Adobe Illustrator Pricing
Adobe Illustrator Recommendation
Since 1985, Adobe Illustrator has remained the leading vector editing software on the market because it makes it easy to control every aspect of your logo. With shape-building tools, brushes, perspective grids, gradients, and more, you’ll have everything you need. However, for beginners, it may take a while to learn the software, but there are many tutorials to help you along the way.
How to Create a Logo in Adobe Illustrator (VIDEO)
FreeLogoDesign Review
FreeLogoDesign.org is a free logo maker website for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. The idea is to create and receive a free logo in minutes flat. With FreeLogoDesign, you get a 100% free tool, a user-friendly editor, and thousands of logo templates to choose from.
Features
FreeLogoDesign doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with their logo design tool. You simply choose a name for your business, choose from one of their thousands of templates, and customize your logo by changing the color, shape, font, and more. After that, you simply download your free logo to print, add to social media posts, or your website.
Pros
- Large selection of templates to choose from
- User-friendly editing tools
- No design experience needed
- Free Version
Cons
- Third-party icons may have different terms of use
- Pricey for high-resolution logo
- Lack of originality
FreeLogoDesign Pricing
FreeLogoDesign Recommendation
Contrary to their name, FreeLogoDesign prices can really add up if you’re looking for high-resolution logos, a logo plus website combination, or custom logo design, this solution is great for finding a logo that is simple and modern. For small businesses, it’s convenient, the download is fast, and you can go back and tweak the design if you need to.
Tailor Brands Review
Tailor Brands is another logo software that aims to help ordinary folks create a logo that they can be proud of. Their logo maker generates a variety of options based on your style and preferences, and then you choose the ideal logo to represent your company’s personality and brand. You don’t need a huge design budget and you don’t need any technical skills.
Features
Tailor Brands has adaptable branding tools which include branded merchandise, Vector EPS, business cards, presentations, books, and more. They also have social tools that include media sized logos, advanced analytics, Facebook posts, and scheduled posts. Simply enter a few details about your company and select your design preferences, and Tailor Brands’ AI algorithm logo creator tool will create a logo for your brand.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Full range of products
- Very good value for your money
- Helpful guides
Cons
- No phone support
- Limited customization
- They will try to upsell you!
Tailor Brands Pricing
*Not available to public BUT they do offer 25% off any plan by using the promo code 25OFF
How to Create a Logo using Tailor Brands (VIDEO)
Tailor Brand Recommendation
Tailor Brand is not your traditional “upload your logo to a website builder” because they have an automated logo and brand designer. Since they bundle a social media editor and quality website builder as well, Tailor Brands might be great for businesses that want to build a consistent brand identity across the web and offline. This solution can be seen as a more premium solution for premium brands.
LogoMaker Review
LogoMaker is a quick solution for creating your own logo for your business. Although they don’t offer a free version, they do have a team of inhouse designers if you’re looking for a professional logo and you would like some help with ideas and design. If you’d like to design your logo yourself, you can design as many as you’d like before choosing the one you want to purchase.
Features
LogoMaker has almost 10,000 logo templates to choose from and over 100 font styles. You can then customize the layouts and colors, choose an icon badge, and add up to three types of text (business name, slogan, and whatever else you’d like). Once your logo is to your liking, it’s yours for $39.95 and there is no annual license fee to worry about.
Pros
- Good online design software
- Great customer service
- A vast array of design options
Cons
- Difficult to find pricing info
- Template quality
- Similar or same templates as others
LogoMaker Pricing
*Not available to public
LogoMaker Recommendation
If you don’t want anything too complicated and you don’t have any logo design skills, LogoMaker allows you to create and have a logo very quickly and easily. For professionally designed logos, they’re a good option because they have affordable packages and bundled options if you’d like to do wore with your logo.
SMASHINGLOGO Review
Launched in 2015, SMASHINGLOGO offers a different way of choosing your logo. It’s not necessarily a logo design software in the sense that you are designing the logo yourself. Instead, you type in your business name and slogan and they generate designs for you. You then vote for your favorite designs and choose the one that you like the most.
Features
Once you’ve chosen your logo, you then proceed to checkout where you will be presented with some options. You can preview the logo that you have selected in higher resolution and if something isn’t quite right, you can ask for a revision. SMASHINGLOGO also offers a unique feature that allows you to share your logo with friends before purchasing so that you can get feedback and a better idea of which logo to choose.
Pros
- Fast and easy to use
- Special deals and discounts
- Automated logo maker
Cons
- Limited design
- No customizable options besides color change
- No free plan
SMASHINGLOGO Pricing
SMASHINGLOGO Recommendation
With absolutely zero design experience, SMASHINGLOGO offers an automated logo generator that can quite possibly give you the logo you never expected. The downside is that you don’t have the freedom to add much customization, but fortunately it’s free to see what they come up with and you can decide not to purchase if you’re unsatisfied with their design options.
Placeit Review
Placeit allows you to design your logo, create variations, and transform it into a variety of products for your business. It also allows you to create a wide range of products that are extremely useful for marketing and offers services like video-makers, Twitch banners, video to GIF converters, and more.
Features
Placeit contains thousands of designs created by professionals and provides customization options for each, allowing you to make your logo truly original. Their editor is extremely easy to use, allowing for many or few changes. You can start from a suggested template, or use their tools to create from scratch. Additionally, Placeit can transfer your logo and photos to a variety of merchandise such as shirts and mugs and allows the user to create mockups before purchase.
Pros
- Extensive templates
- Colorful and original ideas
- More creation options and templates than similar design services on the web
- One plan with unlimited use
Cons
- No free option
- The number of choices can be overwhelming
Placeit Pricing
How to Create a Logo using Placeit Logo Maker (VIDEO)
Placeit Recommendation
Although Placeit runs a little more expensive than its competitors and does not have a free option, it is a comprehensive tool well worth purchasing if you believe your business will need many variations with its branding, particularly in the digital space. In particular, the ability to use unlimited templates is a huge advantage.
Other Helpful Resources
- 5 Best Email Marketing Services For 2020
- How to Get Your Business on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Nextdoor and Other Local Online Directories
- 5 Rules of Small Business Marketing
Thank you for the article – and the Canva Promo code, I was going with them anyway but love the 25% off!
Sure thing!