× FreshBooks App Logo
FreshBooks
Official App
Free - Google Play
Get it
You're currently on our US site. Select your regional site here:
4 Min. Read

Top 5 Crowdsourcing Platforms for Product Designing

Top 5 Crowdsourcing Platforms for Product Designing

Crowdsourcing platforms have made it so much easier to get quality work done at a fraction of the price. This is a round-up of our favorites on the web!

Can we agree that sometimes two heads are better than one? Well, what about one hundred heads? Thatā€™s the underlying principle of crowdsourcing sites.

The underlying idea behind crowdsourcing is that you can ā€œoutsourceā€ to a ā€œcrowdā€ of professionals. By using these platforms, you can get your product design done by a group of professional designers from around the world. They pool their collective intelligence to craft an innovative and stylish design just for you! 

These are the wonders of the internet. 

Crowdsourcing design works very simply. You purchase a package for a number of designs and set your brief. The marketplace of designers apply to and bid for your project by submitting their innovative ideas. You choose your design and thatā€™s it! You have a product design created in no time at all at a fraction of the price of traditional freelance graphic design. 

It is the ultimate armchair idea generation.

Here are the top 5 creative crowdsourcing platforms we recommend to get your product design off the ground:

Hereā€™s What Weā€™ll Cover:

1. Crowdspring – Best Overall

2. DesignCrowd – Best for Budgeting

3. 99Designs – Easiest to Use

4. Cad Crowd – Best for 3D Modeling

5. DesignHill – Best for Beginners

Key Takeaways

1. Crowdspring – Best Overall

Starting price for product design: from $1249

Crowdspring is a fantastic place to start if you want to find quality designers.  They host designers that have worked for big names like Amazon and Starbucks. The caliber of their artists makes Crowdspring a market leader in the field. They tackle simple and complex projects.

It is one of the few crowdsourcing sites that allows you to have a free design consultation with the team before getting started. From there you simply create your project and start receiving design concepts – easy!

The major con is that Crowdspring is one of the more expensive online platforms on this list. But you pay for quality and receive that quality in return. 

2. DesignCrowd – Best for Budgeting

Starting price for product design: from $99

Few design sites have the sheer reach that DesignCrowd has. This is a huge site that has thousands of contributors. This is a great thing because you have a wide variety of creatives in the marketplace to help you with your vision. 

Instead of having fixed packages, you can set a budget on a sliding scale (though minimums may apply). 

The con here is that the website isnā€™t as simple to navigate as other sites on this list. 

3. 99Designs – Easiest to Use

Starting price for product design: from $29

99Designs is a beautiful crowdsourcing marketplace for design. The interface is easy to navigate. With over 90 categories, you can define exactly what you are looking for.

Instead of a nebulous ā€œproduct designā€ category, you can get into the nitty-gritty. The talented designers on 99 Designs can help you with everything you need. Merchandise, 3D modeling, product packaging – the whole lot.

The downside is the granular aspect. If you want a complete product design, youā€™ll have to combine services or contact the team for a special package. 

4. Cad Crowd – Best for 3D Modeling

Starting price for product design: from $300

Cad Crowd dominates the 3D modeling niche for product design. If you need this specialist skill but have a modest budget, this is the place to go. 

Cad Crowd, like the others, runs on design contests. You set your project and your budget which designers submit to. 

Budgets run on a sliding scale from $300 for simple products to thousands for cutting-edge innovations. 

5. DesignHill – Best for Beginners

Starting price for product design: from $499

If you are new to crowdsourcing and have a moderate budget, DesignHill is a good place to start. 

The expectations and inclusions for each design contest package are extremely clear. You know exactly what you are getting and this leads to a more successful project. 

Pricing is also very clearly laid out for creative projects of all kinds. Unfortunately, the common types of product design listed are quite limited. If you can find your category, DesignHill is an efficient platform to use. 

Key Takeaways

Crowdsourcing your product design can be simple. These design crowdsourcing sites have made it incredibly easy to start projects and source talented work. Wherever you are in the world, whatever your budget, you can receive high-quality designs. And the cost savings are too good to pass up!

For more software reviews like this one, check out our resource hub!


RELATED ARTICLES