How much does logo design cost in 2026? Prices from logo makers, contests, freelancers and US studios

The short answer

A logo costs anything from USD 35 to several thousand dollars, and the price tracks who draws it and what you get back. On the pages we read on 17 October 2026:

• Logo makers: Looka sells a logo for USD 35 (one low-resolution PNG) or USD 72 (PNG, EPS, SVG and PDF).
• Contests: 99designs charges USD 249 to USD 1,050 and crowdspring USD 299 to USD 1,199, with dozens of concepts from many designers.
• Freelancers: Upwork's own guide puts a simple logo at USD 150–500 and a full logo package at USD 500–1,500.
• US studios that publish prices: entry packages ran from USD 99 to USD 695. A New York studio's five packages go from USD 695 to USD 2,495.
• Agencies: Clutch says logo projects reviewed on its platform typically cost under USD 10,000, at USD 100–149 an hour.

Then budget for the trademark: the USPTO charges USD 350 per class to file, and a logo filed as a design protects only that exact drawing.

Logo prices by route

Upwork's page says a single concept "typically takes one to two weeks". Its hourly figure, USD 15–30, is a median from historical contracts worldwide.

What US logo studios publish

Few US design studios put a logo-only price on their site. These eight do, and the table shows each one's packages as listed:

Across these 21 packages the median price is USD 349; the cheapest package at each provider runs from USD 99 to USD 695. Two of them, Logo Design Valley and The Logo Boutique, show a crossed-out higher price next to the one in the table; we list what you'd pay.

Most of these are online logo shops built around volume. Boutique studios that spend weeks on research rarely publish a logo-only price; the ones that publish prices tend to sell brand packages instead. That is the gap between a logo and a brand, covered in our guide to brand identity costs.

What the price actually buys

Compare quotes on these five things, not the headline price:

1. Concepts. A contest gives you 30 to 90 quick ideas from different people. A studio gives you 2 to 7 developed directions from one team. More concepts is not better if none of them was drawn for where your logo will appear.
2. Revision rounds. Two rounds is the common floor (Upwork's simple tier, Logo Design NYC's Eco). "Unlimited" usually means unlimited small changes to one chosen design, not new concepts.
3. Files. You need a vector master (SVG, AI or EPS), a PDF, transparent PNGs, one-colour and reversed versions, horizontal and stacked lockups, and a small icon for favicons and app tiles. Looka's USD 35 tier is a single PNG; the vector files are in the USD 72 tier.
4. A usage guide. Logoworks includes a "mini logo guide" and Megagon a usage guidelines document. Logo Design NYC sells guides separately: USD 295 for a one-page sheet, USD 595 for a basic booklet and USD 1,995 for a custom booklet.
5. Ownership. Logo Design NYC, Megagon, 99designs and crowdspring say the rights transfer to you. Check the wording, for the reason below.

Who owns your logo

Under US copyright law, a logo made by an outside designer is not automatically yours. A "work made for hire" covers an employee's work, or commissioned work in nine listed categories, such as a translation or an atlas, under a signed agreement (17 U.S.C. § 101). A logo isn't one of them. So you need an assignment:

A transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, is not valid unless an instrument of conveyance, or a note or memorandum of the transfer, is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed.

That is 17 U.S.C. § 204(a). Ask for a signed assignment of the final logo, the editable files, and a list of the fonts used with their licences.

Copyright may cover less than you expect anyway. The Copyright Office's Circular 33 says names, short phrases, typefaces and lettering, and familiar symbols or simple combinations of them, can't be registered. A wordmark set in a typeface is mostly protected by trademark, not copyright.

Template logos are weaker still. Canva's help centre says logos made from its templates give you non-exclusive rights and "you can't register it as a trademark". This isn't legal advice; a lawyer should review any contract that transfers your logo.

What a trademark for a logo costs

The USPTO's fee schedule (last updated 14 August 2026) charges, per class of goods or services:

The logo raises a choice the name alone doesn't. The USPTO's drawings guide explains that a standard character filing covers the words in any font, while a special form filing covers the stylised design, and "generally, registering a trademark in standard characters will provide the broadest protection." A logo filed in special form "will be protected only for the particular depiction you provided."

So a common setup is two applications: the name in standard characters and the logo as a design. In one class with ID Manual wording, that is 2 × USD 350 = USD 700 in USPTO fees. The same guide notes that small businesses with limited budgets often file only the standard character version.

Two more costs follow from the drawing:

• Clearance is harder for designs. Words can be searched as text; the USPTO indexes designs with codes from its Design Search Code Manual, so a meaningful logo search usually needs an attorney or a search service. Gerben IP publishes a USD 3,000 flat fee for a clearance search, an opinion letter and the application in up to two classes, plus the USPTO fees.
• A redesign may mean a new filing. The USPTO won't let you amend a registration in a way that materially alters the mark, so a new logo usually needs a new USD 350 application; our guide to rebranding costs explains the rule.

If you're also naming the business, our guide to naming agency costs covers name clearance. This isn't legal advice.

What a logo alone doesn't give you

A logo is one asset. It doesn't come with:

• Typography and colour rules, so the website, the deck and the invoice look like the same company.
• A system for small and awkward places: a social avatar, a favicon, a dark background, an embroidered polo.
• Templates for the pieces your team makes every week.
• Positioning and voice: what you say and how you sound, which matter more to buyers than the mark.

If those are missing, a logo project fixes one symptom. Upwork prices a "brand identity system" at USD 1,500–5,000; studio brand packages start around USD 6,000. If you already have a recognised logo that looks dated, a refresh is cheaper than a new one, and if the business itself has changed, see our guide to rebranding costs.

How to choose

Whichever route you pick, ask for vector files, a written assignment, the font licences and a test of the mark at 16 pixels before you approve it.

What to do next

Check the name first: our free brand name checker screens domains and points to the official trademark searches. If you want Dardo to draw the mark, our logo design service tests it in the places it will appear and hands over a clearance pack for your attorney; it's quoted per scope, as the pricing page explains, and brand creation covers the full identity.