An Objective Comparison between Hatchwise vs 99Designs: Find Your Design Solution

In the digital age, a business’s visual representation is crucial to its success. Selecting the right design platform can profoundly impact a company’s branding and overall image. Two major players in this space are Hatchwise and 99Designs, each with its strengths and unique offerings. This article will provide an objective comparison of Hatchwise and 99Designs, helping you, the entrepreneur or business owner, make an informed decision about your design solution.

What is Hatchwise and what is 99Designs?

Hatchwise is a crowdsourcing platform for graphic design and branding services. It provides an array of design options through a contest format, wherein businesses submit a brief detailing their design needs and preferences. Following this, designers from around the world participate in these contests, providing several design options from which the businesses can choose. Hatchwise services include logo design, business cards, website design, product packaging, and much more. Hatchwise is particularly known for its robust community of designers and a fairly straightforward design contest process.

99Designs, on the other hand, is a global creative platform that connects businesses with graphic designers. It also offers a design contest format, similar to Hatchwise, allowing multiple designers to submit their ideas based on the client’s brief. However, in addition to design contests, 99Designs also allows businesses to directly hire a specific designer from their platform. The scope of services offered by 99Designs spans from logo design to full website development. The platform has built a reputation for high-quality design solutions and a diverse, talented pool of designers.

Key differences between Hatchwise and 99Designs

1. Pricing Structure: Hatchwise generally offers lower starting prices for their design contests compared to 99Designs, which could be a deciding factor for budget-conscious businesses.
2. Direct Hiring: 99Designs offers the ability to directly hire designers, which is not a feature offered by Hatchwise.
3. Design Quality: While both platforms offer a wide variety of design options, 99Designs is often associated with a higher overall design quality due to its more rigorous designer vetting process.
4. Service Scope: While both platforms provide a range of design services, 99Designs has a broader service offering, including full website development, which is not available on Hatchwise.
5. Designer Community: Hatchwise is known for its close-knit designer community, while 99Designs has a larger, more diverse pool of designers from across the globe.
6. Customer Support: 99Designs generally receives higher ratings for customer service and support, providing more comprehensive help resources and quicker response times compared to Hatchwise.

Key similarities between Hatchwise and 99Designs

1. Design Contest Format: Both Hatchwise and 99Designs use a contest format for design services, providing businesses with a range of creative options to choose from.
2. Variety of Design Services: Both platforms offer an array of design services including logo design, business card design, and packaging design among others.
3. Global Design Community: Both platforms have a global community of designers, which allows businesses to receive diverse, creative ideas from around the world.
4. Feedback Cycle: Both platforms allow businesses to give feedback on submitted designs, enabling iterative improvements until the design meets their satisfaction.
5. Money-Back Guarantee: Both Hatchwise and 99Designs offer a money-back guarantee if the businesses are not satisfied with the designs received.
6. Final Ownership: Upon final payment, both platforms ensure that businesses retain full ownership of the selected design.

Pros of Hatchwise over 99Designs

1. Lower Pricing: Hatchwise generally has a lower starting price for design contests, making it a more budget-friendly option for businesses.
2. Community Spirit: The platform prides itself on a strong community of designers who often interact, compete, and improve together. This can lead to more innovative and unique design solutions.
3. Design Variety: Due to the unique community of designers, Hatchwise contests often produce a wider variety of design styles and concepts.
4. User-Friendly Interface: Hatchwise’s interface is straightforward and easy to navigate, even for first-time users.
5. Simplicity: Hatchwise focuses solely on the design contest format, which can be a pro for businesses who want a simple, straightforward process without the additional complexity of hiring individual designers.
6. Dedicated Customer Service: Hatchwise provides dedicated customer service representatives for each design contest, providing personalized support throughout the process.

Cons of Hatchwise compared to 99Designs

1. Limited Services: Unlike 99Designs, Hatchwise does not offer the ability to hire a specific designer directly or offer comprehensive website design services.
2. Design Quality: While Hatchwise offers a variety of designs, the overall quality may not be as consistently high as that found on 99Designs due to a less rigorous designer vetting process.
3. Smaller Designer Community: Hatchwise has a smaller pool of designers compared to 99Designs, which may limit the range and diversity of design submissions.
4. Less Comprehensive Support: Hatchwise has fewer support resources and slower response times compared to 99Designs, which may lead to a less smooth user experience.
5. Limited Global Reach: Hatchwise has a less diverse global reach than 99Designs, which could limit the international perspectives and designs you receive.
6. Refund Policy: While both platforms offer a money-back guarantee, Hatchwise’s refund policy is more restrictive and often requires a higher justification than 99Designs.

Pros of 99Designs over Hatchwise

1. Direct Hiring: 99Designs allows you to directly hire a specific designer, providing a flexible working model that Hatchwise doesn’t offer.
2. Larger Designer Pool: 99Designs has a larger global designer community, leading to a greater variety of design styles and perspectives.
3. Broad Service Offering: 99Designs offers a wider range of services, including full website design and development, which Hatchwise does not provide.
4. High-Quality Designs: 99Designs tends to have a higher overall design quality, due to their rigorous designer vetting process.
5. Superior Customer Support: 99Designs generally offers better customer support, with more comprehensive resources and faster response times.
6. Flexible Pricing Options: 99Designs offers various pricing tiers and options, allowing businesses to choose a package that best fits their budget and needs.

Cons of 99Designs compared to Hatchwise

1. Higher Pricing: 99Designs often comes with a higher starting price for design contests compared to Hatchwise, which could be a barrier for budget-conscious businesses.
2. Complex Platform: With additional features and options, the 99Designs platform might be a bit complex for some users, especially compared to the straightforward approach of Hatchwise.
3. Intimidating for Small Businesses: The sheer size of the 99Designs community and the high level of competition could be intimidating for small businesses or those new to design contests.
4. Less Personalized Service: While 99Designs provides superior customer service, it might lack the personalized customer service experience that Hatchwise offers with a dedicated representative for each contest.
5. Less Community Focus: While 99Designs has a large pool of designers, it does not have the same community spirit and interaction that is often found on Hatchwise.
6. Less Design Variation: While 99Designs has high-quality designs, the design style might be more homogeneous due to the platform’s specific quality standards and guidelines.

Situations when Hatchwise is better than 99Designs

1. Budget Constraints: If you’re working with a tight budget, Hatchwise’s lower starting prices for design contests might be more appealing.
2. Preference for Variety: If you’re looking for a wide range of design styles and perspectives, Hatchwise’s diverse and unique community of designers could provide more varied submissions.
3. Seeking Personalized Service: If you value dedicated customer service representatives for each design contest, you might find Hatchwise’s personalized service approach appealing.
4. User-Friendly Experience: If you’re new to design contests and want a simple, easy-to-navigate platform, Hatchwise could be a better fit for you.
5. Focused on Design Contests: If you strictly want a design contest platform without the complexity of additional features like direct hiring, Hatchwise is the better choice.
6. Community Engagement: If you value a platform with strong community interaction among designers, Hatchwise would be a better choice.

Situations when 99Designs is better than Hatchwise

1. Looking for Specific Designers: If you have a particular designer in mind or want to directly hire a designer, 99Designs provides this flexibility.
2. Seeking Comprehensive Services: If you need a wide range of design services, including full website design and development, 99Designs is the more suitable platform.
3. Prioritizing High Quality: If high-quality designs are a priority and you’re willing to pay a premium for them, 99Designs would be a better choice due to their rigorous vetting process.
4. Global Design Perspectives: If you’re looking for a wider international design perspective, 99Designs, with its large and diverse global designer community, would be a better fit.
5. Require Robust Customer Support: If you need comprehensive support resources and quick response times, 99Designs would provide a better customer service experience.
6. Flexible Pricing Tiers: If your budget and needs vary, 99Designs’ diverse pricing options could provide a more customized solution.

Hatchwise vs 99Designs Summary

Choosing between Hatchwise and 99Designs is not a simple decision, as it heavily depends on your specific needs, budget, and priorities. It’s important to consider all aspects, including design quality, pricing, service scope, and the overall process. Regardless of your choice, both platforms offer significant advantages and can be a great asset for your business’s design needs. Remember, the best design platform is the one that aligns closely with your unique needs and objectives. With this objective comparison, we hope you are now better equipped to make an informed decision between Hatchwise and 99Designs.

Factors	Hatchwise	99Designs
Pricing Structure	Lower starting prices	Higher starting price with flexible tiers
Design Quality	Varies, with more variety	Consistently high-quality
Direct Hiring	Not available	Available
Service Scope	Mainly design contests	Wide range, including website design
Designer Community	Smaller, unique community	Larger, diverse global community
Customer Support	Dedicated representative for each contest	Comprehensive resources, faster response times
Pros	Affordable, wide design variety, community spirit	High quality designs, larger designer pool, comprehensive services
Cons	Limited services, less comprehensive support, smaller designer community	Higher pricing, more complex platform, less personalized service
Best Situations to Use	Tight budget, desire for design variety, need for personalized service	Need for comprehensive design services, desire for high-quality designs, preference for global design perspectives