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Logos work best when they connect to target audiences positively, emotionally and memorably. Working with an agency or hiring a designer usually guarantees good results, but with that comes a larger price tag. If you're just beginning a new business venture, these 8 best logo design apps are a brilliant starting point to understand and fine-tune the logo aesthetic you're looking for.

Logo design: what are the options?
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Let's take a look at all your options when it comes to getting a logo, ranked from most expensive to most affordable:

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Work with a design agency:

Design professionals at agencies will deliver a high-quality result, but they're very expensive, and typically out of the price range for brand-new startups.

Cost: $$$$

Work with a freelance designer:

You can work with a freelance designer through 99designs and browse designer portfolios to find the right fit. Results depend on the designer's aesthetic, experience and expertise. Prices generally depend on the number of edits, the scope of the project and level of experience, but will typically be in the three-digit $ range.

Cost: $$—$$$

Launch a logo design contest:

When you launch a logo contest on 99designs, multiple designers submit custom logo concepts and you select your favorite design. Logo contests start at $299, making it a reasonable option for many entrepreneurs.

Cost: $$—$$$

Use a logo design app or logo generator:

Online logo design generators or logo design apps allow you to generate template-based logo options. They are the simplest option to create a logo quickly, cheaply and with minimum effort. Often, logo design apps are most convenient if you need a logo for a small project: it could be a new concept or business venture you're trialing for the first time in public.

Pick the best logo design app for your brand, by OrangeCrush

It's important to bear in mind that design options and customizability come at a price; it's rare you will find this in a logo design app or generator. But what you can find is a simple, charming and perhaps temporary solution for your logo design, until business takes off.

Cost: $

What is a logo design app?
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A logo design app is a program that allows you to design a logo directly on your mobile phone or tablet device. They're similar to web logo makers, except you don't use them on a desktop computer but directly on your smartphone. Whilst the former option offers a larger screen for users to analyze and edit their designs, logo maker apps are the most convenient solution for sourcing a cheap logo as fast as possible.

Check out our desktop logo maker recommendations >>

How do logo design apps work?

You pick an initial icon or template among the options offered.
You customize it with your preferred colors, fonts, backgrounds and other elements.
Finally, you download the result as a picture on your phone or send it to yourself via email—different apps offer different options for download, file format and resolution.

The advantages of logo design apps

On-the-go convenience

First, and needless to say, you can use them anytime and anywhere. This may seem superfluous at first, but it makes a huge difference when you consider that the life of an entrepreneur is often on the move, running from one meeting to another. Therefore it's much easier to carve out 10 minutes here and there to come up with several iterations of a logo on your phone, as opposed to needing to sit down in front of your desktop to get it done.

Easy, user-friendly interface

Secondly, apps tend to have a better user interface than most of their web counterparts. Because the mobile screen real estate is significantly smaller, the apps are typically very well organized and lead you from one step of creating a logo to the next without overwhelming you. Also, you can use your fingers to resize, rotate and move things around, which is more fun than using a mouse.

Modern designs

Finally, the style and quality of the design you get with the apps themselves is different. This ranges widely from one app to the other, but in general, I've found mobile logo maker apps to offer more modern designs than many web-based logo makers.

Good fit for B2C brands or event-based logos

Overall these logos seem to be a better fit for business-to-consumer brands, as the design leans toward fun, fresh and whimsical, as opposed to the more traditional options presented in the web counterparts. In a similar vein, apps also offer many options for temporary, event-based logos, such as weddings or pop-ups.

What to keep in mind before using a logo design app

Image format

Be sure to check out what type of file you'll end up with after designing your logo with a logo design app. A JPEG file isn't scalable (meaning, you'll see the pixels when you enlarge the image) and has a colored/white background. PNG files also have limited scalability but they can have a transparent background, which enables you to easily place your logo onto different backgrounds. Vector-based formats like AI files are generally the preferred format to use when designing logos from scratch, as they are fully scalable and can therefore be edited to suit a variety of sizes, styles and mediums.

Learn more about the difference between vector and raster images.

Commercial vs. private use

Check that the app or generator you're using allows you to use your finished product commercially. Some apps, such as VanillaPen: Design Studio have a brilliant selection of imagery and customization, but users can only use their final designs for private use unless paying for an expensive subscription.

Watermarks

Beware of the watermark. Many apps offer free logo designs, or other graphic designs, that come emblazoned with the app's own watermark; users then pay to have the version with this removed.

Testing out the most popular logo apps
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The fictitious startup

I went ahead and tested a bunch of highly-rated iPhone apps to create logos for my fictitious startup: Wander.

Wander is a travel itinerary app. When you're planning a vacation to a new place and you have a list of things to see and do, Wander will help you to organize those half-baked ideas into a neat itinerary. Drag and drop your activities and Wander will put everything into schedules, so you can not worry about logistics and just focus on having fun.

I want the logo for my app to be fun, colorful, and to make people think of vacations.

Test criteria

So you can focus your time on the top options, we're including below a ranking of the logo apps we tried out, according to these criteria:

Ease of use: measures how user-friendly and quick to create a logo the tool is, from Easy to Complex (90% fall in the Easy or Medium categories).
Customizability: measures how much you can customize the logo suggestions, e.g. by color, layout, size etc, from Low to High.
Cost: measures the cost to download the app itself and/or to download the logo you created, from 0 (when it's completely free) to three-dollar signs as the most expensive option.
End result: measures how much I love the logo I got—within the constraints of using a logo design app—from 1 star to 4 stars.
Best for: Since there's not a universal "best" app for all logo needs, this is a quick tip on which kind of business and brand each app is best suited for.

	Ease of use	Customizability	Cost	End result	Best for
Logo Maker : Design Creator by Md kamal Uddin	Easy	High	$$	★★★★	Contemporary brands
Logo Maker Shop	Easy	Low	$$	★★★½	Bold and modern brands
Logo Maker by Bizthug Pte	Easy	High	$	★★★	Casual brands
Watercolor Logo Maker	Easy	Low	$$	★★½	Cute brands
ICONA	Easy	Medium	$	★★½	Fans of minimalist design
DesignMantic	Difficult	Medium	$$$	★★	B2B/Professional brands
LogoScopic Studio	Medium	Medium	$	★½	Clip art fans
Logo Maker + Logo Creator	Difficult	Low	$	★	Not much

The best free logo design apps

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The best free logo design apps we have tested are:

Logo Maker Shop: Design creator (by PIXO): Basic templates are free, pay subscription to unlock all. Available only to iOS.
Logo maker – Logo Creator (by Bizthug Pte): Basic logos are free, pay $4 to unlock all.
Watercolor Logo Maker (by Tap Flat Apps): Limited range is free, pay $10 to unlock all. Available only to iOS.
LogoScopic Studio (by RoadRocks): Limited range is free, pay $4.99 to unlock all.
Logo Maker + Logo Creator (by Jagwinder Singh): Limited range is free, pay $4 to unlock all.

Keep on reading for our full review of each of these logo design apps.

The best logo design apps
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1. Logo Maker : Design Creator by Md kamal Uddin

How it works

There's a moment of not knowing where to begin upon opening this app. Take a breath and work your way through each category and filter to narrow down the kind of look and feel you're after. There are 2000+ logo templates and 5000+ fonts and graphics in this app's library, however, only a small subsection of these are available to use and customize without starting a subscription.

Quality

The variety of templates this app has to offer is really special. There is a flair for abstract design championed throughout the app and the makers have kept available graphics on-trend, with many colorful illustrations and minimal shapes on offer.

Cost

Some templates (categorized as "Basic") are free, but most templates are marked as "Pro" and are only accessed by paying a subscription service; $2.99 per week, $9.99 per month with a free 3-day trial or $99.99 for life.

2. Logo Maker Shop (by: PIXO)

How it works

While starting with a blank canvas is an option, it's always easier to start by looking at the 1000+ logo templates that the app comes with. Once you pick your favorite, you can customize the text using the 200+ fonts and choose to add different symbols and a background to really personalize the template to your brand.

Quality

The logo templates are really modern and well-designed, even the free ones! Most options are either wordmark style or have simple, clean icons. If your brand is bold and hip, look no further. This is almost the best logo design app I've tested.

A logo made using Logo Maker Shop

Cost

Some templates (categorized as "Basic") are free, but most templates are marked as "Pro" and are only accessed by paying a subscription service; either $4.99 for a week, $12.99 for a month or $39.99 per year.

Ratings

Ease of use: Easy
Customizability: Low
Price: $$
End result: ★★★½
Best for: Bold and modern brands

3. Logo maker (by: Bizthug Pte Ltd)

How it works

A logo made using Logo Maker

Start by choosing a black and white logo template from the suggested options—some of them are accessible, others are locked in the free app. Next, edit your icon in a canvas display that allows you to adjust fonts, colors and overlays, and also to add stickers (such as icons, ornaments and ribbons) or even your own pictures.

Quality

The free app is quite limited, but once you unlock the paid options, there's a lot you can do with this app! It comes with a ton of preloaded backgrounds, icons, overlays to create various versions of your logo. The editor is easy and fun to use. The aesthetics of the logos definitely veers toward casual rather than professional, however, so this would not be the best choice if your company serves other businesses, for instance.

Cost

Free three day trial and then $5.99 per week, $7.99 per month or $39.99 per year..

Ratings

Ease of use: Easy
Customizability: High
Price: $$
End result: ★★★
Best for: Casual brands

4. Watercolor Logo Maker (by: Tap Flat Apps)

How it works

First, choose the watercolor-style shape that will constitute the background for your logo. Then, you'll be led to the editor, where you can adjust colors, add text and make further customizations.

A logo made using Watercolor Logo Maker

Quality

As the name indicates, this app offers watercolor style logos. The question you should ask yourself is: does this match my company's brand? If you're running an art store or an ice-cream shop; if your brand is cute and a bit whimsical; this could be a perfect choice. If you're running a B2B company, keep moving.

Cost

Free app with limited range, and pay $2.99 to unlock a specific element (such as a logo style or an icon), or pay $9.99 to access to all options.

Ratings

Ease of use: Easy
Customizability: Low
Price: $$
End result: ★★½
Best for: Cute brands

5. ICONA (by: RoadRocks)

How it works

Press Create to see the Icona canvas with three options in the footer: shapes, text, and drawing. Click shapes and type in a keyword (e.g. Travel) to get many icon options that you can scroll through. You have the ability to adjust the icon by color, stroke and opacity. Then, click text to add your company name and adjust the font, color or alignment. The drawing icon allows you to start drawing your own shapes, which is helpful if you're using this app to brainstorm possible logos and then design them professionally separately.

Quality

Many icons and great font options! In their attempts to be minimalistic and design-forward, the interface is initially not straightforward. Good place to start logo brainstorming.

A logo made using ICONA – Logo Designer.

Cost

Pay $1.99 to download the app, then download as many logos as you want from it.

Ratings

Ease of use: Easy
Customizability: Medium
Price: $
End result: ★★½
Best for: Fans of minimalist design

6. DesignMantic – Logo Maker (by: Right Solution)

How it works

The app's process is quite similar to the desktop version, which we've previously covered. Basically, you enter your company name and optionally a slogan. Then the app will automatically generate a variety of logos for you—keep scrolling to see a lot of different combinations. To get more specific results, pick your industry from their drop-down menu. Once you find a template you like, adjust the logo by customizing fonts, colors and all that good stuff.

A logo made using DesignMantic by Right Solution

Quality

There's thousands of icons to choose from, so the industry categorization really helps. The icons are definitely on the cartoonish side and less modern. However, there are more logo opportunities on DesignMantic than many other mobile logo apps when it comes to professional businesses on the more serious side of branding. Unfortunately, the user experience of the canvas and editing is not as seamless as that of other apps.

Cost

The app itself is free to download and use, and you pay $37 to download your logo—same price point as the web app.

Ratings

Ease of use: Difficult
Customizability: Medium
Price: $$$
End result: ★★
Best for: B2B/Professional brands

7. LogoScopic Studio (by: RoadRocks)

How it works

First, you pick the icon for your logo from the following categories: Iconic (abstract icons), Pro (professional/business icons), Art, Lifestyle, Fashion and People. You can tap and hold to add Favorites as you peruse the logo options. After picking an icon, you can add your company name, which you can further edit by font, size and alignment. You can keep editing by changing the icon colors and optionally a background color. Finally, you can send it to yourself via email directly within app.

Quality

Generally, the style of the icons is cartoonish: a step beyond clip-arts, but still not very modern. As nice as it is to use your fingers to move and resize the icon and text, this gives you less control: sometimes you end up doing things you didn't mean to without an option to undo the changes.

A logo made using LogoScopic Studio

Cost

Free logo maker app with very limited range of logo choices, only of the Iconic category. To unlock all features on Logoscopic premium, the annual subscription is $39.99, with the first year discounted to $19.99.

Ratings

Ease of use: Medium
Customizability: Medium
Price: $
End result: ★½
Cliparty logos (uh-oh)

8. Logo Maker + Logo Creator (by: Jagwinder Singh)

How it works

Scroll through the many categories of templates, including Bagdes, Frames, Artworks, Masks, Signs, Vintage etc. to get a sense of the wide array of directions that you can take your logo. Then, select your favorite to move onto editing, where you can tweak your fonts, backgrounds, and colors.

A logo made using Logo Maker + Creator Jagwinder singh

Quality

The interface of this app is quite confusing, with a lot of categories of logos, some of which fairly random. The UX of the editor too is unnecessarily complex. Some of the templates aren't fully editable and the color ranges are limited. The most frustrating aspect of this experience were ads that covered the screen every 10 seconds as you're editing—not necessarily the best technique to get the user to convert to paid.

Cost

Free three day trial and then $34.99 per year to unlock everything. Like the $2.99 weekly subscription and the $9.99 monthly subscription, the trial period does not grant access to all features on the app.

Ratings

Ease of use: Difficult
Customizability: Low
Price: $
End result: ★
Not much.

Are logo design apps for you?
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To sum up, a logo design app can be a good resource for entrepreneurs, especially as you're just starting out, or if you need a quick, disposable logo for an event. While apps have their limitations in styles and differentiation, as all online logo makers do, they are a convenient, fast and cheap way to produce a first logo for your business. Especially if you're running a consumer business and your brand is young and modern, mobile apps can offer a solid logo solution.

Our advice: go ahead and play around with the apps and when you're ready for a polished look, start a 99designs contest to get a truly unique, professional logo.

Ready for a logo designed by a professional?

A logo design contest can get you dozens of ideas from professional designers around the world.

This article was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with new research and information provided by Annabelle Peacock.