Looking for a service to ease the design workload for you and your team? Maybe your business is growing and you need a team to accommodate your needs.
Whatever the reason, you’re here because you’re looking for an unlimited graphic design service. We’ve tried out a lot of them over the years, and we know that if you’re not careful, you could end up wasting your time and money on the wrong one.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through the right steps to take when looking into a new service. That includes what to look for, what questions to ask, and what steps to take before and after you sign up.
Explaining unlimited graphic design
Let’s back up here. What do we mean when we say “design service”?
There are a lot of different types of design services you can access—freelancers, agencies, the list goes on. But here, “design service” is a shorthand for “design as a service,” or unlimited graphic design.
These services work on a subscription model. You pay upfront for access to a design team or freelance network, and you can request as many designs as you need. Usually, you’ll pay a set amount each month, quarter, or year.
What are the pros and cons of using an unlimited graphic design service?
This model has several advantages:
- Saves money. If you need regular designs, paying a simple monthly fee can reduce overhead relative to freelance or in-house work. It’s definitely cheaper than hiring a new designer.
- Saves time. Rather than working with a specific designer, design services will quickly hand your project off to an available member of their team. They often offer turnaround in as little as 24 hours.
- All-in-one. Many see unlimited graphic design as the simplest way to get a wide range of designs completed. These services offer more types of design than one designer would, and the simple subscription pricing model means much less overhead.
On the other hand, there are disadvantages.
- Personal care. As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for.” With these services, you won’t have much control over which designers you work with. Many of them offer same-day or next-day turnaround, which can mean less attention to detail.
- Transparency. An unlimited design service may be more upfront about its pricing than, say, an agency. But at the same time, they’re often less upfront about who their designers are, where they’re sourced from, or how much experience they have.
- Consistency. Since you’re often working with a different designer on each new project, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent visual identity for your brand. Many design services remedy this with tools to attach brand guidelines or “save” your favorite designers.
For this article, we’ll be using 3 of the leading unlimited graphic design services as examples: Penji, Manypixels, and No Limit Creatives.
Choosing the right design service (Penji, Manypixels, No Limit Creatives)
Having tried out all three of these services, I personally prefer Penji for their great customer care. But the real question is, which one is right for you?
There are a lot of these unlimited design services out there, and on the surface, it can be hard to tell what sets them apart. Are the more expensive ones worth the cost? Are the cheaper ones too good to be true?
Even if they don’t make much of a difference to you, you should take notes on what distinguishes the services you’re looking at from each other. Here are a few categories to pay attention to.
Services
In terms of design, Penji, Manypixels, and NLC all offer similar packages. However, NLC also offers video editing.
Penji and No Limit Creatives allow you to request a single design without a subscription, while Manypixels does not.
Pricing
At first glance, it may seem like No Limit Creatives and Penji have the same starting price point ($499/month). But when you look closer, you’ll realize that NLC’s $499 package is a “starter” tier with a limited amount of design “credits”. Penji offers truly unlimited graphic design at the same price, while NLC’s unlimited packages start at $599.
Manypixels’ lowest tier is $549/month, putting it in the middle of the pack. It has the cheapest high tier at $1199/month, compared to Penji’s $1497 and NLC’s $1499.
Trial period
Penji leads the pack here with its impressive 30-day money back guarantee. NLC has a 14-day guarantee, while Manypixels only offers limited refunds on quarterly and annual plans.
Reviews
Penji has strong reviews across the board, with 4.8/5 on Facebook, 4.7/5 on Google, 4.7/5 on G2, and 4.8/5 on Trustpilot. It also has significantly more reviews than its competitors. While Manypixels and No Limit Creatives have some solid scores, neither of them has any Google or Facebook reviews at all.
Keep track of what matters to you
Beyond these categories, what you make a note of will depend on your personal needs and preferences. If you need the quickest turnaround, Penji and Manypixels have the advantage. If you want designers in your time zone, No Limit Creatives may be best.
At this point, these services all look pretty similar. Sure, Penji has the strongest reputation, and NLC has their video offerings, but they’re all offering the same type of service in the same price range.
This is where the process comes in.
What to do before you sign up
These services are designed with businesses and agencies in mind. Chances are, the decision-making process doesn’t come down to a single person. Before spending hundreds on a service, take these steps.
- Create a list of pros and cons
We’ve already gone through some of the things to look for with each service. Make a side-by-side list and add to it throughout the process. If you can’t find information on something, you can ask a representative during your demo call (more on that later).
- Make a plan
Consider what you plan to use the service for. One of the most common problems in this industry is people signing up and never requesting anything. Look at your design needs and think about what you can regularly offload onto the service.
- Book a demo call
Penji, Manypixels, and No Limit Creatives all allow you to explore the service with a demo call. This will give you much more insight into how the service works and can help you determine which one is right for you.
- Don’t rush
There are a lot of design services out there. Beyond Penji, Manypixels, and NLC, there’s Design Pickle, Kimp, Flocksy, Superside… the list goes on. Narrow down a few favorites and use this guide to help choose your top pick. If you do it right, you may find a service that you can work with for years to come.
Penji vs. Manypixels vs. No Limit Creatives: Which service is right for me?
If you’ve made it this far, maybe you want a little more info. Which design service is right for me? How do I tell a good one from a bad one?
The below chart lays out some of the differences between Penji, Manypixels, and No Limit Creatives, so you can decide for yourself.
 Penji |  Manypixels |  No Limit Creatives | |
| Cost | Starter: $499/mo Marketer: $995/mo Agency: $1497/mo | Advanced: $549/mo Business: $899/mo Designated Designer: $1199/mo | Startup: $499/mo Graphic: $599/mo Graphic & Video: $999/mo Agency: $1499/mo |
| Reputation | Google: 4.7/5 Facebook: 4.8/5 G2: 4.7/5 Trustpilot: 4.8/5 | Google: N/A Facebook: N/A G2: 5/5 (only 5 reviews) Trustpilot: 4.8/5 | Google: N/A Facebook: N/A G2: 2.5/5 (only 1 review) Trustpilot: 4.8/5 |
| Services offered | Graphic design, illustration, animation, UI/UX | Graphic design, illustration, animation | Graphic design, illustration, animation, video |
| Turnaround time | 1-2 days (Same-day for Marketer & Agency plan) | 1-2 days (Same-day for Designated Designer plan) | 2-3 days (All plans) |
| Other features | – Web app – Unlimited revisions – Brand management – Source files – 24/7 customer support – Unlimited users – Project manager – Art director – Canva & Figma delivery | – Web app – Unlimited revisions – Brand management – Source files – Free stock assets – Slack integration | – Web app – Unlimited revisions – Brand management – Source files – Unlimited users – Project manager – Art director – Slack integration |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 14 days, quarterly and annual plans only | 14 days |
