So here are 13 logo creation applications or services that range in price from free to affordable. This list of free and paid services should help you find the best tools. One word of warning: Several of the “free” sites are free only for the creation process. Always read the fine print.
If you want to download the logo you’ve created and have unlimited use, there is a charge, and I tried to note when that occurs. To be totally realistic, you could do some of this work yourself in Powerpoint or a decent drawing program, but there are small companies starting today that don’t have those software programs, and these mostly Web-based tools might appeal.
Free (or Mostly Free)
Supalogo is one of my favorites for creating a super-fast font-based logo. You type in your text, pick some options and hit download. You can even look at samples and click edit and start from there. Nicely done.
Logo Victory is a completely free logo design tool that lets you download a jpeg image. If you want other file formats, they have a small upgrade charge. They also offer paid services starting at $49. This was one of the only sites that offered a no-strings free logo.
Marketsplash is a completely free (with registration) logo design service. I was impressed with it. It is built and run by HP, which I mention in other places, but this tool lets you download a few different versions of your logo with a simple registration.
The Logo Creator is free logo creation software. No trial, no demo, fully free in return for a tweet. Yes, a tweet on Twitter and you can have their software for free. From the logos showcased on the site, it looks like a fairly robust application. The offer was tested and worked at the time of publishing this post.
CoolText lets you type out your company name and then choose different ways to stylize the font itself. Handy, fast and free if all you want is your name with a bit of energy to it.
Logo Ease offers a fully free logo creation tool. You have to register, but they let you create and download (they send you the link) the logo that you spent time creating. When you get your download link, it comes with instructions to include a link back to their site. They also offer paid services.
Logo Craft lets you select an icon from predefined categories, then add text and effects. Once it is ready, save the logo or download it for future use. You can access the logos you created anytime and edit them further. Very easy to use. They also offer a custom design service starting at $49.
Flaming Text is similar to CoolText, but I liked a few of their different options. I could see using sites like these for a young company, a nonprofit or a project. For some companies, this is all they might ever need.
Real World Graphics offers a few Web apps to help you create icons or favicons (those tiny little symbols you often see on websites and in social networks).
Sherv.net offers Icon Maker, which can be ideal for those who are building a company around their personal name and identity. It will let you take your photo into a cartoon-like drawing. It might work well for those building a Facebook page, too. Admittedly, this one is more of a fun creation tool and not a serious branding option.
Logo Venture is another service that appears to be best custom logo design service, you can get a logo for as low as $49.
LogoBlog is a free logo creator similar to CoolText and Flaming Text. No registration, just download your completed font logo in a few different formats.
GRSites offers logo creation, text box creation (such as for a sidebar or additional column area on your blog or site), and other design features like textures. They do ask for a link back to their site, but offer some nifty tools.
Tweak offers a completely free logo creator for a low-resolution JPEG image file. If you want a higher resolution JPEG or an EPS file for a high quality print job, you can purchase them for $9.95 and $29.95, respectively. Fast and easy to create, focused on font specific layouts, and you have to register to get to the download page.
