Penji, Design Pickle, and Kimp are three major players in the unlimited graphic design space. These three services offer graphic design and illustration work to kickstart branding or keep a business consistent across multiple platforms. If you still can’t decide among these three options, let us do it for you. Here is our comprehensive review of the three services.

What is The Subscription Graphic Design Model?

First, how does unlimited graphic design work? Penji, DP, and Kimp run on a three-tier subscription model. Regardless of the tier chosen, you’ll get unlimited designs for a flat monthly fee. This includes unlimited revisions on any design as needed.

Traditional graphic design services typically charge on a per-project or hourly basis. This can lead to variable and sometimes unpredictable costs, especially when dealing with multiple design projects. The value of unlimited design lies in both affordability and convenience. Basically, you’ll save a ton when you don’t have to hire a full-time designer or design team. You’ll save time on vetting and hiring freelancers, and you won’t have to pay exorbitant fees to an agency that may or may not get the job done.

Of course, these are only upsides for those with the budget and need for regular design projects. If you only need designs occasionally, the unlimited model won’t be worth it. 

Brands will need to consider:

Scalability – Evaluate your business needs in terms of the number of design requests monthly to choose a plan that can help you scale.

Turnaround Time – Assess the turnaround times offered by each service to ensure they align with your project timelines.

Features & Support – Consider the features provided in each plan, including access to dedicated account managers, unlimited revisions, and other support services.

Unlimited graphic design companies offer a wide scope of services:

• Infographics
• Email designs
• Illustrations
• Logos
• Landing pages
• Ecommerce designs
• Social media graphics
• Digital ads
• Branding
• And more

Penji Pricing Plan & Key Features

Penji’s three-tiered model includes the Starter, Marketer, and Agency plan. If you need web designs and presentation designs included, you’ll need at least the Marketer plan. Motion graphics become available at the Agency level. 

The Starter level gets you 80+ design services, the Marketer gets you 100+, and the Agency gets you 120+. To get the most bang for your buck, Penji recommends the mid-level plan. It’s worth mentioning that your point of contact at Penji gets upgraded as you upgrade tiers:

• Starter: Creative Assistant 
• Marketer: Project Manager  
• Agency: Art Director

Another interesting perk of Penji’s model is Talent Discovery and Dedicated Teams, each of which becomes available at the Marketer level. Talent Discovery means Penji’s team will examine your brand’s art style and identity and match you to the best creatives for the job. While tier 1’s AI matching system does this according to designers’ skills, tier 2 gives you an even more customized match.

Penji offers a money-back guarantee if you try the service and don’t like it after 30 days. You can also pause, upgrade, or downgrade your subscription at any time as your business needs change.

Kimp Pricing Plan & Key Features

Kimp also offers a three-tiered pricing model, but their setup is a little different. Users can get graphics, video, or graphics and video.

Their graphics tier is cheaper than both Design Pickle and Penji for the first two months. After that, it goes up to $599 and includes a variety of unique perks like GIFs, web and app design, and Canva designs.

Kimp’s video subscription unlocks a dedicated video team and 2-4 day turnaround times. You can get videos edited and enhanced, or animated from scratch. For graphics, their turnaround time is just 24 hours.

The value of Kimp’s business model lies in its customization and unique offerings. For brands that need only graphics or only video, Kimp is a great choice. At the time of this post, their highest price tier of video and graphics is also heavily discounted. So if you want to test out the platform without breaking the bank, now is the time.

Design Pickle Pricing Plan & Key Features

Design Pickle offers a pricing plan largely similar to Penij’s: Three tiers: Graphics, Graphics Pro, and Graphics Premium. The only major pricing difference is that Design Pickle’s top tier is roughly $200 more than Penji’s. They also offer “Power Plans” for larger companies that are scaling and need a heftier package. Costs are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Design Pickle’s mid-level tier unlocks real-time Slack collaboration and an onboarding call with one of their Customer Success representatives. Much like Penji, presentation designs are unlocked at tier 2 and motion graphics at tier 3. Canva file delivery is another interesting perk offered at the highest price tier.

Design Pickle has a toggle option that allows you to pay annually instead of monthly. 

What’s the right service for you?

At the end of the day, these services are neck and neck with what they offer. And because they’re direct competitors, you can expect their plans to stay in the ballpark of one another long-term. With that said, there are some simple ways to parse them apart.

Overall, Penji’s pricing page offers a more detailed view of what you get in each tier. Because Design Pickle’s pricing page is simpler, it’s unclear whether or not they offer everything Penji does. The call-to-action is to get in touch, so DP seems to prefer speaking one-on-one with clients before getting started with a plan. Meanwhile, Penji invites you to sign up right away and start ordering designs through the platform.

Kimp is the only service providing video editing services, so if video is an important part of your 2024 marketing strategy, you’ll want to choose Kimp.

What makes them different?

Consistency: Some business owners and marketers may be tired of inconsistent designs and freelancers who don’t fully ‘get’ their brand. In this case, Penji’s Dedicated Team feature could be the solution you’ve been looking for. 

Integrations: Design Pickle shines in the realm of integrations, especially Slack. If you’re looking to seamlessly integrate the design process into your workflow, DP is the better choice. 

Affordability: If it strictly comes down to price and you run an agency with high design needs, Penji is more affordable than Design Pickle. Kimp’s graphics plan is $100 pricier than the others, but they offer the first two months for just $299/month.

Turnaround time: Both Penji and Design Pickle promise 1-2 day turnarounds for their entry-level tier. The higher-priced tiers promise a same-day turnaround on design projects, so the platforms are evenly matched here. Kimp’s website specifies a “24 hour” turnaround time for graphics and 2-4 days for video projects.

Trial: There’s no mention of a ‘trial’ period on Design Pickle’s site, so this is something you’d need to inquire about. Penji mentions a 30-day money-back guarantee on its pricing page, and Kimp offers a free trial for each plan.

Why use an unlimited graphic design service in 2024?

By opting for a subscription-based service, companies can mitigate the risk associated with the uncertainties of hiring, training, and retaining in-house designers. The subscription model provides a level of predictability in terms of costs and resources. You always know your design costs, and you can get everything you need in one place.

Companies can scale their design needs up or down. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for agencies with fluctuating workloads or seasonal demands.

Outsourcing graphic design lets teams focus on their core competencies. Instead of spending time and money managing in-house designers, businesses can concentrate on their primary goals while getting on-brand graphics quickly.