Overview
Smashing Logo's cheapest one time logo costs $139, which makes LOGO.com the better logo maker for budget conscious founders: the first year of the Brand Plan costs $36, less than a third of that, and includes unlimited logo generation, 1,200+ templates, and a branded website.
One time purchase against subscription frames every section below, from pricing and AI design through file formats, licensing, support, and long term value.
Smashing Logo's pitch is ownership: logos at $139 to $219 that you pay for once and own outright. The first year of the LOGO.com Brand Plan at $36 costs less than a third of Smashing Logo's cheapest logo and includes a website, templates, and unlimited logo generation.
LOGO.com is built for businesses that want a full brand identity in one subscription. Smashing Logo is a long running pay per logo platform with a post purchase editor.
An AI powered brand building platform positioning itself as an all in one solution for entrepreneurs and small businesses that need more than just a logo file.
Starts at
Free
Full plan
$36 first year
Founded
2018
Best for: Businesses that want a complete brand identity toolkit under one subscription.
A long running logo maker with 7 virtual designer styles, one time purchase pricing, and a post purchase editor for unlimited tweaks.
Starts at
$139
Full plan
$219
Founded
2015
Best for: Users who want to pay once for a single logo with a built in editor for future tweaks.
| Dimension | LOGO.com | Smashing Logo | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
Starting price | Free, PNG with commercial license | $139 one time, no free download | LOGO.com |
Free logo download | Full commercial license PNG | Not available | LOGO.com |
Full brand plan | $36 first year, unlimited logos | $179 Business one time | LOGO.com |
| Design | |||
AI logo generation | Purpose built logo AI | Algorithmic with virtual designers | LOGO.com |
Custom AI icons | Yes, unique vector icons | Shared icon library | LOGO.com |
Post purchase edits | Unlimited on paid plans | Unlimited in post purchase editor | Even match |
| Brand kit | |||
Template library | 1,200+ branded templates auto populated | Social media kit only on Business and Premium | LOGO.com |
Brand guidelines | Auto generated five section guidelines | Basic guidelines on Business and Premium | LOGO.com |
AI marketing tools | Brand Design Generator, Mockup, AI copy | Not offered | LOGO.com |
Merchandise | Yes, via Printful | Not offered | LOGO.com |
Partner offers | HubSpot, Semrush, Google Ads and more | None comparable | LOGO.com |
| Web | |||
Branded website | Included in Brand Plan | Not offered | LOGO.com |
Domain registration | Included free for first year | Not offered | LOGO.com |
| Files | |||
Free tier formats | PNG with commercial license | None, paid only | LOGO.com |
Paid tier formats | PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, WEBP, AI | PNG on Lite; vector on Business and Premium | LOGO.com |
Structured logo file pack | 250+ files across 9 categories | Single logo file set per purchase | LOGO.com |
| Trust | |||
Highest review score | 4.7 on REVIEWS.io | 4.9 on Capterra, 2.8 on Trustpilot | Smashing Logo |
Review volume | 2,134 verified reviews | 345 on Capterra, 19 on Trustpilot | LOGO.com |
Ownership and license | Full commercial rights, survives cancellation | Full ownership on purchased logos | Even match |
| Support | |||
Support channels | Email, phone, form | Email and help center | LOGO.com |
Learning content | Learning Hub, Business+ program | Blog and FAQ | LOGO.com |
LOGO.com bundles unlimited logos plus a brand kit into $36 for the first year. Smashing Logo is $139 to $219 per single logo as a one time purchase.
vs Smashing Logo $139 to $219 one time
Unlimited logos plus brand kit vs a single logo file
LOGO.com starts at $0. The free plan includes a downloadable PNG logo with a full commercial license, no credit card required. If you want vector files, branded templates, a website, AI tools, and everything else, the Brand Plan costs $36 for the first year, or $15 per month billed monthly. There is no per logo charge, and everything is bundled under one plan with unlimited logo generation.
Smashing Logo charges a one time fee per logo. The Lite plan costs $139 and includes PNG files only. The Business plan costs $179 and adds vector files, a social media kit, brand guidelines, and a logo animation. The Premium plan costs $219 and adds a forever rebrand option and a 30 percent lifetime discount on future logos.
For comparison, the first year of the LOGO.com Brand Plan at $36 costs less than a third of Smashing Logo's cheapest tier at $139, and includes a website, 1,200+ templates, AI tools, and unlimited logos rather than a single download.
LOGO.com runs a purpose built logo AI and custom vector icon creator. Smashing Logo uses an algorithm and 7 virtual designer styles over a shared library.
Vector AI icons unique to your brand
Smashing Logo combines elements from a shared library
LOGO.com uses an AI engine that analyzes your business name, industry, style preferences, and color choices to generate logo concepts tailored to your brand. The platform also includes a custom icon creator powered by AI that lets you describe any concept and receive a unique scalable vector icon. No other logo maker offers this.
Smashing Logo uses an algorithmic approach rather than generative AI. You fill out a questionnaire covering business name, industry keywords, brand attributes such as warm, vintage, or cheerful, preferred colors, fonts, and virtual designer styles. The platform has 7 virtual designers, each with a distinct aesthetic, and you can combine up to 3 to influence direction.
The results are combinations of elements from Smashing Logo's library rather than entirely new AI generated designs. Two businesses with similar inputs could receive overlapping design elements. For a unique icon that nobody else can recreate from the same library, LOGO.com's custom AI icon creator is the deciding factor.
Both offer unlimited post purchase edits. LOGO.com's AI also generates new variations on demand; Smashing Logo stays within its existing library.
Even match on access
LOGO.com generates new variations on demand
LOGO.com's editor is built specifically for logo work, with controls designed around the decisions logo designers face: icon placement, text hierarchy, color palette management, and layout variations. You can adjust every element, and the AI engine generates new variations based on your preferences. Unlimited edits are available on paid plans.
Smashing Logo allows customization of fonts, colors, icons, and layout after the initial generation. The platform also includes a post purchase editor that lets you make unlimited text, color, and layout changes directly in your account after buying. This is a useful feature that means you are not locked into your initial design.
However, customization happens within the constraints of the existing library elements rather than through AI generation of new concepts. If you want a fundamentally different logo direction on Smashing Logo, you would need to restart the questionnaire process.
LOGO.com auto applies your brand to 1,200+ templates plus merchandise. Smashing Logo ships a basic social media kit only on its higher tiers.
Auto branded with your colors and fonts
Smashing Logo offers a social media kit only on higher tiers
LOGO.com's Brand Plan includes 1,200+ professionally designed, fully customizable templates spanning social media posts, covers, ads, business cards, letterheads, flyers, posters, menus, mockups, brand boards, and more. Every template auto populates with your brand colors, fonts, and logo the moment you select it.
The plan also bundles a Brand Design Generator across 20+ formats, AI creation tools, merchandise production through Printful, an email signature builder, and partner offers from companies like HubSpot, Semrush, and Google Ads.
Smashing Logo includes a social media kit on the Business and Premium tiers that provides profile images sized for common social platforms. There are no business card templates, letterhead designs, flyer layouts, email signatures, or other branded collateral. The social media kit gives you your logo formatted for profile pictures and covers, but not an auto populated template library.
LOGO.com auto generates a complete brand guidelines page. Smashing Logo bundles a basic version only on Business and Premium.
Auto generated and shareable
Smashing Logo guidelines are basic and tier gated
LOGO.com auto generates a complete brand guidelines document organized into five sections: brand overview with your story and values, logo usage rules with correct and incorrect examples, a full hex code color palette, font specifications with download links, and security settings for selective sharing.
Smashing Logo includes brand guidelines on the Business at $179 and Premium at $219 tiers. These guidelines provide your logo's color palette and typography information. The Lite plan at $139 does not include guidelines at all.
Smashing Logo's guidelines are not as comprehensive as what LOGO.com generates. There are no visual usage examples, no brand overview section, and no interactive sharing features. LOGO.com bundles the full deliverable at $36 for the first year with unlimited logos.
LOGO.com includes a branded website and free domain. Smashing Logo is logo only with no website tooling.
vs Smashing Logo logo only
Branded website, domain, and link in bio at $36 for the first year
LOGO.com includes a branded website as part of its Brand Plan at $36 for the first year, or $15 per month. The website builder automatically applies your brand's logo, colors, and fonts to any template and generates page copy, so you can launch a fully branded site without editing a design or writing a word. The platform also offers built in domain registration with 500+ TLDs and WHOIS privacy included, and a Link in Bio for social profiles.
Smashing Logo does not offer a website builder, domain registration, or any online presence tools. The platform is exclusively focused on logo creation and download.
If you need a website after creating your logo with Smashing Logo, you would need to use a separate website builder, which adds both cost and complexity. LOGO.com's integrated approach means you can build your entire brand presence from logo to live website within a single platform.
LOGO.com ships a structured 250+ file pack. Smashing Logo gates vector files behind its $179 Business tier.
Across 9 logo categories
Smashing Logo gates vectors to $179 and up
LOGO.com's free plan includes 4 high resolution PNG files with commercial license. The Brand Plan provides over 250 high resolution files including 42 vector files across 9 logo categories, including PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, WEBP, and AI formats. You receive full color, greyscale, transparent background, watermark, monogram, favicon, and social profile icon variations.
Smashing Logo's Lite plan at $139 includes PNG files only, with no vector formats. To get vector files needed for print, signage, and professional production, you must purchase the Business tier at $179 or the Premium tier at $219.
Smashing Logo does not provide the structured, multi variation file package that LOGO.com does. There are no greyscale versions, no favicon exports, no monogram variations, and no social media optimized sizes beyond the social media kit on higher tiers.
LOGO.com holds 4.7 on REVIEWS.io across 2,134 reviews. Smashing Logo splits: 4.9 on Capterra over 345 reviews vs 2.8 on Trustpilot over 19.
vs Smashing Logo 4.9 Capterra / 2.8 Trustpilot
Backed by a much larger and more consistent review pool
LOGO.com holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating on REVIEWS.io across 2,134 reviews. Users consistently praise the ease of the logo creation process, the quality of the free logo download, and the responsiveness of customer support.
Smashing Logo has a split reputation across review platforms. On Capterra it holds a 4.9 out of 5 across 345 reviews. On Trustpilot it holds a 2.8 out of 5 across 19 reviews, with complaints focused on pricing transparency. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers report feeling misled by the free design process before discovering the download costs at least $139.
Capterra tends to attract software evaluators who understand the pricing model upfront, which may explain the higher rating there. LOGO.com's REVIEWS.io score is based on a much larger review volume and reflects the complete logo and branding experience.
Both grant full ownership of purchased logos. LOGO.com extends that to the free tier as well.
Even match on purchased logos
LOGO.com extends full rights to the free tier
LOGO.com grants full commercial usage rights and logo ownership on all plans, including the free tier. You retain full ownership of your logo even after cancelling your plan or deleting your account. The commercial license is explicit and unrestricted.
Smashing Logo grants full ownership and commercial usage rights on all purchased tiers. Once you buy your logo, you own the copyright with no restrictions on commercial or non commercial use. The ownership model is clear and straightforward.
However, because logos are generated from a shared library of icons, fonts, and layouts, other users could create logos with similar visual elements on Smashing Logo. If you plan to trademark a logo from either platform, search the USPTO Trademark Electronic Search System and consult a legal professional before filing.
Both onboard quickly. LOGO.com auto builds the brand kit; Smashing Logo's questionnaire is detailed but stops at the logo.
vs paywalled download on Smashing Logo
LOGO.com lets you take a logo home before paying
LOGO.com onboards you by asking for your business name, industry, and style preferences, then generates a set of logo concepts you can refine. From there, the brand kit, website, and guidelines build out automatically using the same brand inputs, which means there are very few decisions to make before you have a usable brand.
Smashing Logo guides you through a detailed questionnaire covering 50+ brand attributes, color preferences, fonts, and virtual designer styles. The flow is well designed and reviewers consistently call out the experience as smooth, even if the paywall at download is the main complaint.
For someone who wants to take a free logo home before committing to spend, LOGO.com is the lower friction starting point. For someone who is ready to pay up front and wants a guided questionnaire, Smashing Logo is approachable.
LOGO.com offers three direct channels plus a Learning Hub. Smashing Logo relies on email and a help center.
Email, phone, form
Plus a Learning Hub and Business+ program
LOGO.com offers customer support via email, phone, and a contact form. Paid plan subscribers get priority customer care. The platform also includes a Learning Hub with six guide categories covering branding, marketing, and business growth, along with the Business+ program that bundles partner offers and educational content. The Creator Program adds a community layer where designers can submit and sell custom templates.
Smashing Logo directs users to a help center, blog articles, and email support. Capterra reviewers consistently call out the quality of email support as a strength. There is no live chat option.
For a small business that wants a person to respond in real time when something goes wrong, LOGO.com's three channel setup is more flexible than email alone.
LOGO.com's subscription compounds in value. Smashing Logo's Premium forever rebrand is a nice touch but the brand stack stops at the logo.
All in one brand subscription
Smashing Logo scales by selling more single logos
LOGO.com is designed so that the subscription gets more useful over time. As your business grows, you keep using the same brand kit to spin up new social posts, ads, mockups, merchandise, and website pages. Brand consistency is enforced by the auto branding system, so a new team member can produce on brand assets on their first day.
Smashing Logo's Premium tier at $219 includes a forever rebrand option that lets you redesign your logo without paying again, plus a 30 percent lifetime discount on future logos. That is a thoughtful touch for users who expect to refresh their mark over time. But the brand stack stops at the logo: there are no templates, no website, no domain, and no AI marketing tools.
If you want one tool that grows with your brand identity, LOGO.com is the lower friction long term option. If you only need a logo and prefer a one time fee with future rebrand baked in, Smashing Logo Premium is a reasonable choice.
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