99designs Fee Calculator

Enter your project budget and select a tier to see exactly how much 99designs charges, what the designer receives, and your total spend. Supports all contest tiers and 1-to-1 projects.

Created by Luis GonzalezLast updated: June 7, 2026

How to Use This Calculator

1
Enter Your Project Budget
Input the total contest prize or 1-to-1 project budget in US dollars. This is the base amount before any add-ons or fees.
2
Select Your Project Tier
Choose from Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum contests, or 1-to-1 Project. Each tier has a different minimum budget but all use the same flat 15% platform fee.
3
Optionally expand Advanced Options
Enter the cost of any add-ons such as top designer features or highlighted listings. The same 15% fee applies to add-ons.
4
Review Your Results
The calculator displays the Platform Fee, Designer Receives, Total Project Cost, Total Fees Paid, and Effective Fee Rate. The breakdown bar shows how your budget is split between the designer payout and platform fee.

Example Calculation

A client runs a Silver Contest on 99designs with a $750 project budget and no add-ons.

Project Budget

$750

Project Tier

Silver Contest

Results

Platform Fee is $112.50, Designer Receives $637.50, Total Project Cost is $750.00, Total Fees Paid is $112.50, and Effective Fee Rate is 15.00%.

Tips

All Tiers Use the Same 15% Fee

Unlike some platforms with variable rates, 99designs charges a flat 15% platform fee across all contest tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and 1-to-1 projects. The tier affects only the minimum budget and designer pool quality.

Add-Ons Are Also Subject to 15%

Optional upgrades like highlighted listings or top designer features are charged at the same 15% fee rate. Expand Advanced Options to see how add-ons affect your total cost.

Factor in Payment Processing

Beyond the 15% platform fee, payment processors (like PayPal or Payoneer) will deduct their own charges, typically 2-5% per transaction. The designer's true take-home is typically 80-83% of the project budget.

Calculating Your 99designs Platform Fees

Understanding 99designs' fee structure helps both clients and designers plan project costs accurately.

The 99designs Fee Calculator breaks down the flat 15% platform fee applied to your project budget and any add-ons, showing exactly what the designer receives and what your total spend will be.

For example, a $500 Silver Contest budget results in a $75.00 platform fee with the designer receiving $425.00.

This tool supports all contest tiers and 1-to-1 projects.

The Math Behind 99designs Fee Calculation

The 99designs fee structure uses a flat 15% rate applied uniformly across all contest tiers and project types.

The core calculations are:

platform fee = project budget x 0.15
add-on fee = add-ons budget x 0.15
total fees = platform fee + add-on fee
designer receives = project budget - platform fee
total project cost = project budget + add-ons budget
effective fee rate = (total fees / total project cost) x 100

The project budget is the contest prize or 1-to-1 project amount, and add-ons budget covers optional upgrades like highlighted listings.

💡 If you're also selling physical goods or services on other platforms, our eBay Fee Calculator can help you understand how similar percentage-based fees impact your bottom line there.

Breaking Down a $750 Silver Contest

Consider a client running a Silver Contest on 99designs with a $750 project budget and no add-ons.

The flat 15% platform fee applies:

Platform fee: $750 x 0.15 = $112.50.
Designer receives: $750 - $112.50 = $637.50 (85.0% of budget).
Total project cost: $750 + $0 = $750.00.
Total fees paid: $112.50 (no add-on fees since add-ons are $0).
Effective fee rate: ($112.50 / $750) x 100 = 15.00%.

The designer nets $637.50 after the 99designs platform fee.

💡 When managing international payments, understanding exchange rates and transfer fees is crucial. Our Wise (TransferWise) Fee Calculator can provide a precise breakdown of cross-border transfer costs.

How Add-Ons Affect Your Total Fees

When you add optional upgrades to a contest, the same 15% fee applies to those amounts as well.

For example, a $1,000 Gold Contest with $200 in add-ons would incur a $150 platform fee plus a $30 add-on fee, for total fees of $180.

The designer still receives $850 (85% of the $1,000 base budget), while your grand total spent is $1,200.

The effective fee rate remains 15% since the same percentage applies to both the base budget and add-ons.

What 99designs fee results look like in practice

On 99designs, the flat 15% platform fee means the fee structure is consistent regardless of whether you choose a Bronze Contest (minimum $299) or a Platinum Contest (minimum $1,299).

The difference between tiers lies in the minimum budget threshold and the caliber of designers attracted to the contest.

A Bronze Contest at $299 results in a $44.85 fee with the designer receiving $254.15.

A Gold Contest at $899 produces a $134.85 fee and designer payout of $764.15.

For 1-to-1 projects with a minimum of $100, the same 15% applies, meaning a $100 budget yields a $15.00 fee and $85.00 designer payout.

Beyond these platform-specific fees, designers should also account for payment processor charges (2-5%) when calculating their true take-home pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 99designs platform fee?

99designs charges a flat 15% platform fee on all project budgets and add-ons, regardless of the contest tier (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum) or whether it's a 1-to-1 project. This fee is deducted from the project budget before the designer receives their payout.

Does the fee rate change based on contest tier?

No. All tiers use the same 15% platform fee. The contest tier determines the minimum budget requirement and the quality of designers who participate, but the fee percentage remains constant at 15%.

How much does the designer actually receive?

The designer receives 85% of the project budget after the 15% platform fee is deducted. For example, on a $1,000 project budget, the designer receives $850 and 99designs keeps $150. Additional payment processor fees (2-5%) further reduce the designer's take-home.

Are add-ons included in the fee calculation?

Yes. The 15% platform fee applies to both the base project budget and any add-ons. If you have a $1,000 budget plus $200 in add-ons, total fees would be $150 + $30 = $180.