If you’re starting a business or running a small one, you’ve probably seen logos advertised for £5 and others quoted at £5,000. So how much should a small business actually pay for a logo?
The honest answer: for most UK start-ups and small businesses, somewhere in the region of a few hundred pounds. But the price on its own doesn’t tell you much. What matters is what you get for it – and what a cheap logo might cost you further down the line.
Here’s a straightforward breakdown of the options, what each one includes, and what to check before you hand over any money.
small business logo prices: the four main options
1. free to £50 – DIY tools, AI generators and Canva
Tools like Canva and AI logo makers let you put something together in an afternoon. For a side project or testing an idea, that can be fine.
The catch is that you usually don’t own what you’ve made. Logos built from templates or stock graphics can’t be trademarked, other people can use exactly the same elements, and the files you get often won’t work for print or signage. I’ve written more about this in can you make a professional logo with Canva?
2. £5 to £150 – online marketplaces
Sites like Fiverr have thousands of sellers offering logos for very little. Some are genuinely good. Many aren’t.
At this price, the designer simply can’t spend much time on your business. That often means recycled or template-based designs, very little thought about your customers or competitors, and missing files when you need them. It’s also hard to know whether the design is truly original.
3. £250 to £1,500 – an independent designer
This is where most small businesses land, and for good reason. You’re working directly with one person who gets to know your business, sketches ideas, refines them with you and hands over a full set of files that you own outright.
You get an original design, a proper process and someone you can come back to when you need business cards, signage or a website.
4. £2,000 to £10,000+ – a branding agency
Agencies bring teams of people, in-depth research, brand strategy and detailed guidelines. That’s the right fit for larger businesses or companies going through a big change – but for most start-ups and small businesses, it’s more than you need at this stage.
what affects the price of a logo?
When two designers quote very different prices, it usually comes down to:
- research and concepts – how much time goes into understanding your business before designing
- revisions – how many rounds of changes are included
- files – whether you get proper vector files (AI, EPS, SVG) as well as PNGs and JPGs
- ownership – whether the copyright is fully yours at the end
- extras – business cards, social media graphics, stationery and so on
the hidden cost of a cheap logo
A £20 logo can look like a bargain. But small businesses often end up paying for it again when:
- a printer or sign maker asks for a vector file you don’t have
- you find a competitor using something almost identical
- you want to trademark your brand and find out you can’t
- the business grows and the logo doesn’t, so you rebrand after 18 months
The cheapest logo is often the one you end up paying for twice.
what to check before you pay for a logo
Whoever you choose, ask these questions first:
- Will I own the logo outright, including the copyright?
- Which file formats will I get?
- How many concepts and rounds of revisions are included?
- Will I see sketches or early ideas before anything is finalised?
- Is the design original, or based on a template?
If the answers are vague, that tells you something.
how much does a logo cost with The Pink Octopus?
I work with start-ups and small businesses, so my packages are built around what they actually need:
- Your Idea, Created – £250. Already have a sketch or idea? I’ll turn it into a clean, professional logo, and give you honest feedback along the way.
- The Deep Dive Experience – £450. An onboarding chat, initial sketches for your feedback, then concepts developed and refined into your final logo.
- The Signature Treasure – £600. Everything in the Deep Dive, plus social media covers and template, business cards, letterhead and a pull-up banner.
Every package comes with a full set of files (AI, EPS, SVG, PNG and JPG), and the logo is yours to keep.
Already got a logo that just needs tidying up or turning into proper vector files? Take a look at my vectorise service.
ready to get a logo for your small business?
- Starting a new business? See the logo packages →
- Got a logo that’s not working any more? Find out about rebranding →
- Made your own logo and need proper files? Get it vectorised →
