A logo generator can hand you a usable mark in ten minutes — or a file you can't scale and don't fully own. That gap is the whole story of this category. The older platforms give you a guided brand kit; the newer AI image models render text so well they can produce a real wordmark from a prompt. But the pricing hides one-time-versus-subscription traps and, more importantly, commercial-rights catches that can bite on a paid project. This guide compares Looka, Brandmark, Canva, and Ideogram on real 2026 pricing and where each earns its place, so you leave with a logo you can actually use. Part of our wider guide to AI tools for designers.
The math: Time to set up ~30 min · Tasks helped: concepts, wordmarks, brand kits, color/font systems · Real cost ranges from a ~$20 one-time file to ~$96/year. Pricing and licensing change often — confirm current numbers and commercial terms before buying.
Here's the thing: in 2026 this category has genuinely split. The classic logo makers — Looka, Brandmark, Canva, Tailor Brands — walk you through a guided flow (pick a style, colors, icon) and output a logo plus a matching brand kit. They're fast and beginner-friendly, but results can feel templated. The AI image models — Ideogram, and general tools like GPT Image and Recraft — now render typography accurately enough to generate a real logo from a text description, which was impossible two years ago. The classic makers win on structure and brand kits; the image models win on originality and text-heavy marks.
The two traps that cost people money: file format (a PNG can't scale; you want a vector/SVG for a real logo) and commercial rights (some tiers don't grant business use). Both are called out below, because a cheap logo you can't legally use or resize isn't cheap.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Standout | The honest catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Looka | All-round + brand kit | ~$20 once / ~$96/yr | Commercial rights on basic tier | Vectors need the higher tier |
| Brandmark | Customization | ~$25–$175 once | Deep style control | Basic tier blocks commercial use |
| Canva | Free start + everything else | $0 / $15/mo | Logo plus full brand design | Free logos aren't fully exclusive |
| Ideogram | Text inside the logo | Free / paid tiers | Best typography rendering | Raster output; no guided brand kit |
Ordered from the guided makers to the AI image model — pick by whether you want structure or originality.
Looka combines professional-looking output, a guided design process, and a complete brand kit in one place — it asks for your style preferences, generates logo options, and lets you refine colors, fonts, and layout. Pricing is one-time or subscription: roughly $20 one-time for PNG files, about $65 one-time for the full vector package, and around $96/year for the ongoing brand kit (business cards, social assets, unlimited changes). Crucially, even the $20 basic tier includes commercial rights.
Who it fits: founders and small businesses who want a professional logo plus a brand kit without hiring a designer. What it does well: a guided flow that produces usable, polished results, with commercial rights on every tier and a full brand system on the subscription. Where it falls short: the scalable vector files require the higher one-time tier (the $20 option is PNG only), and results can feel templated if you don't customize. Pricing: ~$20 one-time (PNG) to ~$96/year (brand kit).
Brandmark offers deeper style control than most guided makers, generating logo concepts you can heavily tweak. Its tiers run roughly $25 one-time (Basic), $65 (Designer), and $175 (Enterprise), with SVG vector files on Designer and up and a full brand style guide on Enterprise. The catch worth knowing: the $25 Basic tier restricts commercial use — you need the $65 Designer plan for business use, unlike Looka where even the cheapest tier includes commercial rights.
Who it fits: people who want more hands-on control over the generated concept than Looka's flow allows. What it does well: customization depth and a proper style guide at the top tier. Where it falls short: the commercial-use restriction on Basic is an easy, expensive mistake, and you need Designer ($65) for both SVG and business rights. Pricing: ~$25–$175 one-time.
Canva's logo maker is the best free starting point, and it comes attached to the design tool you'll use for everything else — social, decks, thumbnails. The free tier lets you design a logo; Canva Pro ($15/month, ~$10 annually) adds Magic Studio AI, background removal, brand kits, and premium assets. Note that free-tier logos built from Canva's stock elements aren't fully exclusive to you.
Who it fits: beginners and small businesses who want a logo plus a full design toolkit in one familiar platform. What it does well: a genuinely free logo path and seamless reuse of your brand across every other asset. Where it falls short: a logo made from shared stock elements isn't trademark-safe or exclusive, and the output leans templated — fine for a side project, riskier for a brand you'll defend. Pricing: free; Pro $15/month. See our Canva AI guide.
Ideogram leads the AI image models on text rendering — the long-standing weakness of AI generators — which makes it the strongest option when readable words inside the mark are the point (wordmarks, lettering, badge-style logos). You describe the logo and it generates options, with free and paid tiers depending on volume.
Who it fits: designers and founders who want an original, text-forward mark from a prompt rather than a guided template. What it does well: accurate, stylized typography and genuinely original concepts a template maker won't produce. Where it falls short: it outputs raster images (you'll need to vectorize for a scalable final logo — see our AI vector generators guide), and there's no guided brand kit, so you assemble the system yourself. Pricing: free tier; paid for more volume.
Logos are often a one-time cost, not a subscription. A bootstrapped founder can start free in Canva or generate a concept in Ideogram, then pay ~$20–$65 one-time in Looka for a polished, commercially-cleared file. A business that wants an ongoing brand kit (variations, social assets, unlimited edits) pays Looka's ~$96/year or Brandmark Enterprise. The trap is paying a cheap tier that gives you a PNG you can't scale or a license you can't use commercially — spend the extra for vector files and clear rights on anything real.
If you're building a serious, long-term brand you'll defend legally, an AI generator is a starting point, not the finish — hire a designer to refine and trademark-check the mark. If you already have a logo, you don't need any of these. And if your logo is going on client work, confirm exclusivity and commercial rights before you deliver. The same rights-first thinking runs through our designers guide.
Looka for an all-round polished result with a brand kit and commercial rights on every tier. Ideogram if you want an original, text-forward mark from a prompt. Canva if you want a free start plus a full design toolkit.
Only if the tier grants commercial rights — and not all do. Looka includes them from its basic tier; Brandmark's $25 Basic restricts commercial use (you need the $65 Designer plan). Always confirm before using a logo in business.
Vectors scale to any size without blurring — essential for signage, print, and merchandise. Many cheap tiers give you only PNG files; pay for the vector tier for any real brand use.
Not automatically. Logos built from shared stock elements aren't exclusive, and AI can echo existing marks. For a brand you'll defend, have a designer refine it and run a trademark check before committing.
An AI generator is great for a startup, side project, or first mark on a budget. For a serious long-term brand, use AI for concepts and a professional to refine, trademark-check, and finalize.