What to know about Buzzcube before subscribing for 2024
We live in an increasingly visual world, making graphic design paramount for any business looking to stand out and create an unforgettable brand identity. For many, having an in-house designer on the team isn't worth the ongoing costs. That's where external subscription services like Buzzcube swoop in to save the day with unlimited, on-demand graphic design.
Is Buzzcube the best in the business? We will walk you through an in-depth review of Buzzcube, including the pros, cons, features, and reviews from real paying customers. We'll also look at some of the competition to help you make the best decision.
Photo by Budka Damdinsuren on Unsplash What is a unlimited graphic design subscription service?
Rather than hiring an entire design team for a project in-house or finding a freelancer for a task, subscription services like Buzzcube seek to fill the gap for businesses by providing a subscription service at a monthly fee that includes things like unlimited graphic design and some website elements. Finding a great freelance worker who is reliable and can deliver exactly what you're looking for can be a tall order. So is paying the wage of a development and design team when you're a startup.
Subscription services solve these issues by providing businesses with a vetted and reliable team of talented designers who can fulfill your needs within a quick timeframe. They take out the search and guesswork required for a freelancer and eliminate the costs of hiring, training, and retaining an in-house team.
Buzzcube at a glance
Buzzcube, founded in 2019 by Matt Treece, boasts an unlimited graphic design plan alongside web development and web design services as needed, all for $650 a month. Buzzcube advertises itself as the solution to design agency bottlenecks and backups by providing a quick turnaround time, easy communication with unlimited revisions, and by providing a best-match, dedicated designer — all contract-free. Their target audience? Growing businesses that want to avoid the stress or cost of hiring and managing an in-house design team, need design work streamlined as their marketing teams scale, and require a quick turnaround on custom illustrations, graphics, logo design, and more.
The process:
- Onboarding call to determine needs and get a feel for the business.
- Match with a designer based on the onboarding call.
- Client submits their desired design.
- The designer creates the design — clients can have unlimited revisions.
- Once satisfied, web designers will build the design on the website (if needed).
Buzzcube Reviews
The pros of choosing Buzzcube
User-friendly platform
Advertised as "Simple, yet effective," many Buzzcube users seem to love the platform and system for how easy it is to submit design requests and manage projects.
Flexibility and scalability
Thanks to their fixed-rate pricing strategy, Buzzcube makes it easy to scale up or down as your needs change — without altering that bottom line every month. Plus, there are no contracts.
Innovative approach
Having an assigned designer who knows your brand's identity inside and out alongside unlimited revisions means your requests are fulfilled to your satisfaction with a rapid-fire turnaround time.
Unlimited graphic design
For businesses that need a lot of graphic design work each month, the zero-cap monthly plan is a huge draw.
Web development
Websites can be timely to make, costly to maintain, and difficult to update, yet a high-functioning website is a critical component for modern business. Having these services included in their subscription is a major bonus.
Social media graphics
For social media images, Buzzcube seems to do a satisfactory job with a rather quick turnaround time based on customer reviews.
Landing pages
A lot of Buzzcube's work and portfolio revolves around different landing pages. Customers seem to be satisfied with the quality of the work and how they match their desired aesthetic.
The cons of choosing Buzzcube
Pricing concerns
Some Buzzcube users have pointed out that $650 can get a lot of design requests fulfilled on work services such as Fiverr. Plus, the fee is paid monthly. If you only have one project in the first month, it becomes costly. If your needs go beyond the same task's first month, it suddenly costs double. For a small business with limited design needs, the unlimited projects included might ramp up your costs.
Customer support
While the Buzzcube platform declares excellent communication between the dedicated designer and client, some reviews and comments state customer support-type communication could have been more accessible. You're also limited to UK business hours.
Turnaround times
Despite offering unlimited revisions to their services, some users have complained about the turnaround time once the designs are sent for revision. With a timeframe of about two business days per request, some noted that a regular in-house designer or one from a services website could have completed the revisions more quickly.
Limited service scope
Buzzcube is not a complete digital marketing service. Instead, their realm lies solely in graphic design and web design. While that's great if your business needs specific blog images, a new logo design, or images for an email campaign, you must also source a digital marketing team.
Service quality
The Buzzcube portfolio section shows a limited range of designs, mostly landing pages completed for different companies. They have samples of other design and branding work; however, site visitors cannot click on the various categories for a closer look.
Who are the competitors?
Of course, graphic design services and platforms aren't new, and Buzzcube has some tough competition — all offering that same unlimited graphic design service. Next, we will look at the top competitors you should also consider for your business's graphic design needs.
REEL UNLIMITED
Via REEL UNLIMITEDREEL UNLIMITED offers the same branding, Webflow development, and graphic design services as Buzzcube, including unlimited requests, unlimited revisions, and tools for real-time communication with the designers. Added perks lie in three tiers of subscription plans for added flexibility based on the number of requests you'd like to make at one time. Reel Unlimited also allows clients to pause their subscriptions and pay in several different currencies. Web design and development, as well as video design services, can be an effective piece of content marketing and social media for today's visual world, and they do both within your subscription.
We should mention the starting subscription for Reel Unlimited comes in at a higher price point than Buzzcube, however, they also offer rapid turnaround times, a dedicated project manager, and high-quality design work. Your account manager is accessible and helpful, ensuring a satisfactory design within an excellent timeframe.
REEL UNLIMITED prices
REEL UNLIMITED pricesREEL UNLIMITED offers 3 design subscription plans to help you scale your business affordably. Just choose a plan that's right for you and try the service for 5 days for only $5. If you don't like the first draft, you don't subscribe; no hard feelings, here is a quick overview:
Light Plan Includes ($795)
- Unlimited graphic design
- Unlimited video design
- Unlimited website design
- Unlimited Webflow development
- One design request at a time
- Average 24-48h delivery
- Logo & branding
- Custom illustrations
- Presentation designs
- Social media graphics
- Motion graphics
Standard Plan Includes ($1295 per month)
- Unlimited graphic design
- Unlimited video design
- Unlimited website design
- Unlimited Webflow development
- Two design requests at a time
- Average 24-48h delivery
- Logo & branding
- Custom illustrations
- Presentation designs
- Social media graphics
- Motion graphics
Pro Plan Includes ($2295 per month)
- Unlimited graphic design
- Unlimited video design
- Unlimited website design
- Unlimited Webflow development
- Three design requests at a time
- Average 24-48h delivery
- Logo & branding
- Custom illustrations
- Presentation designs
- Social media graphics
- Motion graphics
- Website designs
- Figma to Webflow
- Webflow development
Designjoy
Designjoy, despite saying they've reinvented design, functions very similarly to Buzzcube. However, Designjoy also offers app design alongside graphics. Using Trello as their project management platform of choice, clients are encouraged to invite their entire team to collaborate and make requests as needed. While they don't currently offer website design/development, their site says it is coming soon with an added price tag of $999/mo.
Via DesignjoyThe price tag is an area where Designjoy takes a hit with significantly higher rates. In what could be a pro or a con, Designjoy also doesn't do meetings of any kind. Your requests are handled "totally async" and online. Designjoy is also supported by a single designer — the company founder. While he claims a turnaround time of 48 hours per request, you're hooped if he gets bogged down, you don't like his style, or you request something outside of his realm.
Designjoy prices
Designjoy pricesDesign Pickle
With subscriptions based on the type of design required, Design Pickle's setup is slightly different from Buzzcube's. While it can be helpful for businesses who only need a specific type of graphic to save money on subscription costs, it means most businesses will need to step into the next tier. Each subscription offers a different level of project management, file types, support, and turnaround times, so the experience is more customizable depending on your business needs.
Via DesignPickleWhat's unique about Design Pickle is that they have AI tools embedded into their platform to ensure the designers start building from a highly informed place to better match your vision. However, this system also means making a request can be cumbersome. Some users also report that the Design Pickle user interface is frustrating, and leaving feedback within their platform is difficult. Businesses need to level up to the Design Pickle subscriptions that use Slack for communication to have a better revision experience, ultimately costing them more money.
Design Pickle prices
Design Pickle pricesManyPixels
For basic services, ManyPixels rivals Buzzcube's price tag. However, you'll have to level up if you need motion graphics. At its highest tier, you have access to same-day turnaround, a designated designer, Slack communication (in applicable timezones), and all the design types offered. ManyPixels also has a faster turnaround time at its highest level, which has been a sore point for Buzzfeed clients of the past.
Via ManyPixelsCompared to Buzzcube, which doesn't offer motion graphics but starts with most of ManyPixels' highest-tier services, Buzzcube provides more bang for your buck (and design projects!).
ManyPixels prices
ManyPixels pricesPenji
Again, Penji's basic services subscription is priced similarly to Buzzcubes. However, the basic services offered do not include a dedicated designer or team, web design, presentation design, or motion graphics. For those, as well as same-day delivery (except for complex projects), businesses must reach for the next level of subscriptions. The next level of subscriptions also offers "talent discovery," which is a fancier way of saying a matched designer, like what Buzzcube already offers in their flat rate package.
Via PenjiWhat's unique about Penji is that they are a brand focused on giving back and "being better." You can add a buck to your monthly plan that goes towards qualified nonprofits, offering a human touch to a digital world.
Penji prices
Penji pricesKimp.io
Via KimpKimp.io is similar to Buzzcube in that it advertises affordable subscriptions with unlimited graphic design and digital marketing materials, including social media. What sets it apart from Buzzcube is that it runs on its own platform, designed to streamline the process and keep requests organized, and also has a significant focus on video as well as design. Kimp.io also offers a full design team, rather than just a single designer. This includes an advisor, project manager, and creative lead. Their prices are also designed to be flexible depending on the client's needs including graphic-only, video-only, or both.
Kimp prices
Kimp pricesTeamtown.co
Via TeamtownAdvertising itself as being for the bold, Teamtown is on the pricier end of the spectrum. However, they also offer video services alongside unlimited graphic design, making their subscriptions valuable to marketing agencies looking to stay relevant. Different tiers of subscriptions mean clients can budget depending on their needs. However, video and motion graphics, as well as dedicated design teams, come at the upper end of the spectrum.
Teamtown prices
Teamtown pricesHow to navigate your options
There are a lot of different factors that will determine which design subscription is the right one for you!
First, identify exactly what your brand needs. Is it a website? Logos? EBook pages? Your designs might be a one-time need, or they may be ongoing, and that's important to consider.
You'll also want to think about what your ultimate goal is. That way, you'll be able to communicate that and ensure they are creating designs that align with your brand and goals. It's also important to consider the amount of input you'd like to have in the design process; a meeting-less platform might not be for you.
The most significant factor to consider is budget — especially as a startup or SMB. Can you get everything you need out of the $650 subscription? Are your needs worth $650 a month? When you take into account how many designs you need, what kind, how much you can afford, and your goals, you can determine which subscription package you prefer.
Photo by Headway on UnsplashWhere does Buzzcube stand?
With the above data, we've determined that Buzzcube can be a money-friendly solution for creating branded web design and providing web development and graphic design for businesses. However, in the creative landscape of 2024, they may need to offer more services, such as video and motion graphics, to fulfill a growing business's needs and help establish their presence in an exceptionally visual world. Plus, customer support and turnaround time seem to be lacking when businesses need it the most.
Is the Buzzcube better than its competitors? Not necessarily
Look for services that offer a free trial period or who will jump on the phone for a consultation before making your final decision. Maybe you don't need the entire team provided at a higher price tag. Be sure to do the research to find out which best lines up with your needs — and will continue to do so as you scale — before you sign on.
Your best alternative
Companies like REEL UNLIMITED, which offers video services and provides website design and development alongside motion graphics, videos, and more flexible plans, is the best alternative to Buzzcube. Plus, it is still reasonably priced while meeting the demands of the world's current online sales environment. Reel Unlimited is a fantastic match for startups and sales and marketing agencies that need higher-quality content than what is provided by Buzzcube, but that don't want to or cannot spend the $5000 required by other design companies. With fast turnaround times, excellent designers, and super customizable plans, you'll save time and money by not having an in-house design team while bolstering your sales and marketing team's efficiency and efficacy. You can always give them a try for 7 days risk-free before making a decision.
Looking for a sign?
Reel Unlimited offers current Buzzcube users the opportunity to try their Light plan for the same price as Buzzcube, which is nearly $350 off! When you sign up, use the code BYEBYEBUZZCUBE at the checkout for the special price.
