Best AI for making a logo (that you can actually use)

Start with Ideogram

Most image AIs mangle words. Ask for “Bluebird Bakery” and you get “Bluebrid Bakkery.” Ideogram was built to get text right, so it’s the one to try first. Type something like “simple flat logo for Bluebird Bakery, a small blue bird, cream background” and ask for a few versions.

You can sign in free and get some credits each week. The Plus plan is $20 a month, or $15 a month if you pay for a year. Ideogram says it doesn’t claim ownership of what you make, and you can use it commercially. One catch: on the free plan your images are public by default. Paid plans let you keep them private.

Then finish it in Canva

A logo alone isn’t a brand. Canva is where you turn it into a business card, an Instagram post, a flyer or a menu, and it has its own AI image maker if you want to try ideas there too. The free plan goes a long way; Canva Pro adds more.

Firefly, ChatGPT and Midjourney

Adobe Firefly has a free plan and fits neatly if you already use Photoshop or Illustrator. ChatGPT can make images too (limited on the free plan), and it’s handy for brainstorming names and styles before you draw anything. Midjourney makes gorgeous art but it’s paid only, and pretty pictures aren’t always good logos.

Before you print 500 business cards

Check the logo still reads when it’s tiny, like a phone icon. Keep it to one or two colors. And do a quick search to make sure it doesn’t look like a famous brand’s logo. AI borrows from what it has seen, and that’s on you, not the tool.