Adobe's commercially-safe generative AI (Firefly) plus Express design app, integrated with Creative Cloud.
Looka vs Recraft
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Looka is best for small businesses that need a logo and matching brand assets quickly, while Recraft is best for editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations. Only Recraft offers text-to-image, aI editing / inpainting, background removal, upscaling / enhancement, image-to-video, aPI and mobile app. Looka has a low learning curve, compared with medium for Recraft. Both Looka and Recraft offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Looka if…
- You need small businesses that need a logo and matching brand assets quickly
- You're one of: startup founders, small business owners, side projects needing a quick identity
- You want something quicker to learn
- Free to design and preview logos before paying
Choose Recraft if…
- You need editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations
- Text-to-image matters to you
- AI editing / inpainting matters to you
- Background removal matters to you
- You're one of: brand and graphic designers, marketing teams needing icon and illustration sets, merch creators
At a glance
| Looka | Recraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small businesses that need a logo and matching brand assets quickly | Editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $20 | From $12/mo |
| Learning curve | Low | Medium |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Ideal for | Startup founders, Small business owners, Side projects needing a quick identity | Brand and graphic designers, Marketing teams needing icon and illustration sets, Merch creators |
Feature comparison
| Looka | Recraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-image | No | Yes |
| AI editing / inpainting | No | Yes |
| Background removal | No | Yes |
| Upscaling / enhancement | No | Yes |
| Image-to-video | No | Yes |
| Commercial use allowed | Paid downloads | Paid plans |
| Design templates | Yes | Limited |
| API | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Looka | Recraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | No | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | — | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | — | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | Opt-out available |
| Audit logs | — | Enterprise plan |
| Admin controls | — | Enterprise plan |
| Deployment | — | Cloud, API |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Looka
Looka is an AI logo maker: you enter your business name, industry and style preferences, and it generates dozens of logo concepts that you can edit in a simple editor. You design for free and pay to download files, either as a one-time logo purchase or through a Brand Kit subscription that adds hundreds of branded templates and an optional simple website. It is aimed at founders and small businesses without a designer.
Key features- AI-generated logo concepts from business name and style inputs
- Editor for fonts, colours, icons and layout
- Brand Kit with 300+ templates (social posts, business cards, letterheads, invoices)
- Brand guidelines document
- Simple website builder on the Brand Kit Web tier
- Logo files in PNG, SVG, EPS and PDF (premium tiers)
Recraft
Recraft is an AI design tool that generates both raster images and editable SVG vectors, with its V4 model family (released February 2026) focused on design quality. It includes a vector editor, image vectorization, background removal, creative upscaling, mockups, brand style and colour controls, and image-to-video via models such as Kling and Veo. Designers, marketers and brand teams use it for icons, illustrations and on-brand assets.
Key features- Text-to-vector (SVG) and raster image generation
- Vectorizer that converts PNG/JPG to SVG
- Custom styles and brand colour palettes
- Background remover and creative upscaler
- Mockups for merch and packaging
- Image-to-video and a developer API
Pricing
Looka
No subscription free plan (free to design, pay to download); Basic logo $20 one-time, Brand Kit $96/yr
Recraft
Free plan; Pro from ~$12/mo (annual) / ~$10-12 entry
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Looka
Strengths- Free to design and preview logos before paying
- Brand Kit applies your logo, colours and fonts across many templates automatically
- One-time logo purchase option for those avoiding subscriptions
- Very little design knowledge needed
- Logos are built from icon libraries and templates, so results can look generic
- Basic logo tier gives PNG files only, no vector formats
- No general text-to-image generation or photo editing
- Templates require an ongoing Brand Kit subscription
Not ideal for: Brands that need a distinctive, fully custom identity should hire a designer or use a broader tool like Canva or Kittl.
Recraft
Strengths- Vector output is editable and print-ready
- Style controls keep a series of assets consistent
- Has a free plan
- Web, iOS and Android apps plus an API
- Free plan outputs are public and limited in credits
- Photorealism is less of a focus than Midjourney or Leonardo
- Fewer ready-made layout templates than Canva
- Video generation relies on third-party models and uses credits quickly
Not ideal for: Photographers and those wanting cinematic photoreal images or full layout editing should look at Midjourney or Canva.
Integrations
Looka
Recraft
FAQ
What is the main difference between Looka and Recraft?
Looka is built for small businesses that need a logo and matching brand assets quickly; Recraft is built for editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations. Key differences: Recraft offers text-to-image, aI editing / inpainting, background removal, upscaling / enhancement, image-to-video, aPI and mobile app.
Is Looka or Recraft cheaper?
Looka starts from $20 and Recraft starts from $12/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Recraft is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Looka and Recraft have free plans?
Both Looka and Recraft offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Looka or Recraft?
Looka is generally quicker to learn (Looka: low, Recraft: medium learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Looka and Recraft?
Other image & design tools worth comparing include Adobe Firefly / Adobe Express, Photoroom and Magnific.
Alternatives
