Comparison · checked Nov 2, 2026

Sign Mockup vs Sign Mockup Studio

Similar names, two different companies and two different jobs. Sign Mockup Studio takes you from photo to permit-ready shop drawings: you place the letters at true size and AI cleans up and renders. Sign Mockup (aisignmockup.com) designs the sign for you: four buildable options from the client’s logo and one site photo.

Short answer: pick Sign Mockup Studio if you lay out every sign yourself and need permit drawings, from $179 a month. Pick Sign Mockup if you want the AI to propose the designs and to start free.

Bakery shopfront with its old sign, as photographed on site
Site photo
The same bakery by day with halo-lit letters designed by Sign Mockup
Designed by Sign Mockup

Sign Mockup’s own output on a real site photo, unretouched. We don’t show other companies’ screenshots — see their sites for theirs.

Choose Sign Mockup if…

  • you want the AI to propose the sign — four different constructions from one logo and one site photo
  • every option should be a photo-real render by day and at dusk, not a 2D composite
  • you want client approval on every plan and to start free (no card), then $49–$99 a month

Choose Sign Mockup Studio if…

  • you prefer to place every letter yourself, at a calibrated true size
  • you need permit-ready shop drawings and fabrication-ready vectors in the same tool
  • you want unlimited 2D mockups and team seats, from $179 a month

What a run does for you

No letters to place and no render to order: one run erases the old sign and draws every concept photo-real, by day and lit at dusk.

  1. Tea room shopfront with its old sign, as photographed on site1 · Site photo
  2. The same shopfront with the old sign erased by the AI; the planter, bike and flower arch stay2 · Old sign erased
  3. Design A, halo-lit channel letters, by day3 · Design A by day
  4. Design A, halo-lit channel letters, lit at dusk4 · Same design at dusk

One photo, four designs

You don’t start from a blank sign: one run on a tea room photo gave these four — each a different construction, each with its own spec.

  • Sea-glass halo, café shopfront at duskA · Sea-glass haloHalo-lit reverse channel letters, 3 in. returns
  • Painted tide panel, café shopfront at duskB · Painted tide panelRouted backer with push-through acrylic letters
  • Neon wave script, café shopfront at duskC · Neon wave scriptWarm-white LED neon on a concealed rail
  • Gilded heritage, café shopfront at duskD · Gilded heritageHand-painted lettering with gilded accents and gooseneck lamps

Side by side

FeatureSign MockupSign Mockup Studio
What it isAI sign design assistant for the sign shop’s designerPhoto to permit drawings: mockups, shop drawings and production files in one tool
Who designs the signThe AI proposes 3–4 buildable options from the logo and the photo; you refine them in plain words or with canvas toolsYou place channel letters, cabinets or a logo; there is a canvas to build a logo from scratch
Old sign on the photoErased automatically on every run; house numbers and lights stayAI removal, 1 credit each time
Realistic renderEvery concept, photo-real, by day and lit at dusk2D mockups unlimited; realistic render 1 credit; night render; angled render (beta, Pro)
Real sizeJudged from the photo, or from a scale you mark on it; heights in the specCalibrate against a measured reference; letter height in inches
Client approvalNo-login link to compare, comment and sign — on every plan, including FreeClient share and approval on Pro and Team
Drawings and filesVector pack: 1:1 SVG and DXF, elevation PDF with title block, spec sheet (design files)Permit-ready shop drawing PDF on every plan; fabrication-ready vector export on Pro and Team
Seats1 (team seats on Pro: coming soon)1 / 5 / 10, then $79 per extra seat
PriceFree · Starter $49 · Pro $99 a month (yearly $490 / $990)Starter $179 · Pro $449 · Team $999 a month; yearly not listed
What a plan includes100 / 300 credits a month — a design run uses 2, a change 1200 / 1,000 / 2,500 AI credits a month; 15 / unlimited / unlimited new projects
Trying itFree plan, 3 credits, no card14-day Pro trial with 100 credits; card required

Sign Mockup Studio details from signmockupstudio.com and signmockupstudio.com/pricing, checked November 2, 2026. “Not described” means we could not find it on their site, not that it is missing. Prices in USD before tax. Spot something out of date? Email support@aisignmockup.com and we will fix it.

Sign Mockup is not affiliated with Sign Mockup Studio.

Where Sign Mockup Studio is stronger

Hands-on layout and paperwork: calibrated true-size placement, unlimited 2D mockups, permit-ready shop drawings on every plan, fabrication-ready vectors and team seats from Pro.

Where Sign Mockup is stronger

The first idea: it reads the brand and the facade and proposes four different constructions, renders every one photo-real by day and at dusk, and the client approval link comes with every plan. And you can start without a card.

Questions sign shops ask

Are Sign Mockup and Sign Mockup Studio the same company?

No. Sign Mockup (aisignmockup.com) and Sign Mockup Studio (signmockupstudio.com) are separate products from separate companies.

Is Sign Mockup a Sign Mockup Studio alternative?

For putting a sign on a client’s photo and getting it approved, yes. The difference is who designs: Sign Mockup’s AI proposes the options; in Sign Mockup Studio you lay them out yourself. Sign Mockup does not produce permit-ready shop drawings.

Which is cheaper to start with?

Sign Mockup has a free plan with no card, then $49 or $99 a month. Sign Mockup Studio starts at $179 a month, with a 14-day Pro trial that needs a card.

Let the AI draft the first four.

Design 4 signs — free