When it’s time to name your brand, product, or company, the decision to go with a naming agency, freelancer, or in-house team can feel just as important as the name itself.
The stakes are high. The right name can set the tone for your brand’s trajectory—helping you cut through noise, capture attention, and communicate your promise clearly and memorably. The wrong name? Well, let’s just say the world is littered with forgettable, unpronounceable, or legally problematic names.
So how do you choose the right naming partner for your business?
Let’s break down the pros, cons, and use cases of agencies, freelancers, and in-house teams, so you can find the best fit for your project, your budget, and your brand’s future.
Option 1: Hiring a Naming Agency
Best for: High-stakes naming projects where quality, strategy, and trademark strength are mission-critical.
Pros:
- Strategic depth: Naming agencies specialize in naming, often blending creative firepower with rigorous strategy, positioning, and trademark pre-screening.
- Team collaboration: You get the brainpower of multiple creatives—not just one perspective, but a suite of approaches and ideas.
- Process-driven: The best agencies bring proven naming frameworks, timelines, checkpoints, and stakeholder alignment strategies.
- Research and legal support: From linguistics to global checks to initial trademark screening, good agencies help you avoid landmines.
- Brand-building context: The name isn’t just a name. It fits into a larger brand narrative—messaging, identity, voice, and more.
Cons:
- Higher cost: Compared to freelancers or DIY, agencies come at a premium. But for many, it’s worth it.
You should choose a naming agency if…
- You’re naming a company or product that’s core to your business.
- You need stakeholder alignment and can’t afford to get the name wrong.
- You want strategic insight, creative exploration, and legal grounding—all in one.
At Tanj, we’ve helped companies from seed-stage startups to Fortune 500s get names that work hard, stand out, and scale with their ambitions.
Option 2: Working with a Freelancer
Best for: Lower-risk or smaller-scale naming projects, or when you have internal bandwidth to manage the process closely.
Pros:
- Lower cost: Freelancers typically charge less than agencies—especially if you’re looking for a quick turnaround or limited scope.
- Personal attention: You work directly with one creative mind, which can feel nimble and responsive.
- Flexibility: Freelancers can often adapt their process to yours.
Cons:
- One-person show: You only get one point of view and limited capacity.
- No built-in checks and balances: Things like trademark screening, domain checks, and linguistic vetting are usually up to you.
- Variable quality: There are excellent freelancers out there—but also some less experienced ones. Vet carefully.
You should choose a freelancer if…
- You’re naming something smaller, like an internal initiative, feature, or campaign.
- You have an internal team that can handle positioning, trademarking, and alignment.
- You need a creative partner but don’t need a full-service process.
Option 3: Naming In-House
Best for: Teams with strong brand, marketing, and legal capabilities — and a lot of time and alignment.
Pros:
- Total ownership: Your team knows your brand inside and out. That context can be powerful.
- Cost-effective: No external fees—just time and effort.
Cons:
- Creative tunnel vision: It’s hard to break out of your own brand bubble. You may struggle to generate fresh, differentiated ideas.
- Groupthink risk: Internal teams can fall victim to over-collaboration and watered-down names.
- Time-intensive: Naming well takes time—brainstorming, shortlisting, screening, and selling in. If your team is already overloaded, it can be a stretch.
You should name in-house if…
- Your team has strong naming experience and clear creative direction.
- You’re working with a low-risk, internal, or short-term naming need.
- You have time and capacity to fully own the process.
So… What’s Best for Your Brand?
If naming is critical to your launch, your growth, or your identity in the market, invest in doing it right.
That usually means partnering with a naming agency — one that brings not just a list of names, but a deep understanding of how names shape perception, drive relevance, and scale with your business.
If budget is your main concern, and the risk is lower, a freelancer or internal process may fit the bill.
But no matter which route you take, don’t treat naming as an afterthought.
The name is your brand’s first handshake with the world. Make sure it says the right things clearly, confidently, and creatively.
Need help naming something?
At Tanj, naming is what we do. From strategy to story to standout names, we help brands say something real.