How much does a custom neon sign cost?

The honest answer is that it depends on a handful of choices, and the biggest one is width. This guide explains what moves the price up or down, gives our real starting prices, lists what you get without paying extra, and covers the costs people forget: installation and electricity. You can see the exact price for your own sign at any time in the neon designer; it updates as you type and choose.

Our starting prices

Sign	Starting price
Ready-made designs (20 to 60 in)	From $99.99
Custom text LED neon, 20 in	From $189.99
Custom text LED neon, 120 in, color changing, outdoor	$2,622.99
Custom logo LED neon	From $289.99
ON AIR and PICK UP light boxes	From $214.95
Real glass neon	From $479.99

Backlit printed panels, custom light boxes and glass neon box signs are made to size and priced by quote, with a free mockup first.

What changes the price, and what does not

Choice	Effect on the price	How to save
Width	The main driver; it rises with each size	Pick the smallest width that fits your words
Number of lines, font	No change for a text sign	Split a long phrase to fit a smaller width
Several fixed colors	No change	Mix colors freely
Color changing (RGB)	Extra at every width	Choose it only if you will use it
Outdoor build	Extra at every width	Skip it for any sign inside, window included
Text or logo	Logo starts higher, from $289.99	Simplify fine detail, or print it on the board
LED or real glass	Glass starts at $479.99	LED gives the look for less
Rush production	Paid add-on	Order early and reply to your proof quickly
Backboard, dimmer, mounting kit, adapter	Included	Nothing to add

Width

A wider sign needs more tube and a bigger backboard, so the price rises with each size, from 20 in up to 120 in. Width is measured across the widest line, and it allows about 1 character, spaces included, per 2 in on the longest line. Our size guide helps you find the smallest width that holds your words.

Lines and font

For a custom text sign, the number of lines and the font do not change the price. They change how big the letters are at a given width. A long phrase on one line needs a wide sign, but the same phrase split onto two lines has a shorter longest line and can fit a smaller width.

Text or logo

A logo starts higher because we redraw your artwork as tube paths, decide which parts are tube and which are UV printed, and fit it to a clean backboard shape. If your logo has many colors or fine detail, the printed backboard version prints the full artwork on the board under the neon and costs the same as the standard logo sign. Our guide to turning your logo into a neon sign explains what to send.

Color changing and outdoor

Color changing (RGB) uses color-changing LEDs and comes with a controller and touch remote. The outdoor build uses an IP67 rated tube and sealed parts, with a test report. Both cost extra at every width. For a porch, patio or outside wall, our indoor vs outdoor guide explains where the outdoor build is worth it.

Rush production

Standard production is 15 to 20 days after proof approval, then 3 to 5 days in transit in the US. Rush production is a paid add-on: Priority makes the sign in 10 to 14 days and Express in 7 to 9 days. The days count from proof approval, so replying quickly to your proof saves time for free.

Why a custom sign costs what it does

A custom neon sign is not taken off a shelf. Each one goes through the same steps:

1. Drawing. A designer turns your words or logo into the lines the tube will follow and sends you a proof.
2. Cutting. A machine routes a groove into the acrylic along every line and cuts the board to its shape.
3. Fitting. The LED strip goes into the groove, the silicone tube is pressed in on top and sealed with glue.
4. Wiring. The sign is connected to its adapter and dimmer, and the mounting holes are made for your installation.

A wide sign has more tube to fit and a bigger board to cut, which is why width matters most. Real glass neon takes longer still: each tube is bent by hand over a flame, emptied of air and filled with neon or argon. Our guide to LED neon vs glass neon compares the two in full.

What is included at no extra cost

Every LED sign comes with:

• The backboard, clear acrylic, cut to the shape of the design, to the outline, to each letter, or as a rectangle.
• A dimmer, either on the cable or with a remote.
• The mounting kit for your installation: wall standoffs that float the sign about 1 in off the wall, ceiling hanging cables, no-drill adhesive mounts, or a clear 8 mm free-standing base.
• The plug-in adapter, a cULus Listed power supply. You can also choose an 8 x AA battery box as well as the plug at no charge (batteries not included).
• The design proof, with unlimited free revisions. Nothing is made until you approve it.
• Several colors in one sign, and a 2-year warranty with free repair.

Installation: what it costs to put up

For most LED signs, nothing. They plug into a normal outlet, and the mounting kit is in the box. Hanging one on standoffs takes a drill, a level and a few screws; the no-drill mounts need no tools at all. Our guide on how to hang a neon sign walks through it.

You may want to pay for help when the sign is very large, goes high above a staircase or a tall ceiling, or needs a new outlet. Anything wired into the building rather than plugged in, and any new outdoor outlet, is a job for a licensed electrician.

What it costs to run

LED neon draws about 8 to 12 W per meter of tube. A sign with 4 m (about 13 ft) of tube draws about 32 to 48 W. Left on for 8 hours a day at 40 W, it uses about 0.32 kWh a day, or roughly 117 kWh a year. At 18 cents per kWh, close to the recent US average, that is about 6 cents a day or about $21 a year. Our energy use guide shows how to work it out for your sign.

Is it worth it over time? The LED tube has a rated life of 50,000 hours, about 17 years at 8 hours a day, and the 2-year warranty covers repairs.

Buying or renting for an event

Renting can make sense for one night with a stock phrase. A sign of your own carries your names or your wording, and it goes on a wall at home after the wedding or party. If you are comparing, ask the rental company for its full price with delivery and set-up, then compare it with our ready-made designs from $99.99 or a custom sign from $189.99. Leave about 5 to 6 weeks for the proof, standard production and shipping.

How to keep the price down

1. Choose the smallest width that fits. Count the characters on your longest line and allow about 2 in each.
2. Split long phrases. Two shorter lines can fit a smaller width than one long one.
3. Pick single color unless you really want color changing. Several fixed colors cost nothing extra.
4. Skip the outdoor build indoors. A sign inside the building, window included, does not need it.
5. Look at ready-made designs. Our wedding, party, room and bar collections start at $99.99.
6. Order early, so you do not need rush.

Signs for a business or several locations

For a single logo sign, the custom logo neon sign page shows the price before you order. For several signs, a large wall logo, a light box or a backlit panel, use our trade and bulk page. To get an exact price quickly, send:

• your logo file (vector files work best; a photo or sketch is enough to start),
• the width you want, or the size of the wall,
• indoor or outdoor, and the colors,
• how it will be mounted,
• how many signs and where they will go,
• the date you need them.

We reply with a free mockup and the price, and nothing is made until you approve it.