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If you’re looking for a simple, affordable, and feature-rich graphic editor, 9 out of 10 professionals will recommend Canva. It’s among the most popular apps in its category. Designers, marketers, web developers, artists, coders, and business analysts use it. It reaches a broad audience, including specialists of all qualifications, from beginners to true professionals.
However, targeting a wide audience comes with downsides. To create a good tool for everyone, Canva developers add new features, developing their product in breadth rather than depth. It’s getting more sophisticated but still lacks functionality in certain areas. That’s why many people decide to look for Canva alternatives after testing the app.
The topic of our today’s review is apps similar to Canva. We’re going to look at free and freemium versions of software, meaning you can test them without extra costs. And if you find a certain solution appealing, you can reasonably buy a paid subscription to get a more extensive set of features. So, let’s get started!
What Is Canva and Why Look for Alternatives?
Canva is a highly popular graphic design tool that runs in a web-based interface and doesn’t require prior installation. It has a freemium version with limited functionality and restrictions on using advanced tools like generative AI. Once you sign up, you can create visuals of any complexity and purpose — from collages for social media posts to website design elements and business presentations.
Canva features many advantages:
- An intuitive interface that smooths out the learning curve for beginners;
- Drag-n-drop mechanics that don’t require the use of many buttons and menus;
- An extensive library of templates and stock assets for any digital product;
- Collaboration opportunities and built-in communication tools for teams;
- Accessibility for any platform; the ability to use on the go.
But we’ve already said that focusing on the broadest possible audience brings drawbacks, and they are significant. Although Canva has plenty of tools, none offer deep and powerful functionality. It can be frustrating for professionals and creators who want to work in one tool and don’t want to export files multiple times. Speaking of exporting, Canva also imposes severe restrictions on file transfers, offering a few formats and small file size limits.
Not everyone likes the features of the freemium version either. Many users look for apps like Canva precisely because the basic subscription offers few tools and few credits for using them. Yes, you’ll be able to edit or draw a couple of images, but you’ll have to pay (and pay a lot) to get to the professional level. An individual subscription costs $15 per month, and a team subscription starts at $30 per month for three accounts.
What Are We Looking for in Free Canva Alternatives?
- A simple interface that you can navigate without taking courses or spending hours studying manuals. The ability to run in a browser without installing software will be a considerable advantage.
- Multifunctionality — tools for manual editing of individual graphic details, automatic filters to improve quality, and customizable features, such as changing the size and color of fonts.
- Diverse templates and asset library — the ability to choose ready-made schemes for designing slides, presentations, and other digital products in one click, as well as the availability of high-quality images for crafting eye-catching designs.
- Teamwork and collaboration tools — Canva competitors should provide you with the ability to communicate with colleagues, leave comments and suggestions, approve or reject edits, and revert to previous file versions.
- Availability of a free or freemium plan — Affordability is one of Canva’s key strengths, so we’ll focus on the ability to test alternative apps without spending too much money.
Top 10 Free and Freemium Canva Alternatives
All the apps on our list offer roughly the same range of features as Canva. Some of them can do even better than Canva, so we’re going to focus on their unique characteristics. So, let’s dive deeper.
1. Adobe Express
Imagine a lightweight version of Photoshop that runs online and comes with a pretty generous free version! That’s exactly what Adobe Express is. The program offers fewer features than Canva, but each tool has many settings and customization options. Add to this an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and thousands of customizable templates, and you get one of the best graphic editors of our time.
One of the unique advantages of Adobe Express is its seamless integration with Creative Cloud. If you lack a particular tool, want to change the file format, or pay more attention to small details, you can always continue editing in Photoshop or Lightroom. Adobe Express is powerful and approachable for professionals and beginners alike, whether you’re a social media manager or a casual designer.
| Pros | Cons |
| Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud | Requires an Adobe account for almost all functions |
| Great for beginners and pros | Limited premium features in the free tier |
| Extensive templates and tools | Pricier premium plan compared to others |
Pricing: Free forever for basic use. Premium starts at $9.99/month, unlocking advanced features, such as generative AI or quick background removal.
2. Snappa
Snappa is one of the best free Canva alternatives for social media work. The app offers ready-made templates for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, and many other sites. They are sized to fit the requirements of social media platforms and have recommendations for generating quality posts.
If you’re starting out in graphic design from scratch, don’t rush to order courses. Snappa has a built-in learning system that guides you by hand through all the features and capabilities. Moreover, the interface is so simple and minimalistic that you’ll have to work hard to get lost in it. So, this is the case when you will have fun exploring the program’s functions through experiments.
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple, fast, and intuitive | The free plan limits downloads to three/month |
| Ideal for social media graphics | Fewer templates compared to Canva |
| Unlimited downloads with premium | No mobile app yet |
Pricing: Free for basic use (3 downloads/month). Paid plans start at $15/month for unlimited downloads and features.
3. Pixlr
If you’re looking for a simple website like Canva with Photoshop-level functionality, Pixlr is the perfect choice. It is one of the few applications that allow you to work with layers, advanced filters, and AI tools directly in your browser without downloading installation packages of several gigabytes. In this regard, the developers managed to perform a real miracle, as the service launches in a few seconds and instantly prepares all the necessary tools.
Even more interesting is that most of Pixlr’s features are available to you for free — even such powerful tools as background replacement and object removal. The only caveat is that you’ll have to watch ads quite often. So, professionals who spend a lot of time in this interface will want to upgrade.
| Pros | Cons |
| Advanced features in a browser | The free plan has rather intrusive ads |
| AI tools simplify editing | Limited stock assets in the free tier |
| Beginner and pro-friendly modes | Mobile app isn’t as robust as the web app |
Pricing: Free for basic use (with ads). Premium plans start at $4.99/month for an ad-free experience and more features.
4. BeFunky
A true Canva dupe with the same wide range of tools and the simplest interface possible. Yet this online app offers a few more features in the areas of photo editing, collage making, and graphic design. For example, it has many more customizable templates for professional or personal collages and more filters to improve the quality of your photo in one click.
The best part is that you don’t have to register to edit photos or draw visual elements for websites. Just open BeFunky, choose the feature you want, and get started! Yes, you will still have to create an account to access AI or batch file processing, but about half of the users will not have to do this.
| Pros | Cons |
| Versatile toolset for various needs | Some features require premium |
| Easy-to-navigate interface | Ads in the free version |
| Great for beginners | Lacks robust collaboration features |
Pricing: Free for basic tools. Premium starts at $6.99/month, unlocking advanced effects, templates and package editing features.
5. VistaCreate (formerly Crello)
Another Canva alternative for social media professionals. The main advantage of the service is not just a large but a truly colossal library containing 70 million royalty-free images and photos, as well as 150 thousand professional templates for post design. Don’t worry — thanks to the intelligent search, you won’t have to spend too much time searching for the digital assets you need.
One of the features of VistaCreate is that it can work with animations and videos. But there’s an important caveat here: all functions except for the use of ready-made templates are closed by a paywall. If you want to add dynamics, you’ll have to pay.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great for social media animations | Limited animations in the free plan |
| Intuitive and user-friendly | Advanced features locked behind a paywall |
| Large library of templates | Fewer integrations than Canva |
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $10/month for access to animations and premium assets.
6. Visme
A powerful graphic editor with storytelling capabilities. It’s better than Canva for creating presentations, infographics, and interactive content for websites. This makes the app indispensable for business representatives — marketers, web resource administrators, coaches, etc. However, the service will also be useful for independent creators who can use simple, customizable templates to draw attention to their content.
Do you want more? No problem — Visme has templates for creating printable materials, from business correspondence to posters and banners. You can change, delete, or customize every element in them to suit your needs. Moreover, you can add new details by drag-n-drop without having to spend extra time learning the interface and functions of each button.
| Pros | Cons |
| Ideal for presentations and reports | The free version includes watermarks |
| Interactive content options | Steeper learning curve than Canva |
| Business-friendly features | Limited template variety in the free tier |
Pricing: Free for basic features. Paid plans start at $12.25/month, with more templates and branding options.
7. HubSpot
If you run an online business, you’ve definitely heard of HubSpot. It’s one of the largest professional e-commerce toolkits. It has everything — a custom CRM for managing customer relationships, generative AI for website content, and, of course, a built-in graphic editor.
HubSpot is focused on website development. Still, you can edit images here — apply filters, change styles, add text, choose positioning, and link graphic elements to document markup. The platform’s key advantage is that it allows you to immediately post ready-made drawings or photos on your website, test them in a controlled environment, and collect important information using the analytics module.
| Pros | Cons |
| Integrated marketing tools | Design options are more basic |
| Free CRM included | Overkill for casual users |
| Excellent for businesses | Paid plans are expensive |
Pricing: Free plan with limited features. Premium starts at $50/month for advanced tools.
8. Design Wizard
An App like Canva for designers and other professionals who work under constant time pressure. The service features an intuitive interface. Select a template, click on the element you need, and all available tools will appear in the menu above. Nothing superfluous — only the most valuable and popular features.
Design Wizard offers many features similar to Canva. For beginners, there are automatic filters that can be applied with just one click. And professionals can work with layers to create highly complex images for use in various marketing communication channels. Another useful feature is the Trash widget, which stores all deleted projects for 30 days. If you realize that a deleted file contains an interesting idea, it won’t be hard to restore it.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Limited assets in the free plan |
| Good for small businesses | No animations or advanced tools |
| Affordable premium options | No mobile app |
Pricing: Free for basic use. Paid plans start at $9.99/month.
9. Easil
Easil is one of the few websites like Canva that have powerful tools for team collaboration. They allow you to edit files together, leave suggestions and edits, approve changes in one click, and conduct brainstorming sessions.
Easil stands out in many ways. The service has an original collection of templates in modern styles — from true minimalism to bright pop art. It also has a branding tool that ensures the consistency of the design of all corporate materials, both online and offline. The app is suitable for creating custom videos and GIF animations based on high-quality templates. It also has an extensive knowledge base that significantly smooths the learning curve for design and marketing beginners.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great for branded content | Team features require premium |
| User-friendly for non-designers | Limited assets in the free version |
| Sleek, professional templates | Pricier than some competitors |
Pricing: Free for basic users. Premium starts at $7.50/month.
10. Stencil
Stencil is a worthy competitor to Canva, focused on quick editing of graphic materials. There is nothing superfluous in its interface. Tools are displayed only when you click on a specific part of the image. This is a convenient, though not very logical, approach, so we strongly recommend that you don’t skip the training after you register.
Like many other online graphic editors, Stencil focuses on generating content for social media. With access to millions of stock images and Google fonts, you’ll always have high-quality content for your followers.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast and easy to use | Limited designs in the free plan |
| Great for social media graphics | Not ideal for complex projects |
| Extensive stock photo library | No mobile app |
Pricing: Free for basic use. Paid plans start at $9/month.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Canva Alternative
When choosing the best graphic editor, the main thing to consider is your specific needs and design goals. If simplicity and speed are your priorities, tools like Snappa or Stencil excel at creating quick, polished graphics. For those who need advanced editing features or integration with other tools, Pixlr and Adobe Express offer more robust capabilities. Businesses looking for branding consistency might gravitate toward Easil or Visme, which provide excellent team collaboration and brand kit options.
The modern approach to graphic editing also requires artificial intelligence. It is used to simplify hundreds of tasks, such as selecting filters, improving the quality of pixelated images, changing the background, etc. The availability of AI will be a plus in itself. But even more important is its ease of use. A one-click solution with a sloping learning curve like NOIZ will make artificial intelligence a real game changer.
Of course, you shouldn’t forget about budgetary requirements. Free Canva alternatives allow you to test individual features and complex tools without taking unnecessary financial risks. Your skill level and workflow will also be important factors. Pay attention to ease of use, template diversity, and whether the tool fits your workflow. In the end, the “best” tool is the one that makes your creative process seamless and enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to try a few and find your perfect match!
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Canva?
The answer will vary depending on your needs, skills, and the application of the graphic editor. If you’re all about quick social media graphics, Snappa and Stencil are excellent options. For advanced editing, Pixlr offers more control, while Visme is ideal for presentations and reports. Ultimately, the best tool is the one that fits your creative style and workflow.
Is there a 100% free alternative to Canva?
Yes! All of the above apps have free plans with no time limits. You can use them at zero cost. Of course, you’ll have to deal with limitations — certain features and tools may be hidden behind paywalls. Developers can also set limits on how often you can use the tools or add ads to the free versions.
Who is Canva’s biggest competitor?
Canva’s biggest competitors are Adobe Express, known for its Creative Cloud integration, and Visme, which dominates the infographic and presentation space. For social media enthusiasts, Stencil and Snappa are solid challengers.
What is equal to Canva?
The most similar alternatives would be BeFunky and VistaCreate. They offer large libraries of templates and digital assets — images, photos, animations, videos, fonts, etc. They have convenient and functional tools for branding corporate materials.
What is a website similar to Canva?
Websites like Adobe Express, VistaCreate, and Snappa are the most similar to Canva in terms of user-friendliness and functionality. Each offers customizable templates and intuitive design tools, making them great options for graphic design projects.
