5 Best Canva Alternatives in 2024 (Free + Paid Options)

Last updated: January 23, 2024

Canva has undoubtedly revolutionized the design world, empowering users of all experience levels to create stunning graphics with ease. However, like any tool, it has its limitations and drawbacks, leading many users to explore alternative options. Whether you’re seeking a more cost-effective solution, a fresh interface, or unique features, we’ve curated a list of top-notch alternatives that rival Canva in their design capabilities. Let’s dive into these Canva alternatives and discover new possibilities for your visual designs.

5 Best Canva Alternatives in 2024 (Free + Paid Options)

1. Adobe Express (Previously Known As Adobe Spark)

Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark) is an impressive design tool that serves as a strong alternative to Canva. It offers a wide range of features, surpassing its predecessor, Adobe Spark. The free version of Adobe Express no longer includes the Adobe watermark, a feature that previously required payment to remove.

Adobe Express allows users to start projects from scratch or utilize Adobe’s templates for a head start. Quick action buttons enable easy modifications to images, videos, and PDF files. The editor provides useful design tools, including curved text, animations, icons, and images from Adobe Stock.

Notably, Adobe Express excels in its branded stories feature, which enables users to incorporate their brand assets and create a personalized template collection.

The tool primarily caters to those seeking to create social media content quickly and easily. It is available to Creative Cloud subscribers or as a standalone subscription for individual users.

While Adobe Express is not ideal for non-designers requiring extensive options, it offers a user-friendly experience for those with basic design skills.

Furthermore, Adobe Express benefits from the vast royalty-free stock photo and font collection, and its integration with other Adobe applications like Photoshop and Premiere within the same platform enhances the design experience.

Key Features and Benefits

• Seamless Adobe Ecosystem Integration: Users can seamlessly perform tasks within the Adobe ecosystem, such as reversing videos and converting them to GIFs using Premiere, or converting JPG files to PNG via Photoshop, without leaving the platform.
• Animated Videos and Presentations: Adobe Express enables you to create engaging animated videos and presentations with its user-friendly video editing tools. You can incorporate images, text, and transitions to bring your stories to life.
• Extensive Template Library: The tool offers a massive collection of pre-made templates in various sizes, making it easy to get started with the design process.
• Beginner-Friendly Interface: The tool is designed with a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for beginners and enabling quick content creation.
• Social Integration and Scheduling: Adobe Express allows scheduling content directly to popular social platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, streamlining content distribution.

Pricing Options and Plans

Adobe Express is included in every Creative Cloud subscription, and the premium plan starts at $9.99/month. The free plan provides access to core features, while the premium plan offers enhanced capabilities and additional storage space.

2. PicMonkey

PicMonkey is a robust graphic design tool and a strong alternative to Canva. It offers a wide range of templates to choose from and is particularly known for its ability to create designs from scratch. The editor provides a large selection of design tools, with notable features like a photo retoucher that simplifies advanced editing tasks compared to Photoshop.

In addition, PicMonkey offers pattern and effects tools that can be applied to backgrounds and shapes within designs. It is suitable for users who need professional-looking visual graphics and photo retouching capabilities, making it a popular choice among creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, small business owners, and startups. However, it may not be the best option for data visualization or academic purposes.

PicMonkey’s main features include touch-up tools, social media templates, basic filters, and fonts. While the interface is simple and user-friendly, the pricing can be a bit high. Nevertheless, it remains one of the more affordable graphic design solutions available.

Originally founded as a photo editing tool in 2012, PicMonkey has evolved into a complete graphic design platform. Users can create collages, apply effects and filters to images, and seamlessly integrate their designs with social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for instant sharing. PicMonkey also offers artist-made templates for marketing graphics and provides a Business segment for enhanced collaboration and branding features.

Key Features and Benefits

• Template Variety: PicMonkey offers a wide range of templates, making it easy to find options suitable for various design purposes and allowing users to create professional-looking visual graphics.
• Robust Design Tools: The editor provides a large selection of design tools, including the notable photo retoucher feature. This tool simplifies advanced editing tasks and offers capabilities similar to Photoshop but with a user-friendly interface.
• Pattern and Effects Tools: PicMonkey includes pattern and effects tools that can be applied to both backgrounds and shapes within the design, providing creative options for enhancing visual appeal.
• Photo Editing Capabilities: The tool offers robust photo editing capabilities, allowing users to perform advanced editing, apply effects and filters, and create collages, enabling users to achieve desired results with their images.
• User-Focused Purpose: PicMonkey caters to creative entrepreneurs, bloggers, small business owners, and startups who need to create professional-looking visual graphics. It is designed to meet the needs of users who require both photo retouching features and graphic design tools.

Pricing Options and Plans

PicMonkey does not offer a free subscription option. However, there is a 7-day free trial available for the Basic and Pro plans, although a credit card is required to sign up for the trial.

PicMonkey offers three subscription plans with varying features and pricing options. The Basic plan is available for $7.99 per month and includes 1GB of cloud storage, providing users with access to templates and touch-up tools, as well as core editing features and functionality.

The Pro plan, priced at $12.99 per month, builds upon the Basic plan by offering unlimited cloud storage, advanced editing tools and features, and priority support.

For users with more extensive branding needs, the Business plan is available at $23 per month. This plan includes all the features of the Pro plan, along with multiple brand kits to cater to different branding requirements. Additionally, it provides real-time co-editing features for seamless collaboration and premium email support for enhanced customer assistance.

3. Desygner

Desygner is a Canva alternative available for both iPhone and Android users. It features a drag-and-drop editor with a similar interface to Canva, offering a right sidebar for easy design customization. In addition to designing social media graphics and blog images, Desygner allows users to edit PDF files and create logos.

The platform provides a vast selection of free images and templates, catering to various design needs such as invites, banners, cards, social media posts, tweets, and business logos. Users have the freedom to create without monthly limits, though creative blocks may still pose a challenge.

Desygner supports PSD and PPT file formats, setting it apart from other apps in its category. This enables users to work with different file types and save their final designs in JPG or PNG formats. However, importing or exporting PDF files and using custom fonts requires opting for the paid service. Stock photo access also requires a paid subscription.

Desygner allows users to create impactful social media content, brand identity kits, and product and web templates effortlessly. While both Canva and Desygner are visual editors, Canva is more commonly used for visuals, presentations, flyers, prints, and posters, while Desygner excels in visuals, posters, and prints.

Key Features and Benefits

• PDF Editing: Desygner allows users to edit PDF files, offering more versatility for those who need to make modifications to existing PDF documents without the need for separate software or tools. This feature is particularly useful for tasks such as adding or removing content, making annotations, or updating information in PDF files.
• Logo Creation: Unlike Canva, Desygner specifically includes logo creation capabilities. Users can design custom logos within the platform, eliminating the need for additional software or services. This feature is valuable for individuals and businesses looking to establish their brand identity with a unique and professional logo design.
• PSD and PPT File Support: Desygner supports PSD (Adobe Photoshop) and PPT (Microsoft PowerPoint) file formats, allowing users to work with existing files in these formats. This compatibility is advantageous for those who want to import and edit PSD or PPT files directly within Desygner, preserving the original design elements and making it easier to collaborate or repurpose existing designs.
• Custom Fonts and Stock Photos: Desygner offers the option to use custom fonts, but it requires a paid subscription. In comparison, Canva restricts custom font usage to its premium plans. Additionally, while both platforms provide access to stock photos, Desygner requires a paid subscription for stock photo access, while Canva offers a selection of free stock photos. For users who prefer using their own custom fonts or require access to a broader range of stock photos, Desygner’s approach may be more appealing.
• Print Focus: Desygner is specifically highlighted for its emphasis on visuals, posters, and prints. While Canva caters to a wide range of design needs, Desygner’s features and templates are tailored to users who prioritize creating designs for physical prints, such as posters, invitations, and banners. This focus on print materials can be advantageous for individuals or businesses with specific print design requirements.

Pricing Options and Plans

Desygner offers three subscription plans: Free, Pro+, and Business.

The Free plan provides access to templates, design format options, free images and icons, fonts, limited assets library, custom dimension creation, PDF editing, transparent background downloads, and cross-platform use.

The Pro+ plan includes all the features of the Free plan and is priced at $9.95 per month or $4.95 per month on the yearly plan.

The Business plan offers additional stock content, team tools, advanced search, 100 guest accounts, and includes all the features of the Pro+ plan. It is priced at $19.95 per user per month or $9.95 per user per month on the annual plan.

4. Visme

Visme is a versatile graphic design tool that allows users to create professional presentations, interactive infographics, beautiful designs, and engaging videos. It focuses on complicated designs like infographics and marketing documents, making it ideal for users who need to generate charts and widgets for internal sharing.

Despite being slightly more expensive than other Canva alternatives, Visme offers collaboration tools for seamless teamwork. The intuitive drag-and-drop editor is packed with features and easy to use. With Visme, users can create attractive presentations, infographics, social media graphics, and more. It provides templates, millions of images, icons, and over 50 charts and data widgets. Users can add videos, audio, and embed external content. Visme is suitable for visually enhancing slides, charts, or infographics. It offers templates, data widgets, and interactive content.

Key Features and Benefits

• Complicated Design Capabilities: Visme focuses on complicated designs like infographics and marketing documents, making it a better choice for users who specifically need advanced design elements and functionalities in their projects.
• Collaboration Tools: Visme offers a suite of collaboration tools, making it ideal for teams and social media marketers who need to work together on projects and easily share their creations with the entire team. This feature enhances workflow efficiency and facilitates seamless teamwork.
• Data Widgets and Charts: Visme provides over 50 charts and data widgets, allowing users to visualize and present data effectively. This feature is particularly valuable for users who need to create data-rich presentations, infographics, or reports.
• Multimedia Integration: Visme enables users to incorporate multimedia elements such as videos, audio, and external content embedding (e.g., WuFoo forms, SlideShare slides, Spotify) into their designs. This feature expands the range of possibilities for creating engaging and interactive content.
• Learning Resources: Visme offers online courses, video tutorials, and live webinars in partnership with industry experts. Users can access these resources for free, allowing them to enhance their graphic design skills, gain industry insights, and further develop their creative abilities.

Pricing Options and Plans

• Free Plan: This plan is available at no cost and allows users to access up to five projects. It offers limited templates, JPG downloads, limited charts, and public projects with Visme branding.
• Standard Plan: Priced at $25 per month, the Standard Plan includes 15 projects, more storage, access to all assets, PDF downloads, all charts, and no Visme branding. Users also receive premium support with this plan.
• Business Plan: The Business Plan is priced at $49 per month and provides unlimited projects, advanced download formats, folders, privacy controls, analytics, collaboration features, and more.
• Enterprise Plan: Designed for larger organizations, the Enterprise Plan offers custom pricing. It includes all the features of the Business Plan, along with additional benefits such as increased storage, improved analytics, onboarding support, and custom sub-domain.

Visme also offers a Visme for Teams plan, which is custom-priced based on the company’s specific needs, number of users, and capacity. Nonprofit organizations may be eligible for discounts.

5. VistaCreate (Previously Known As Crello)

VistaCreate (formerly known as Crello) is a powerful online graphic design tool and a strong alternative to Canva. It offers an extensive library of over 150,000 ready-made static and animated templates, ensuring a wide range of design inspiration and keeping up with the latest trends. It is considered one of the most feature-rich free alternatives to Canva.

VistaCreate’s free plan is generous and suitable for individuals, such as bloggers or freelancers, who need a robust graphic design tool. For multi-person organizations, upgrading to VistaCreate Pro provides additional features like team editing, allowing collaboration on visual content and brand assets.

The editor in VistaCreate includes a large library of animated illustrations, reminiscent of Instagram stories. While these illustrations are not customizable, they add an engaging element to designs. The tool offers a variety of templates for social media, print, and marketing assets.

VistaCreate is recommended for those who are familiar with Canva and are looking for a change. It offers different image options and stickers similar to Instagram stories, making it easy to create visually appealing content quickly. However, the design tools are more geared towards fun rather than professional use, so it may not be suitable for those needing to visualize complex data.

Key Features and Benefits

• Extensive Template Library: VistaCreate offers an extensive library of over 150,000 ready-made static and animated templates. This vast collection ensures users always have fresh inspiration and access to the latest design trends, providing a wide range of options to choose from.
• Feature-Rich Free Plan: VistaCreate’s free plan is considered one of the most feature-rich among Canva alternatives. It offers generous features that are suitable for many users, especially small blogs or freelancers who require a robust graphic design tool without additional costs.
• Team Editing: VistaCreate Pro, the paid plan, unlocks team editing features. This allows users to collaborate and create visual content and brand assets with their coworkers or team members. It is particularly beneficial for multi-person organizations that require collaboration and seamless teamwork.
• Animated Illustrations: VistaCreate’s editor includes a large library of animated illustrations, adding an engaging element to designs. While these illustrations may not be customizable, they provide a unique visual touch that sets VistaCreate apart, particularly for creating visually appealing content for social media and other platforms.
• Different Image Options and Stickers: VistaCreate offers image options that are different from Canva, making it a refreshing alternative for users seeking a change. Additionally, the stickers available in VistaCreate resemble those seen in Instagram stories, enabling users to create visually appealing designs quickly.

Pricing Options and Plans

VistaCreate offers two pricing plans: Starter (free) and Pro ($13/month).

Starter includes 100K+ free design templates, 1M+ photos, videos, and vectors, Brand Kit, free fonts and objects, 10 GB storage, and social media scheduling.

Pro includes all Starter features plus premium templates, background removal, 70M+ premium assets, team account, unlimited storage, resize feature, Sticker Maker, version history, and HD download.

Conclusion – Which of the Best Canva Alternatives Is Right for You?

When it comes to finding a suitable alternative to Canva, there are several excellent options to consider. Adobe Spark stands out with its powerful design capabilities, while PicMonkey offers versatility and advanced editing features. Desygner impresses with its user-friendly interface and template variety, while VistaCreate and Visme provide unique features like animated designs and extensive template libraries.

Ultimately, the best Canva alternative for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Take the time to explore these alternatives and consider the features, pricing, and design capabilities that align with your creative requirements. Whichever tool you choose, you can confidently elevate your graphic design projects and bring your ideas to life.

If you’re keen on learning more about Canva and the various ways that you can earn passive income from it, we recommend reading our guide on How to Sell Canva Templates.