Canvavs
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator: Professional vector graphics software
Canva
Design anything. Publish anywhere.
As of 30 August 2026, Canva has a free plan and paid plans start at $18/month. Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. Softwr lists it under Design. Canva is made by Canva Pty Ltd, launched in 2013, available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What Canva does
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. It provides access to millions of photos, graphics, and fonts and is used by non-designers as well as professionals.
What people use it for
- Social media graphics
- Presentations
- Marketing materials
- Documents
- Video editing
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Canva.
- Requires active internet connection, no offline editing capability
- No vector pen tool or advanced vector editing features
- No CMYK color management or print-ready bleed controls
- Cannot export to PSD (Photoshop) or AI (Illustrator) formats
- Large user base means many templates see repeated use, reducing design uniqueness
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Canva
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- CanvavsAffinity Designer
Affinity Designer: Professional graphic design software for everyone
- CanvavsGravit Designer
Gravit Designer: Free vector graphics editor in the cloud
- CanvavsLinearity Curve
Linearity Curve: Professional vector design for Mac and iPad
Pricing
What Canva costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- 1.6M+ templates
- 5GB storage
- 50 AI credits/month
Pro
$18 /mo
- 141M+ premium assets
- Magic Studio
- 500 AI credits/month
Business
$25 /user-month
- Unlimited brand kits
- Team collaboration
Capabilities
Features
Drag-and-drop editor
Templates library
Stock photos & elements
Text effects
Animation
Collaboration
Brand kit
Resize tool
Google Drive
Integration with Google Drive
Dropbox
Integration with Dropbox
Instagram
Integration with Instagram
Facebook
Integration with Facebook
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is Canva really free?
Yes. The free plan is permanent with no trial or credit card required. It includes 1.6M+ templates, 5GB storage, 50 Magic Studio AI credits/month, and basic collaboration.
SourceWhat requires internet connection?
Canva is web-based and requires an active internet connection to use. It cannot be used offline and may experience slowness or freezing on poor connections.
SourceCan I export to professional formats like PSD or AI?
No. Canva does not support export to Adobe PSD or Illustrator AI formats. Export options are limited to PNG, PDF, MP4, and other basic formats.
SourceHow many AI credits do I get?
Free tier includes 50 Magic Studio credits per month for AI image generation, copywriting, and background removal. Pro and higher tiers get 500 credits/month.
SourceBehind it
Who makes Canva
- Company
- Canva Pty Ltd
- Based in
- Sydney, Australia
- Founders
- Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams
Keep looking
Where to go from Canva
- Canva alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Canva pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Canva badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Design softwareThe full category
- Best Design softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Design software for
Compare Canva with
- Linearity Curve
- Affinity Designer
- Gravit Designer
- Adobe Illustrator
- Marvel
- Webflow
- Playground AI
- Lunacy
- Framer
- Spline
- Rive
- LottieFiles
- Magnific
- Origami Studio
- Proto.io
- Adobe XD
- Marvel
- Lunacy
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Canva, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Canva
Canva alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Canva pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Canva
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Canva badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
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Per user per month