Canva, a widely-used web tool for social media images, invitations, and more, is even favored by Twitch streamers for gaming channel graphics. Yet, if Canva feels restrictive or uninspiring, numerous alternatives exist. Here are 7 options (both free and paid) worth exploring.
1. Microsoft Designer
AI permeates various spheres today, including Canva. However, Microsoft’s novel AI-driven alternative stands out as exceptional. Microsoft Designer simplifies the design process; you merely input your requirements. For instance, input “birthday party invitation,” and it furnishes customizable templates. For a more tailored starting point, provide specific details like “invitation for Akshay’s birthday party on May 23, at 8pm,” and the card will incorporate them.
Utilize Microsoft Designer for creating YouTube thumbnails or Instagram Stories. Mentioning “thumbnail for YouTube” or “an Instagram Story” adjusts the aspect ratio accordingly, eliminating the need to manually set dimensions.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Sometimes generates inaccurate drafts |
| Prompts produce high-quality templates |
Pricing: Free
Visit Microsoft Designer
2. Adobe Express
Ask any designer, and they’ll likely swear by Adobe’s products for their designing needs. Whether it’s Photoshop or Illustrator, Adobe’s tools are industry standards for a reason. So, if you’re seeking a high-quality alternative to Canva, consider Adobe Express.
This free tool offers every feature found in Canva, and more. You can begin with templates for popular items such as Instagram Stories, Facebook posts, YouTube thumbnails, and beyond. It also includes templates for flyers, logos, book covers, and additional designs.
Apart from Canva-like features, Adobe Express includes tools like image resizing and background removal to simplify editing. Additionally, Adobe Firefly utilizes AI for image generation, enhancing Adobe Express designs. While a free tier is available, subscribing to the paid plan unlocks features such as access to Adobe’s Stock library, content scheduling, and 100GB of cloud storage.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Feature-packed | Premium plan: $9.99/month |
| Offers templates for various needs |
Pricing: Free tier available, $9.99/month premium plan
Explore Adobe Express (visit)
3. Picsart
Another Canva alternative, Picsart doubles as both an image editing app and a web platform for graphic creation. It offers various image sizes, with templates tailored for Instagram Stories, Facebook posts, YouTube thumbnails, LinkedIn images, and even Twitch banners.
Picsart provides numerous templates, covering themes such as Mother’s Day, flyers, and posters. It enables users to incorporate photos, collages, text (featuring diverse fonts), background editing, and other features for crafting engaging flyers, posters, or social media content.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Vast selection of templates | Limited free plan |
| Pre-built Twitch banner templates |
Pricing: Free tier available, paid plans start at $2 per month
Explore Picsart (visit)
4. Visme
Visme offers a diverse range of templates for creating infographics, social media posts, presentations, and more, making it a viable alternative to Canva. Noteworthy features include templates for various social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, along with options for crafting charts and Facebook ads.
Visme offers extensive creation possibilities, including templates for invoices, receipts, and letterheads. While its user interface may seem dated compared to some competitors, its functionality is comprehensive. Once a template is selected, users can personalize every aspect, from graphics to theme colors, to suit their needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Larger template library | Expensive paid plan |
| Free plan with ample options and unlimited usage |
Pricing: Free tier available, paid plans start at $12.25 per month
5. VistaCreate (Formerly: Crello)
VistaCreate, like Canva, offers versatile design options for social media, websites, logos, business cards, and more. It features templates for various needs, including t-shirt designs, Zoom backgrounds, and animated content such as YouTube intros and Instagram video stories.
The interface closely resembles Canva’s, allowing users to effortlessly drag and drop photos, videos, music, text, and other elements. While some templates require payment, there are numerous free designs available. Upon completion, designs can be downloaded in jpg, png, gif, or pdf formats. Additionally, users can share links for easy collaboration on their designs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Versatile templates | Difficulty finding free ones |
| Creates animated GIFs, video posts, and more | Paid plan is pricey |
Pricing: Free tier available, Pro plan at $10 per month
Explore Kittl(visit)
6. Kittl
Kittl is a solid Canva alternative, offering Canva-like features with built-in AI to aid design creation. It provides comprehensive features, including templates for social media posts, logos, cards, labels, posters, etc., and numerous pre-made graphics to facilitate your projects.
What’s remarkable is the ability to design a graphic and instantly convert it into a mockup using Kittl. Kittl supports creating mockups for various items such as t-shirts, walls, hoodies, bags, wall art, and more, with excellent performance. The unique selling proposition (USP) lies in Kittl’s AI feature. This tool allows users to generate graphics and images for their designs simply by typing their desired content. It operates similarly to other tools like Adobe Firefly and Bing image creator. Moreover, you can utilize Midjourney to create images and seamlessly import them into your Kittl projects.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Instant mockup creation | Kittl AI is exclusive to premium plans or credits. |
| Abundance of templates |
Pricing: Free tier available, paid plans start from $10 per month
7. Design Wizard
Design Wizard is a robust Canva alternative. Consider it if other tools on this list fall short. It offers various templates for social media posts, cards, blogs, marketing material, and ads. Additionally, you can incorporate images, text, and shapes, tailoring the design to your preferences.
However, Design Wizard ranks lowest here because it doesn’t offer downloads in its free plan and has a dated UI. Yet, if you seek Canva-like tools for graphic creation and don’t mind paying, Design Wizard is worth exploring.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Various templates and sizes | No free downloads |
| Supports layers |
Pricing: Free use available; paid plans from $9.99/month
Explore Design Wizard (visit)
Explore Design Wizard (visit)
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
