8 Best Canva Competitors Worth Considering

Canva dominates the DIY design space for a reason—it's intuitive, loaded with templates, and the free tier is genuinely useful. But it's not perfect for everyone.

Maybe you're frustrated with the recent price hikes (Teams pricing jumped significantly in late 2024). Maybe you need more advanced features. Or maybe you just want to see what else is out there before committing.

I've tested dozens of design tools. Here are the Canva competitors that are actually worth your time, with real pricing and honest takes on what each does better—and worse—than Canva.

Quick Reference: Canva Pricing

Before we dive into alternatives, let's establish what you're comparing against:

• Canva Free: $0 - Basic templates, 5GB storage, limited assets
• Canva Pro: $12.99-$15/month (or ~$120/year) - 140M+ premium assets, 1TB storage, AI tools, Brand Kit
• Canva for Teams: $14.99/month for first 5 users - Collaboration features, approval workflows

For a deeper dive into Canva's features and whether it's worth it, check out our Canva pricing breakdown and full Canva review.

1. Adobe Express — Best Overall Canva Alternative

Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark) is probably the closest direct competitor to Canva. It has a similar template-based, drag-and-drop approach but with Adobe's design DNA behind it.

What's Good:

• Seamless integration with other Adobe apps (huge if you're already in that ecosystem)
• The free plan includes Adobe Fonts and decent stock images
• Editor feels more powerful once you learn it
• Fewer templates than Canva, but they're high quality

What Sucks:

• Interface isn't as intuitive as Canva—there's a learning curve
• Template selection is smaller
• Some users find the editor "takes quite a bit of time to get used to"

Pricing: Free plan available. Premium starts at $9.99/month.

Best For: Teams already using Adobe products, or anyone who wants more editing control than Canva offers.

We've done a detailed Canva vs Adobe Express comparison if you want the full breakdown.

2. Figma — Best for UI/UX and Team Collaboration

Figma isn't a direct Canva replacement—it's a different beast entirely. But if you're doing UI/UX design, web mockups, or need serious real-time collaboration, it's worth considering.

What's Good:

• Best-in-class real-time collaboration (multiple people editing simultaneously)
• Cloud-based, works in browser
• Industry standard for UI/UX design
• Vector-based graphics editor with prototyping tools

What Sucks:

• Steep learning curve compared to Canva
• Not template-heavy—you're building from scratch more often
• Overkill for simple social media graphics

Pricing: Free version available. Professional plan starts at $12/editor/month.

Best For: Design teams, UI/UX professionals, anyone doing web/app design work.

See our Canva vs Figma comparison for a deeper look.

3. Visme — Best for Business Presentations and Data Visualization

Visme positions itself as the more "business-ready" alternative to Canva. Its strength is data visualization—think infographics, reports, presentations with actual charts and graphs.

What's Good:

• 40+ charts and graphs, customizable flowcharts, 2D and 3D data widgets
• Brand wizard automatically extracts colors, fonts, and logos from your website
• Strong integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Slack)
• Real-time team collaboration
• Great for sales and marketing teams who need to visualize data

What Sucks:

• User interface isn't as intuitive as Canva
• Free plan has limited features
• Can feel overwhelming with all the options

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $7.50/month.

Best For: Businesses creating presentations, infographics, and reports with data. If you're making investor decks or internal reports, Visme beats Canva.

4. VistaCreate (formerly Crello) — Best Canva Clone on a Budget

VistaCreate is essentially Canva's closest clone. If you want something that works almost identically but want to explore options, this is it.

What's Good:

• 70,000+ templates with animations and brand kits
• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor—if you know Canva, you'll feel at home
• Paying subscribers get access to all Depositphotos stock content
• 70M+ royalty-free stock photos, videos, and vectors
• 14-day free trial

What Sucks:

• Template quality isn't as consistently good as Canva's
• Feature set and app integrations "aren't revolutionary"
• Smaller user community means fewer tutorials and resources

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro at roughly $10/month.

Best For: Budget-conscious users who want a Canva-like experience without committing to Canva's ecosystem.

5. Snappa — Best for Speed and Simplicity

Snappa strips away the complexity. If you find Canva "bloated and clunky" (a common complaint), Snappa is the minimalist alternative.

What's Good:

• Super fast interface—users consistently praise the speed
• All photos and graphics are 100% royalty-free and licensed for commercial use
• No menus within menus—everything you need is visible
• No keyboard shortcuts required to be efficient
• Built-in stock images included (no premium upsells)

What Sucks:

• Smaller template selection than Canva
• Fewer advanced features
• Limited to graphic design (no video editing)

Pricing: Free limited plan available. Pro at $15/month.

Best For: Entrepreneurs, bloggers, and marketers who want quick social media graphics without the learning curve.

6. Piktochart — Best for Infographics and Reports

If your primary use case is visualizing data—infographics, reports, presentations with charts—Piktochart specializes in exactly that.

What's Good:

• Purpose-built for data visualization
• Professional templates for infographics and reports
• Intuitive platform for presenting numbers and facts visually

What Sucks:

• Lack of broader design tools compared to Canva
• Pricing structure can be limiting
• Not great for general social media design

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro plans start around $14/month.

Best For: Content marketers, educators, and analysts who create data-heavy visual content.

7. Pixlr — Best Free Photo Editing Alternative

Pixlr is more of a Photoshop alternative than a Canva alternative, but it's worth mentioning if your main need is photo editing rather than template-based design.

What's Good:

• Wide range of photo editing tools and graphic design features
• Caters to both beginners and professionals
• Familiar interface if you've used Photoshop
• Great for quick edits and more advanced work

What Sucks:

• Less template-focused than Canva
• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• Ad-supported free version

Pricing: Free (ad-supported). Premium plans available.

Best For: Users who need actual photo editing capabilities beyond what Canva offers.

8. Photopea — Best Free Photoshop-Like Tool

Photopea is the dark horse on this list. It's essentially a free, browser-based Photoshop clone that's surprisingly powerful.

What's Good:

• Completely free to use
• Works in browser—no downloads
• Handles basic tweaks like cropping and resizing to advanced features like color manipulation and filters
• Can open PSD files

What Sucks:

• No templates—you're building from scratch
• Learning curve if you're not familiar with Photoshop-style interfaces
• Ad-supported

Pricing: Free (ad-supported).

Best For: Users who need Photoshop-level editing without paying Adobe prices, and don't need templates.

What About Canva Itself?

Look, Canva is still excellent for most people. The free tier is genuinely useful—over 1 million templates, 3 million+ stock assets, and a drag-and-drop editor that actually works. Over 225 million people use it monthly for a reason.

If you haven't tried Canva yet, you probably should before jumping to alternatives. Try Canva here to see if it meets your needs.

Check out our Canva tutorial and how to use Canva guide to get started.

Which Canva Competitor Should You Choose?

Here's the quick decision framework:

• Want something similar but cheaper? → VistaCreate
• Need more advanced editing? → Adobe Express or Pixlr
• Creating data-heavy presentations? → Visme or Piktochart
• Doing UI/UX or web design? → Figma
• Want maximum simplicity? → Snappa
• Need Photoshop power for free? → Photopea
• Already in Adobe ecosystem? → Adobe Express (no question)

Most users don't need to switch from Canva. But if you've hit its limitations—or just want to compare before committing to a paid plan—these alternatives each excel in specific areas where Canva falls short.

Still undecided? Our full Canva alternatives guide goes even deeper, or check out our Canva free trial information to test it properly before deciding.