Canva Features: Everything You Get (And What Costs Extra)

Canva has evolved from a simple drag-and-drop design tool into a full-blown visual workspace with AI, video editing, brand management, and team collaboration. The feature list is genuinely impressive—but half of it is locked behind a paywall.

Let's break down exactly what Canva offers, what's free, what requires Pro, and whether the upgrade is worth your money.

Canva's Core Features (Available on All Plans)

Even free Canva users get a solid foundation. Here's what you're working with:

Design Editor

The drag-and-drop editor is where Canva shines. It's genuinely intuitive—you can create professional-looking social posts, presentations, flyers, and more without touching Photoshop. The interface has been overhauled recently with floating toolbars and a cleaner workspace that gives you more room to actually design.

Templates

Free users get access to over 2 million templates. That sounds like a lot (because it is), but you'll quickly notice the best ones are marked with a crown icon—meaning they're Pro-only. Still, the free selection covers most basic needs: Instagram posts, Facebook covers, presentations, business cards, etc.

Stock Assets

The free library includes around 4.5 million free elements. Photos, icons, shapes, illustrations—enough to build decent designs without paying. Just know that premium stock (the really good stuff) requires Pro.

Cloud Storage

Free accounts get 5GB of cloud storage for your uploads and designs. That's actually generous for a free tool—should handle a few hundred projects before you hit limits.

Basic AI Tools

Canva gives free users limited access to AI features like Magic Write (AI text generation) and Magic Media (AI image generation). You get 50 total uses, which runs out fast if you're experimenting. Consider it a taste test.

Canva Pro Features (What the $12.99/Month Gets You)

This is where Canva gets serious. Canva Pro costs $12.99/month or $120/year (annual saves you about $36). Here's what unlocks:

Premium Templates & Stock

Pro users get access to 140+ million stock photos, videos, and audio tracks—plus 3.8 million premium templates. The quality difference is noticeable. Premium templates are more polished, more on-trend, and save you more time.

Brand Kit

This is the killer feature for businesses. Brand Kit lets you save your colors, fonts, and logos in one place. Every new design automatically has access to your brand assets. You can create up to 1,000 Brand Kits with Pro—useful if you manage multiple clients or brands.

Free users can technically save some brand elements, but it's severely limited and frustrating to work with.

Background Remover

One-click background removal for photos. It works surprisingly well—not Photoshop-level precise on complex edges, but good enough for 90% of use cases. This alone is worth the Pro price if you're creating product images or headshots regularly.

Magic Resize

Design something once, resize it to any dimension instantly. Created an Instagram post and need it as a Pinterest pin, Facebook ad, and Twitter header? Magic Resize handles it in seconds. The AI adapts the layout reasonably well—you'll still need to tweak occasionally, but it beats recreating from scratch.

Content Planner & Scheduler

Pro users can schedule posts directly to up to 8 social media platforms from within Canva. It's not a full-blown social media management tool, but it eliminates the need for separate scheduling software for basic needs.

1TB Cloud Storage

Massive upgrade from the free 5GB. You'd have to create thousands of designs to hit this limit.

Advanced Export Options

SVG files, transparent backgrounds, animated GIFs—Pro unlocks the export formats that actually matter for professional work.

Priority Support

24/7 support with faster response times. Free users can wait up to 7 days for email responses.

Magic Studio: Canva's AI Suite

Canva has gone all-in on AI, and Magic Studio is the umbrella for all their AI tools. Here's what's included:

Magic Design

Describe what you want, and Canva generates design options. It's useful for getting started quickly or overcoming creative blocks. Works better for presentations than complex custom designs.

Magic Write

AI copywriting built into the editor. Generate headlines, body copy, social captions—whatever you need. Pro users get 500 monthly uses; free users get 50 total (ever).

Magic Media

Text-to-image generation powered by Leonardo.AI's Phoenix model. Generate custom images, illustrations, or even video clips from text prompts. Pro users get 500 AI image generations per month.

Magic Grab

Select and move any object within an image—even if it wasn't originally a separate layer. Useful for repositioning people, products, or elements in stock photos.

Magic Expand

Extend the edges of any image using AI. Need a landscape-oriented photo but only have a square? Magic Expand fills in the missing areas. Results vary—simple backgrounds work well, complex scenes can look weird.

Magic Switch

Transform designs between formats. Turn a presentation into a document, a document into a video, etc. It's more sophisticated than simple resizing—the AI attempts to maintain visual hierarchy and readability.

Dream Lab

Canva's newest AI image generator for creating photorealistic images from text prompts. Generates "vibrant, lifelike visuals" but consumes more credits than standard Magic Media generations.

Video Editing Features

Canva has expanded significantly into video. You can now:

Is it a replacement for Premiere Pro? No. But for social media clips, talking head videos, and simple edits, it's genuinely capable—and way faster to learn.

For more serious video editing needs, check our roundup of best video editing software or free video editing options.

Team & Collaboration Features

Canva has evolved into a legitimate team tool. Here's what's available:

Real-Time Collaboration

Multiple people can edit the same design simultaneously—like Google Docs for design. Comments, suggested edits, and version history keep everyone aligned.

Canva for Teams

Starting at $14.99/month for up to 5 users, Teams adds admin controls, shared folders, approval workflows, and team-wide Brand Kits. You can assign tasks, track versions, and lock templates so nobody messes with approved designs.

Canva Enterprise

Custom pricing for large organizations. Adds SSO, SCIM, audit logs, advanced brand governance, and dedicated customer success managers. If you're managing 50+ people, this is where you need to be.

Work Kits

Pre-built template collections for specific departments: Sales, Marketing, HR, and Creative teams. Each includes templates for common use cases (pitch decks, onboarding materials, social campaigns, etc.).

Design Types You Can Create

Canva isn't just for social media graphics. The platform now handles:

Third-Party Integrations

Canva connects with the tools you're probably already using:

There's also an app marketplace with hundreds of additional integrations, plus a developer platform if you need custom connections.

Free vs Pro: Which Do You Actually Need?

Here's the honest take:

Stick with Free if:

Upgrade to Pro if:

The annual plan at $120/year works out to $10/month—less than most stock photo subscriptions. If you're creating content regularly, Pro pays for itself in time saved.

Looking for discounts? Check our Canva discount page or see if you qualify for the 30-day free trial.

What Canva Still Doesn't Do Well

Let's be real about the limitations:

For professional design work or UI/UX, you'll eventually outgrow Canva. Check out our Canva vs Figma comparison or Canva vs Adobe Express if you're weighing alternatives.

Bottom Line

Canva's feature set has expanded dramatically. It's no longer just a "make quick graphics" tool—it's a legitimate visual workspace for content creation, collaboration, and even basic video editing.

For most small businesses, marketers, and content creators, Canva Pro is worth the $120/year. The Brand Kit alone eliminates enough friction to justify the cost. The AI tools, premium templates, and background remover are bonus value.

If you're unsure, start with the free plan and see where you hit walls. When you find yourself repeatedly wishing you had that premium template or background remover, that's your sign to upgrade.

Try Canva Free →

For a deeper look at costs, check out our full Canva cost breakdown or read our complete Canva review.