Canva
Browser-based design suite for social posts, presentations, video and print, with built-in AI tools.
Canva is a browser-based design tool for making social posts, presentations, documents, videos, websites and print products from templates. Canva users pick a template, change it in a drag-and-drop editor and can call on built-in AI tools to write text, remove backgrounds or resize a design. A Free plan sits alongside paid Pro, Business and Enterprise plans.
Best for Small businesses, marketing teams, teachers and other non-designers who need templated graphics, slides and short videos made quickly and kept on brand.
- Platforms
- Web, Windows, macOS
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Yes
- Made by
- Canva
- Added
Last verified: . Information taken from canva.com.
What is Canva?
Canva is an online design platform that keeps many content formats in one workspace: social media graphics, presentations, documents, whiteboards, spreadsheets, websites, video and print products such as business cards, flyers and T-shirts. Work usually starts from a template and is adjusted in a drag-and-drop editor. A set of AI features sits on top of the editor, covering jobs like writing text, removing backgrounds, erasing objects, resizing a design for another channel and turning a flat image into editable layers. The pricing page lists Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans, each with a monthly AI allowance and a fixed amount of cloud storage, next to separate programmes for education and nonprofits. Desktop apps are offered for Windows and Mac, and the site can be switched between a long list of interface languages.
Key Features
Template-Based Editor
Builds designs by dragging elements onto a template, with more than a thousand design types to start from.
AI Design Tools
Writes copy, erases unwanted objects, upscales photos and converts a flat image into separate editable layers.
Background Removal
Cuts the background out of photos and video clips in a single step.
Brand Kit
Stores brand colours and other assets so designs stay consistent; the number of kits rises from 1 on Free to 1000 on Enterprise.
Resize for Any Channel
Converts an existing design into the dimensions needed for a different platform.
Video and Presentation Tools
Provides a video editor, AI captions, stock footage and animated presentation slides alongside static design.
Screenshots
Use Cases
- Social Media Content
- Produce posts and short videos from templates, and schedule them on paid plans.
- Presentations
- Build a slide deck from a template and add animation before presenting.
- Print Materials
- Design business cards, flyers, posters, stickers and apparel and order them printed.
- Team Brand Management
- Keep shared brand assets in one place and route designs through approvals on the Business plan.
- Classroom Work
- Use the education programmes aimed at teachers, students, schools and campuses.
Things to know
- AI use is metered
- Every plan has a monthly AI allowance. The Free plan is listed with roughly 20 uses of Standard or Premium AI tools, and on paid plans Standard AI tools do not draw from the allowance, subject to fair use limits.
- Storage depends on the plan
- Cloud storage is listed as 5GB on Free, 100GB on Pro, 500GB on Business and 1TB on Enterprise.
- Some Enterprise extras need 150+ seats
- Priority support and a dedicated success manager are marked as available to enterprise customers with at least 150 contracted seats.
FAQs
What is Canva?
Canva is an online design tool for making graphics, presentations, documents, videos, websites and print products, usually starting from a template.
What is Canva used for?
Canva is used to create social media posts, slide decks, videos, documents, whiteboards and printed items such as business cards, flyers and T-shirts without specialist design software.
Is Canva free?
Yes, Canva has a Free plan. The pricing page lists it with the drag-and-drop editor, a template library, stock media, one Brand Kit and 5GB of cloud storage.
What do Canva's paid plans add?
Canva Pro adds premium templates and stock content, more AI usage, 100GB of storage and social scheduling. Business adds collaboration, admin tools and approvals, and Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM provisioning and further controls.
How does Canva limit AI usage?
Canva meters AI by plan: each plan has a monthly allowance that the Standard, Premium and Ultra tool tiers consume at different rates. An optional AI Pass add-on is offered on Pro and Business.
Is Canva free for schools and nonprofits?
Canva's pricing page says K-12 educational organisations and not-for-profits can use most premium features at no cost.
Does Canva have a desktop app?
Yes. Canva offers downloads for Windows and Mac in addition to the browser version.
Who it's for
- Small businesses
- Marketing teams
- Teachers and students
- Nonprofits
- Enterprises
Read about it
Used in these workflows
- Which AI tools actually help a teacher run a class?Stage 2: Slides and handouts
- The slides come last: AI tools for researching, building and rehearsing a presentationStage 3: Building the slides
- Launching a product with AI: what to use from positioning to feedbackStage 4: Launch visuals
- Running a social media campaign: which AI tools fit which stage?Stage 4: Images and carousels
- How a newsletter issue gets made, and where AI tools helpStage 4: Design, images and layout
- A children's picture book, start to finish: where AI tools help and where they don'tStage 5: Layout, cover and export
- Building a brand identity with AI, from the name to the first videoStage 6: Templates and marketing assets
- Producing an audiobook with AI narration, from manuscript to releaseStage 6: Cover art
Each guide lists the stages of one job and the tools that help at each stage. All guides
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Alternatives to Canva
| Tool | Free plan | Starting price | API |
|---|---|---|---|
 Lovart AIDesign agent that turns a prompt or brand guide into sets of editable, on-brand visuals on one canvas. |
— | — | — |
 MiriCanvasTemplate-based online design tool with AI helpers for slides, images, video and photo clean-up. |
Yes | — | — |
MolyPix.AIPrompt-based graphic design generator that outputs layered, editable posters, invitations, logos and images. |
Yes | — | — |
 IdeogramImage models known for accurate text rendering, with task-focused apps and a unified API. |
— | — | Yes |
 AffinityFree desktop app that combines vector design, photo editing and page layout in a single document format. |
Yes | — | — |
Listed in the same categories as Canva. A starting price appears only where we checked it on the maker’s pricing page; a dash means not checked or not published. All Graphic Design tools