This list started out as 17 of the Best Canva Alternatives to use in 2018 and how already evolved into 19 Canva Alternatives! Do you have something to add to the list? Leave a comment below or shoot me an email and I’ll get it added.
Canva is a total powerhouse when it comes to digital design software that allows you to create gorgeous work in minutes. The platform is super easy to use and they make the design process even easier by providing a comprehensive library of amazing templates that are super easy to customize.
Their template types include; posts, cards, postcards, flyers, invitations, business cards, letterhead, social media posts, business documents, presentations, book covers, desktop wallpapers, photo collages, infographics, album covers, marketing materials, logos, menus, and so much more.
“I like the various templates that canva has. It allows me to create my own from scratch or I can choose from hundreds of templates and change it to fit my needs.” – Sheryl Anderson, asmidgeofsouth.com
In addition to the standard templates that you can access through their main menu page, as a registered member (even with a free account) you’ll receive emails with custom templates that fit your brand and product design needs on a regular basis. While it sounds simple, I love the inspiration it provides.
The first thing you should know is that Canva is absolutely free to use. There are zero fees to use any/all of their templates and design elements, including a seemingly unlimited library of stock images. If you do decide to use elements that are not free, you will either be required to upgrade to a pro account ($9 per month) or pay a per-download fee (around $1 per element), which gives you permission to download that item for 24 hours.
“Canva is an awesome design and marketing tool that has become part of my photography business week in and week out. Not only are many of the options free, but it’s also extremely easy to use. I use Canva for emails, newsletters, social media posts and even to design a welcome banner for my sister’s bridal shower. There are tons of templates, but I can also design on my own so the options are virtually limitless.” – Courtney Ucker, LovebugByCourtney.com
While there are a zillion reasons to absolutely love Canva, it’s not for everyone. Here are a few reasons that Canva alternatives may be a better choice for your graphic design needs.
#1 – You’re a professional designer.
If design is all you do and the majority of what you get paid for, chances are that you need a super powerful tool that’s capable of doing absolutely anything your creative heart desires. While Canva has gorgeous templates and a collection of stock images / illustrations, some Canva alternatives have more powerful editing tools that many pros require on a daily basis.
#2 – You need more file format options.
With Canva you get the choice to download a .jpeg, .png, or .pdf (print or standard). This is a solid fit for social meia graphics and general sharing, but if you plan on using these graphics for printing on a larger scale or just need other file formats, a Canva alternative like Photoshop will likely be a better fit.
#3 – You hate things that make life easier.
If you need work to fill your day and prefer to start every project from scratch, Canva is totally not for you. Their platform makes creating gorgeous graphics super easy and that will not help keep you occupied from 9-5 on the regular.
In this case, you’re better off signing up for a graphic design course and then picking a Canva alternative that doesn’t include any templates, stock images/illustrations, or video tutorials. Being forced to download the program on your computer and only access those designs from one place is a bonus for you, friend! 😉
As you can (hopefully) tell, I’m a huge Canva fan but I totally understand if you are not. The world relies on options and there are plenty of Canva alternatives available to you – most for free!
If you’re on a super tight budget but still need incredible graphic design software to create gorgeous graphics that will properly represent your brand, there are many free Canva alternatives out there.
Most graphic design saas (software as a service) platforms provide some type of entry level account that gives you free access to the site. There are of course limitations on any of these free Canva alternatives, but I’m sure there’s at least one (if not more) that will fit your needs and help you create the graphics you need.
The one that stands out from this list is Photoshop Express. Something new that I actually added after this initial post was written, Photoshop Express is an app that you download to your phone for free. Unlike Canva and some of the other platforms, it allows you to do some serious photo editing right on your phone.
The major difference here though, is that like the paid versions include with Adobe suite, Photoshop Express does not include all of those gorgeous templates that we’ve grown to love throughout all the other Canva alternatives.
If you’re a pro designer or just a natural at creating images, this is no problem. Snap a photo, touch it up, and share. If you need the templates in order to break through that white screen of designer’s block, then you might consider using one of the other eighteen Canva alternatives included on this list. Most includes cute templates, stock photos and illustrations, filters, and fonts, that are available at your disposal to help you create the graphics of your dreams.
Back to the point here… while you may only have access to their intro level account types, something is better than nothing! Here are thirteen absolutely FREE Canva alternatives that you should try today.
- Stencil
- Snappa
- Pablo (free with a Buffer account)
- Aviary
- Befunky
- Crello
- Visme
- Google Charts
- Venngage
- Animaker
- Visme
- Fotor
- Photoshop Express
Scroll down to see how each platform compares to Canva and why we’ve included them on the list of free Canva alternatives. There are so many options out there, this list will save you a ton of time!
Side note – if you know of other FREE platforms that should be added to this list, please share in the comments and I’ll get them added right away.
The reasons vary, but many bloggers out there are on the hunt for Canva Alternatives. Why? Because the ability to create beautiful graphics for your blog, website, or social media accounts is an absolutely vital factor in digital marketing.
“Love Canva as it is easy to use and has lots of designs that work with any social media platform and has beautiful/professional templates.” – Sara Baqeri, www.lapislifecoaching.com
These carefully designed graphics help communicate your brand message to potential clients and improve the overall user experience. They help you create an incredible user experience for anyone who visits your site and extend that same impression throughout all of your marketing materials. Graphics are used for websites, brochures, social media, email marketing, and more.
Let’s be honest, everyone wants gorgeous graphics for to help represent their brand but that’s a lot easier said than done. Creating graphic packages is tough work! While some platforms like Canva provide you with an easy to use software with built in templates and inspirational designs, others are incredibly powerful with photo editors and as many customizing options as you can imagine.
So what do you do if you need an excellent platform to design on but for whatever reason don’t like Canva?
You look for Canva alternatives!
To help make things a little easier, I’ve compiled a list of 19 incredible Canva alternatives. They are all platforms that allow you to create amazing digital designs and most for free! Some focus on infographics where others allow you to design animated videos.
“I love Canva. I use it at least 3-4 times a week for my blog and many more for personal wants. I must’ve been using it for over two years now, and I create a weekly ‘quote of the week’, and it’s never failed me on running out of new design ideas. I guess the only downside is that you are limited to so much to choose from, due to their pro etc packages, although I completely understand why they do that, as we all need to make a living. For this reason, I’ve never experimented with other websites or apps like Canva, as it’s provided me with all I’m looking for and more!” – Charlotte Rawlings, www.artyallsorts.com
Before you get started, take a quick inventory of what you’re looking for in a graphic design platform. Do you need a variety of stock images or are you interested in basic fonts and shapes? Think about the type of graphics you are trying to create. Would you like templates to help get the design process started? If so, should they be sized for social media or business documents?
Whatever your wants and needs might be, there’s a platform out there that I know you’ll love… you just have to find it.
Ready to start browsing? Here’s the list.
19 Canva Alternatives for 2018
#1 – STENCIL
The fastest way to double your social engagement.
How it’s similar to Canva: Stencil gives you an all-in-one platform to create beautiful images without having to be a designer with a technical background. The software is super easy to use and offers a wide variety of templates in 41 different sizes, a library of over 1,500,000 royalty free stock images, 2,300+ Google fonts, etc.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Something unique to Stencil is that they include a library of quotes within their platform for you to utilize throughout your work. If you are creating something inspirational, this is a one stop shop! Another bonus is that they make it super easy for you to upload your own fonts. With custom handwritten fonts being super popular these days, this is an incredible opportunity to put a personal touch on the graphics you are creating.
Price: Free / $9 per month PRO / $12 per month Unlimited
#2 – SNAPPA
Create online graphics in a snap.
How it’s similar to Canva: Snappa is another all-in-one platform that allows you to create amazing graphics without photoshop or a graphic designer. They’ve put a lot of work into creating templates that will help save you time both in the initial creation of the image (as it’s already sized perfectly) and if you need it re-sized (they have a magic re-sizing feature). All of the royalty free stock images, Google fonts, graphics, and effects are included as usual.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Sync your Snappa account with Buffer and share graphics instantly with your audience. You also have the option to pre-schedule your graphics to automatically post according to the schedule in your content calendar in order to save you tons of time! Plans are all inclusive based on the number of downloads you need each month and how many people are on your team.
Price: Free / $10 per month PRO / $20 per month Team
#3 – PICMONKEY
Everything you need to make your ideas come to life – photo editing, collage making, graphic design – PicMonkey’s got it. It’s never been easier to feed your creative beast.
How it’s similar to Canva: Picmonkey is an all-in-one tool that will assist you with any design project. Simply drag and drop your way to gorgeous images using their royalty free stock photos, pre-sized templates, design elements, and more. While the platform is pretty easy to use and doesn’t require much of a learning curve, PicMonkey offers tutorials to help you step up your game and take your graphics to the next level.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Something unique to PicMonkey is that they give you built-in tools to edit your photos. Whether you want to apply a super simple filter or go in and touch up details within an image – they’ve got you covered. The opportunities to edit are much more robust here than many of the other Canva alternatives I’ve seen. I would even classify PicMonkey as a Photoshop alternative for those whose projects require more than a basic social media graphic.
Price: Free trial / $7.99 per month Premium / $8.99 per month Supremium
“Recently I switched from Canva to Picmonkey (Picmonkey is paid now). Why did I switch? First, Picmonkey is cheaper than paid Canva. Second, I like having a complete photo editor and graphic designer in one website. Third, my graphic templates look more professional. Since Picmonkey is now a pay only service, I don’t have to worry if a template I want to use is free or paid.” – Gina Butler, www.ginaslibrary.com
#4 – PABLO
Design engaging images for your social media posts in under 30 seconds.
How it’s similar to Canva: Pablo helps you create amazing graphics in a very small amount of time. They offer basic formatting (template sizes, text, and filters) and provide over 600,000 royalty free stock photos to use for your designs. The platform is a little limited (not as robust as Canva) but covers any basic graphic design needs without having to download Photoshop.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Pablo was created by Buffer and syncs seamlessly, allowing you to download and publish graphics at the same time. This keeps you working smarter and not harder while filling your social media feeds with gorgeous graphics.
Price: Free with a Buffer account!
#5 – GIMP
GNU Image Manipulation Program – Reimagine reality.
How it’s similar to Canva: Gimp provides you with tools to create beautiful high-quality images.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: The GIMP software is very sophisticated. We’re not talking about a simple drag and drop editor here. For those in the design industry who need something with serious power and are already familiar with tech speak, GIMP is the way to go. They allow you to maniuplate images that most platforms on the list do not – including the ability to adjust their framework using a number of different code languages. Their color management tools allow you to ensure that your work will look the way it is supposed to, no matter what media it is used on (digital, print, etc.) Another major difference is that you must download GIMP to your computer in order to use it. It is not cloud based and does not transfer files across platforms.
Price: GIMP is a free and open source photo editor.
“It’s a little fancier/more complicated, but I love GIMP. Downside: It doesn’t have stock photos like Canva. But it’s similar to photoshop and it’s free to download! I made my logo and watermark in the free version of Canva, but I was stuck with the white background. After watching a YouTube video, I was able to make both of them have transparent backgrounds in GIMP. It took less than five minutes each! I was even able to save both of them as “brushes” so I can add either easily to any future works.” – Ashley Harkleroad, createdtoglorify.com
#6 – ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
Create and enhance your photos, images, and designs with Adobe Photoshop CC, the world’s best imaging and photo editing software.
How it’s similar to Canva: Adobe’s Photoshop helps you create gorgeous images.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: This is not your teenager’s drag and drop photo editing tool! Adobe Photoshop ranks supreme when it comes to graphic design. It’s the gold standard for any professional designer, photographer, image manipulations of any kind. The tools seem unending and the power behind each is nearly unmatched. The difference here is that while you can do absolutely anything with an image in Photoshop, there’s a major learning curve. If you’re comfortable with the basics, you can always watch YouTube tutorials on how to do the rest. Adobe Photoshop is a software that you must download to your computer in order to use. It does not transfer files across platforms.
Price: $239.88 per year for the single app /$119.88 per year for Photoshop CC plus Lightroom CC Photography Plan / $10 per month for a subscription
“You have SOOOO many more options than with Canva or Pic Monkey. Pic Monkey is almost a light version of PS, so it’s a huge upgrade. There is a learning curve, but there are youtune videos that will teach you anything you want to know. Also, I like that I’m actively learning a new software when and if I go back to working for someone else that’s one more thing I can put on my resume.” – Rebecca Higinbotham, BabesinBlogland.com
#7 – LIGHTROOM CC
Access, edit, and share your photos from any browser.
How it’s similar to Canva: Lightroom allows you to create beautiful images.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: The software that Lightroom provides is designed for photo sharing and editing. It’s often the go-to for natural light photographers who work mostly with straight out of camera images and don’t do much re-touching or what’s often referred to as ‘photoshopping’. Their platform is intuitive and automatically applies searchable keywords to your images so that they’re easy to find without having to manually tag each one. Lightroom is not ideal for creating graphics for social media.
Price: $239.88 per year for the single app /$ 119.88 per year for Photoshop CC plus Lightroom CC Photography Plan / $10 per month for a subscription
“This month I started to use Lightroom mobile to edit all of my images. You have a lot of control over the editing and you can save presets to create a more uniform look. You can then export edited images to Adobe Spark to add graphics on top of the image. You can even add animations in Adobe Spark. These are great mobile options when you don’t have time to spend in front of your computer.” – Austin Krause, wunderkrause.com.
#8 – AVIARY
Photo editor mobile app by Adobe.
How it’s similar to Canva: Adobe’s version of an easy to use photo editor, Aviary allows you to fine-tune and embellish photos right from their mobile app. It’s simple, drag-and-drop formatted, and fun to use.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Adobe has sophisticated tools that they were able to apply in a lighthearted way for their mobile app. Unlike Canva, you have the option to really dive in and edit your images. Brighten teeth, remove fine lines, erase blemishes and customize your images with their collection of embellishments. They offer tutorials on how to best use the app and of course, the ability to sync to your creative cloud.
Price: Free in the app store.
#9 – BEFUNKY
Free online photo editing and collage maker.
How it’s similar to Canva: You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer in order to create gorgeous images for social media and professional marketing documents like brochures, business cards, or flyers.
Why it’s an excellent Canva Alternative: They include a photo editor, something that Canva does not have outside of being able to crop an image and apply a filter. The editor is super easy to use and is full of features/effects to make your images stand out from the rest. All files are worked on in the cloud and can be accessed on any device by logging into your account. I love that they offer so many different collage templates, something that Canva seems to be lacking on a bit with their limited frames.
Price: Free / $2.91 per month Pro
#10 – CRELLO
Free graphic design software with a simple photo editor.
How it’s similar to Canva: Template central with a huge library of royalty free stock images and illustrations. All work is done in the cloud and saved online, so the images can be accessed from any device connected to the internet.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: The features offered are very similar to Canva with one exception. Crello gives you the ability to create designs for animated posts! Yes, that’s something pretty unique to this entire list. If your business is in need of eye-catching graphics that literally dance their way across the screen – Crello is the answer. Need some help getting started? Check out their inspiration page! Warning, it’s gorgeous and you’re going to want to start designing something right away.
Price: Free
“I recently found a website called Crello that I am getting used to. It has a lot of free stock photos that I like. It’s free to use although I think there is a paid version as well. I haven’t figured out how to get my logo in there so I can put it on my images but there’s probably a way. For now, I am creating some images there and then using Canva to apply my logo.” – Heather Cates, www.findingourgreenlife.com.
#11 – VISME
The only tool you need to create and share professional interactive infographics.
How it’s similar to Canva: Create amazing infographics on a platform that is super easy to use.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: One main area of the site is for creating gorgeous infographics, where the process is set up into three simple steps. Choose your template or pick which type of ready-made blocking you want to use, visualize your information using graphics and tables, and then edit/customize. Their other areas of expertise are with creating presentations, charts anreports, and social media graphics.d
Price: Free / $12 per month Standard / $20 per month Complet
#12 – GOOGLE CHARTS
Google chart tools are powerful, simple to use, and free.
How it’s similar to Canva: Charts are graphics, which can be super helpful when creating any type of graphic to support your business.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Charts are powerful, especially when they’re powered by Google. The best thing about this tool is that it allows you to display live data. This means that when set up properly, your website (likely the application where you’d use this) is being constantly updated to reflect real-time data. How awesome is that?! It’s a feature that I’ve not seen anyone else offer and considering that Google is the keeper of most data – it’s supported well and accurate.
Price: Free
#13 – VENNGAGE
Make infographics that people love.
How it’s similar to Canva: Cloud-based software that allows you to create beautiful graphics using their robust collection of templates that are designed for specific applications. They have personal, business, and education based template options to fit your needs.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Another three step infographic maker. This platform is super simple: Pick a template, add charts/visuals, and customize your design. They teach you how to stand out from the crowd and be a ‘data hero’ with their easy to use software and super informative blog. The best thing is that they’re totally focused on helping you increase conversions and grow your business, not just create graphics. Loving the business focus here! Oh, but wait – they support educators by providing custom templates and customer service is available 24/7. #Bonus
Price: Free for students / $49 per month for businesses / $19 per month for the premium plan
#14 – ANIMAKER
Animated videos, done right.
How it’s similar to Canva: It’s not really. Just being honest!
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Sometimes your design needs to beyond creating beautiful graphics. If you are in need of animated videos, Animaker should be on the top of your list for platforms to check out. Everything is saved on the cloud (I supposed this is similar to Canva) and can be accessed from any device. Beyond that, their software is easy to use and doesn’t require prior experience or formal training. They have a super informative blog and offer tutorials as well, in case you’re a total newby who needs to cover each of the basics in depth.
Price: Free / $12 per month Personal / $19 per month Startup / $39 per month Business
#15 – VIZUALIZE.ME
Visualize your resume in one click.
How it’s similar to Canva: You get to make things pretty on a cloud-based platform. Canva does provide templates for creating beautiful resumes.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: If there’s a stack of resumes sitting on an HR rep’s desk, what would you want yours to look like? 1 of a million or 1 in a million? Vizualize.me is an excellent way to help your resume stand out among the other applicants. Their slogan is ‘visualize your resume in one click’, so while I’ve not used it personally, I get the impression that it’s pretty simple and can be done by someone who has zero design experience. Looking at the examples on their site, this type of graphical resume is an excellent way to showcase your strengths.
Price: Free
#16 – FOTOR
Free online photo editor.
How it’s similar to Canva: Use Fotor’s cloud-based software to create fun infographics and social media graphics that your audience will love and interact with.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Fotor includes photo editing options that far surpass those offered by Canva. They actually describe themselves as an online photoshop (interesting!?) What sets them apart is the ability to do portrait retouching with beauty effects like makeovers, radiance, highlights, etc. Their frames and templates seem a little more diverse than Canva’s, which is super refreshing.
Price: Free / $3.33 per month for Pro
#17 – PIKTOCHART
Easy to use everything maker.
How it’s similar to Canva: Create infographics, presentations, and flyers on their cloud-based platform that allows you to access your files from anywhere. PIKTOCHART does not offer graphics for social media, so if that’s what you have in mind – stick with Canva.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: The world of graphic design goes far beyond the need for social media graphics. Sometimes you just want to focus on amazing graphs or formal reports and prefer not to be bothered by the rest. The design software is easy to use and is there for the purpose of helping you tell a story. There are specific templates and plans tailored for the education world, which is a total plus.
Price: $12.50 per month Lite / $24.17 per month Pro / $82.50 per month Pro Team
#18 – WORD SWAG
Cool Fonts on the App Store.
How it’s similar to Canva: Create social media and blog graphics with the app that magically turns your words into beautifully designed graphics.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: This app is super affordable and easy to use. In addition to social media graphics, you can create stylish quotes, announcements and flyers, caption your photos, and give your words the designer look they deserve. The app includes 60+ fonts and 1.3 million background options. How can you go wrong?
Price: $4.99 to download, available in iOS and Android.
“I loooove Canva! It’s so quick and easy and eye catching for groups, instagram, business pages and even emails! They have both a site and an app and it’s so easy to use! I make my graphics on there all the time! I have also found that I love the Word Swag and Over apps as well. Pic monkey is another alternative but not one I’m super in love with. Canva and Word Swag are where it’s at honestly I use both on a weekly if not daily basis! They save me so much time!” – Cassie Trebar, www.blushbloomboudoir.com
#19 – PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS
Free image editing and collage making app by Adobe.
How it’s similar to Canva: Easily edit photos right on your phone and create collages using their pre-defined and sized templates.
Why it’s on our list of Canva alternatives: Adobe’s Photoshop is the leader in photo editing. Their mobile app directs all of the power of the downloaded software straight to your phone. Do the typical ‘photoshopping’ things like removing red eye, crop, straighten, and rotate your images. You can also add text and do one touch white balancing, among other editing functions. Another feature that money love about Photoshop Express is the fact that you can share images with a simple click. Once set up, it’s super convenient and steps up your photo sharing game.
Price: Free download in the app store.
“Photoshop Express is pretty good, there’s a Windows 10 app and mobile apps. It has images sizes for every social network.” – Roland Waddilove
Do you know of other Canva alternatives that should be added to this list? Please get in touch! Leave a comment below or shoot me an email and I’ll add get them added right away. Hope this list was helpful. Feel free to share your gorgeous graphcis in the comments.
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