Adobe Illustrator CC vs. Canva

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Illustrator
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector-based graphic design software.
$20.99
per month
Canva
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Canva is a popular, simple online graphic design tool. Users can import images, use templates to design banners and logos, or pay to use Canva's premium stock images/paid templates (elements starting at $1).
$12.95
per month
Pricing
Adobe Illustrator CCCanva
Editions & Modules
Yearly - Billed Monthly
$20.99
per month
Monthly
$31.49
per month
Yearly - Billed Upfront
$239.88
per year
Pro
$12.95
per month
Enterprise
$30.00
Per Month Per User
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe IllustratorCanva
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe Illustrator CCCanva
Considered Both Products
Adobe Illustrator
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
I use both Canva and Illustrator. Canva is great for 'quick and dirty' jobs like social media headers and quote graphics, but creating original illustrations is a nightmare in it. We use Illustrator when we have the time, because it's much more painless to create detailed and …
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
Canva is a stripped-down version and is great if you only have need to create the occasional social media post or basic signage. I like Canva, but if graphic creation and manipulation is part of your day-to-day, and you have ambition in this area, then Illustrator is more …
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe Canva can be used to produce flyers and other promotional items but it is not as robust in features like Adobe Illustrator. Also, Canva is an online tool. You can use Illustrator without an internet connection (once you have downloaded the software). Canva is a good …
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
Photoshop is much easier to learn and utilize, but Adobe Illustrator definitely has more features and customizations. For basic day-to-day designing, I'd choose Photoshop any day, just because of its ease of use and how simple it is to find tutorials and assistance online. For …
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
Honestly, Adobe illustrator is the best in the market in terms of what the software is capable of doing. I've used other software in my career, and honestly, I just haven't found anything that has the tools and the capabilities like adobe illustrator. I honestly will pay extra …
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe Illustrator is better for logo designs and high-quality graphics compared to anything else.
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
Well, I like Adobe Illustrator because, together with Adobe Photoshop, it is one of the primary instruments in graphic design.
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
A lot of people design in Photoshop if they don't have Illustrator. I suggest swinging for Illustrator if you will be doing more print and web graphic design than photo design. If you are looking to do more photo editing, Photoshop will be best. But you can still do A LOT with …
Canva
Chose Canva
Canva is intended for people with little to no design experience, where they can produce something quickly and efficiently that still is quality. As previously mentioned, for larger design projects and any website/blog based designs and images I suggest having a tenured …
Chose Canva
Canva takes the top used features in Adobe PhotoShop, Illustrator, and InDesign and combines them all into an easy to use web based software. What's not to love about that? Sure, you can't do insane photo editing in Canva, but it does have a nice selection of stock photos that …
Chose Canva
User-friendly interface: Canva has a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to create designs, even for those without design experience.Templates and design elements: Canva offers a large library of templates and design elements, so users can create …
Chose Canva
Adobe products, well compared to Canva has a wide and long learning curve. Adobe spark almost comes close to Canva but lacks these tiny features that Canva focuses on to make the product irresistible to use. Canva also does a great job organizing and recording the designs in …
Chose Canva
Canva is faster and easy to use. There aren't complex menus like Adobe products and everything is generally intuitive. Menus are mostly open and visible or relatively small. Small changes to the program add to it's usability rather than detract. I also appreciate that Canva …
Chose Canva
Canva is easy to use; it is a SaaS, and you can use it anywhere in the world. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to use it, and it saves me time, energy, and money. Photoshop is complicated and you need to be tech-savvy. You also need to install it and take that …
Chose Canva
Canva is a user-friendly platform that beginners can learn easily. Canva is a fast way to get designs done quickly. The Templates are very good. I found the others were hard to learn, limited in design abilities, or just too expensive. I love other software options but this is …
Chose Canva
Well, Canva is not as advanced as the Adobe products, but for what I need it to do, it is amazing.
Chose Canva
Canva is easier to use and requires less experience. Canva is also so easy it makes it significantly faster to produce content than using any Adobe products. Canva allows you to use professional designs and can help even make the most novice designers produce …
Chose Canva
The other programs listed above arent better or worse than Canva, they all bring different things to the mix. If you don't want to buy an Adobe license or learn how to use Photoshop or Illustrator than Canva would be right up your alley. Create social posts, fliers, …
Chose Canva
Canva is easier, faster, and less expensive than Adobe. It allows for people who are not graphic artists to create quality professional looking content fast. I have been able to save hundreds of dollars annually with a single Canva pro subscription vs. a full Adobe …
Chose Canva
Canva’s free version has more than enough to effectively create beautiful graphics. The user interface is more user-friendly, in my opinion. and is able to provide more direction in the way of templates that meet every specific need I can think of in terms of digital and print …
Chose Canva
Canva is more intuitive and easier to use than Adobe PhotoShop or Illustrator. I'm not a designer, I work in Marketing so when I needed creatives made I had to outsource to our design team and try to fit my project on their calendar. I tried to learn other programs myself but …
Chose Canva
Canva is FREE! That is why this makes Canva the best! You only upgrade for specific fonts and templates. Canva is seriously the most amazing tool out there and has no competition!
Chose Canva
I have used Moovly in the past, which is an online video editor, I prefer Canva because I can create all types of content aside from videos.
Chose Canva
Canva is a total designing package having industry-standard templates, images, videos, and elements for almost all sorts of design projects. Everything is pre-built and no prior experience is required to start working in Canva. A customer demands quality and timeliness when it …
Chose Canva
Canva is easier to use, fast, takes up less space, and ultimately does not require a lot of thinking. While I still use the Adobe Creative Suite for impact brochures or annual reports for non-profits, I turn to Canva for social media posts. Even if I just need a square with …
Chose Canva
Canva can really save you a lot of time compared to Adobe Photoshop if used well. You can save images, find new images and icons all inside the platform. You can also use pre-made templates and you will never have storage space problems which I absolutely love! When I use Adobe …
Chose Canva
Canva would be an entry-level tool compared to photoshop. For those that don't have endless hours to learn photoshop, Canva cuts out all of the difficulty. It's a drag and drop editor as opposed to full creation tool where you have to know at least the basics to use photoshop. …
Chose Canva
As I stated earlier, this program doesn't replace a real graphics/design program. Canva is a very simple and quick to use program for those who lack the training to use some of the heavier programs like Adobe Creative Suite. Canva allows the uninitiated the ability to create …
Chose Canva
Canva is a lot less expensive and doesn't require an expert to use. We chose Canva for its flexibility and ease of use, so that our team could make nice images without having to involve the full design team. We also liked that Canva was internet based, so if I had to switch …
Chose Canva
None at the moment, besides Photoshop, Illustrator, and Publisher.
Chose Canva
While the Adobe Creative Cloud platform has a ridiculous amount of functionality that you won't find here, Canva is a lot easier to use and makes design simple for people who haven't been trained as professional designers. Also, Canva offers a variety of templates that help you …
Chose Canva
Comparing Canva to Photoshop and Adobe Spark:
  1. Canva is easy to use: Unlike Photoshop Canva can be used by anyone even if they do not have any prior design experience
  2. Canva's mobile app: Photoshop has a mobile app, but it is heavy and not as easy to use as Canva's
Chose Canva
I would pick Canva for the ease of use for small quick projects. I would use the other programs for creating more complex projects like wall wraps or posters, etc. Canva does not have the ability to scale for projects such as a wall wrap. The precision that is required for that …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Adobe Illustrator CCCanva
Small Businesses
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.5 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Canva
Canva
Score 9.2 out of 10
GIMP
GIMP
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
GIMP
GIMP
Score 9.1 out of 10
GIMP
GIMP
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe Illustrator CCCanva
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(103 ratings)
8.6
(172 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(2 ratings)
8.0
(7 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(4 ratings)
9.2
(12 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(24 ratings)
6.9
(15 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe Illustrator CCCanva
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
Adobe Illustrator is used to help make drawings look good but not make them. It is easy to add color or texture but it is hard to actually make the drawings in it. I would recommend using other software to make the lines for plans and sections and using Adobe Illustrator to make it look good.
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Canva
I would say that Canva is best suited for beginner and Novice level applications. If you're an experienced designer, there's definitely no point in using Canva as it's developed for designers entering the field. OR, if you want to experience that flexibility while you designing and let the creativity flow, You shouldn't consider Canva as your Choice. If you feel like delivering quick and not spend your time on deciding on 'How to Design', then you should go for Canva.
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Pros
Adobe
  • Vector graphics for scaling to large sizes
  • Filling an object with a texture
  • Easily adjusting and expanding an artboard to fit the size of the content (especially for infographics)
  • Compatibility with other Adobe CC programs, but also exporting for PPT graphics
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Canva
  • Provides readily accessible approved fonts and colors for our university publications.
  • A great selection of templates to select from.
  • Lots of resources for design, like photos, clip art, backgrounds, and other design elements.
  • The ability to share your design with others at the university.
  • The ability to download your design as a png, pdf, jpg, svg, even MP4 video or gif.
  • Easy to edit and alter the design and not lose what you had by creating clones of previous designs and then make the changes.
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Cons
Adobe
  • It's tough to master. If you haven't used Adobe products like Photoshop or Illustrator before, there is a lot to take in.
  • It would be great to have some better options to preview the final product if you're creating a multiple page document.
  • Better integration and pricing points with Adobe Stock for the useful stock images to complete your projects.
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Canva
  • Some pretty basic fonts are missing from the database, which proves to be annoying when trying to stay on brand
  • Pre-grouping sections of templates can be a hassle to figure out
  • Creating your own template from scratch can have it's hiccups, but that could be my lack of design experience.
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
While Adobe Illustrator CC is one of the only true design software out there, it really stands heads above the other products. It's clean UI and menu structure is easy to navigate.
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Canva
The ease of use makes Canva a powerful tool for manipulating images, creating original content, and testing ideas without requiring the involvement of graphic design or more time-intensive image editing software such as Photoshop. While it doesn't have the full functionality of a mature software, such as Photoshop, The speed and simplicity of Canva makes it a necessity in a business of any size
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Usability
Adobe
Illustrator has become easier in recent years to use with more intuitive tools and controls for them. Illustration software has improved but Adobe Illustrator has kept up and keeps the edge with its extensive toolset. Newly added collaboration tools with Adobe make it even better and the expectation is that is to continue.
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Canva
It is super easy to use, but it could be limiting if you're on a small device. It is easier on a bigger device because you can resize graphics and text easier than with your fingers on a small device. I do think it's perfect and easy for non-designers who don't have any training. As long as you have a good eye for visuals, Canva is a wonderful substitute for graphics programs on-the-go.
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Reliability and Availability
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Canva
I have yet to encounter Canva being offline in at least 6 years of using it regularly. They also announce well in advance if there may be upgrades to the code and the hours during which there may be issues accessing the service.
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Performance
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Canva
I haven't ever had issues with a slow-loading site and there haven't been any lag issues within the software. There have been maybe a handful of times over the past six years where I have tried to upload a large image and it will slow down as it loads the last megabyte, but I have yet to have the system time out or require any interference by me
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Support Rating
Adobe
I normally already know how to do whatever I'm trying out, but the documentation (as well as a simple Google search) makes any question quick to resolve. The Adobe boards themselves are a fantastic resource, especially for resolving questions between new programs and iterative releases.
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Canva
Overall, Canva is easy to use, easy to train others to use, allows for creativity with a professional look without enormous associated costs. The mobile apps works almost as easily, but at a minimum allows for easy review and downloading in a pinch. Really, anyone can learn to use Canva quickly and will immediately benefit from the results.
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Implementation Rating
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Canva
Remember to download the mobile app onto your phone for easy image manipulation on the go. Adding company colors, logos, and typefaces to your company account is an easy process. When images are uploaded, these can also be shared between accounts within a company, as can canvases you've created for easy editing among teams.
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Alternatives Considered
Adobe
They complement each other, each with its own specific characteristics, but within a marketing sector, an experienced designer knows that the use of these tools in sets makes all the difference. It is possible to combine their uses and create really relevant materials that will bring a great return to the company and in the dissemination of arts with superior quality to the competitors
Read full review
Canva
Canva is faster and easy to use. There aren't complex menus like Adobe products and everything is generally intuitive. Menus are mostly open and visible or relatively small. Small changes to the program add to it's usability rather than detract. I also appreciate that Canva helps the user become more creative through use. By giving you editable examples through templates you can choose to re-design something ir create something from scratch w/ a similar concept or feel. Canva often gives me ideas that I can implement into my design or into the entire project even. I also like how Canva is intuitive in it's approach. The program gives you suggestions when it comes to graphics, etc. without getting in your way if you know what you already want
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Scalability
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Canva
Very easy to add accounts and share content between them. Collaboration is also easy to manage and can be done on a project-by-project basis. The cloud-based software means it is incredibly fast to add a coworker and have them editing images within minutes. A live internet connection is required to access Canva so this is something to consider if expecting to use the software while on journeys without access to wifi etc
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Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Helps us quickly and easily create and manage numerous logos
  • Cloud libraries allow us to access commonly used colors, fonts, logos and other design elements quickly
  • We are able to provide high-quality, scalable college logos for print and digital which give us a more professional, credible look.
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Canva
  • As far as ROI is concerned, Canva has proven itself time and time again as having a positive impact for business.
  • Just yesterday, I had to prepare an hour-long presentation on the fly; the great reviews of the presentation and the materials (all made in Canva) only served to advertise for Canva and it proves that Canva is a smart investment.
  • I don't think in the time that I have been a Canva pro user that I can say that my ROI has been negatively impacted. Highest recommendation. The software more the casually pays for itself time and time again.
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