Canva vs. Figma

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
Figma
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Figma, headquartered in San Francisco, offers their collaborative design and prototyping application to support digital product and UI development.
$15
per month per editor
Pricing
CanvaFigma
Editions & Modules
Pro
$12.95
per month
Enterprise
$30.00
Per Month Per User
Professional
$144
per year
Organization
$540
per year
Starter
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvaFigma
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CanvaFigma
Considered Both Products
Canva
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, …
Figma
Chose Figma
Figma excels in collaborative interface design, offering live collaboration and powerful prototyping capabilities. Compared to Adobe PhotoShop, Canva, Figma stands out for its focus on detailed UI/UX design and seamless team collaboration. This made it our top choice, …
Chose Figma
For creating website wireframes, Figma is the perfect balance between ease of use and product functionality.

Canva is easy to use but it doesn't offer the flexibility that Figma does when it comes to design.
Chose Figma
Figma is the most efficient tool for teams and sharing with clients. It's also easier to learn than other Adobe products. When sharing designs with clients, Figma looks more professional than Canva.
Chose Figma
Figma is the go-to design tool that can be pushed to production very easily with developer tools. In my opinion it's the most complete design tool that considers the entire design process including the creation of solid design systems, high-fidelity prototyping, user testing, …
Chose Figma
Figma is truly a Swiss army knife in the retrospect that it does everything...but better that you'd expect it to be where you think...hmmm maybe I don't need this prototyping tool, or this design library framework app, or this simpler solution, because I can just use Figma for …
Chose Figma
Figma is more easy to use and most designers are well versed in figma because of how widespread its usage is. The price point is also better than that of most competitors and it’s good value for money for big teams that need realtime collaboration
Chose Figma
What Figma does best above its competitors is allow collaboration without compromising design capabilities. The interface is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly, which made a big difference to us as not everyone on our team has the same skillset and design familiarity. …
Chose Figma
Figma can do it all and can do it all much better than the others. It covers all of our client and internal needs within a single platform that is highly collaborative and live, unlike these others. The robust nature of capabilities is also superior.
Chose Figma
I selected Figma because there is many good features like It is based on web so we can easily work wherever and any system only we need login our account. In Figma we can easily work together in single file as well.
Prototyping is very easy in Figma, we can make any (Web/App) …
Chose Figma
Figma supports and is supported by other design apps, but it really shines in prototyping for web and app development. It's easy to share with colleagues and collaborate in one space, the open space allows for a ton of iteration, and the organization of layers functions better …
Chose Figma
Figma is the best tool for designing UI/UX on multiple platforms such as Mac, Windows, Linux, and Browser-based applications. It has support for many plugins and a strong community. On the other hand, Adobe XD lacks these advantages, and it is said that Adobe will enhance Figma …
Chose Figma
Not really a direct comparison or apples to apples in my opinion. Figma is solely focused on design creation, collaboration, and asset management whereas the others are collaboration tools but span various departmental verticals. Figma is a niche software that addresses our …
Chose Figma
Figma has more features and more colleagues are using them. Also, it's more cost effective.
Chose Figma
The free option to use makes us happy. Also, the best benefit for us to using Figma is its simplicity.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
CanvaFigma
Small Businesses
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.7 out of 10
UXPin
UXPin
Score 7.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
GIMP
GIMP
Score 9.4 out of 10
UXPin
UXPin
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprises
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.7 out of 10
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
CanvaFigma
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(172 ratings)
9.2
(193 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(7 ratings)
10.0
(7 ratings)
Usability
9.2
(12 ratings)
8.3
(25 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(15 ratings)
5.0
(17 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvaFigma
Likelihood to Recommend
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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Figma
Figma is well suited for UX Design- I personally think it is the best tool out there. Our team started with Sketch, but ultimately switched over when it became clear that it was the superior tool. It's pretty good for handing off designs to developers, although other tools claim to be able to take design to code more easily. It's not the most powerful tool for graphic design, though I still use it for simple things (e.g. icon creation) because I am not well versed in Illustrator and the learning curve for Adobe platforms seems rather steep.
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Pros
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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Figma
  • It's efficient, very efficient. Many things that take multiple clicks on other platforms can be completed in less than half the clicks, for example.
  • Alignment of objects is fast, accurate and easy as red line guides appear when moving objects around.
  • Autolayout ensures a balanced visual experience and aligns with CSS grid systems.
  • The ability to specify a grid and use it. For example, a 2pt or 4pt or 8pt grid.
  • Components and the ability to create a design system speeds up future work tremendously and creates design and brand consistency.
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Cons
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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Figma
  • Animated prototyping.
  • Tappable overlaid layers - bugs on fixed components, such as an app navigation footer in a prototype
  • Swapping a component but retaining inputted copy or imagery.
  • Performance on prototypes to work better in UserZoom - having to delete hidden layers manually, optimize images, and streamline the file, in general, is time-consuming
  • Folder structures - larger teams need multiple layers of folder structure to help find things.
  • Branch performance - we need better, more user-friendly solutions to get designs to merge better.
  • Branch performance - branching with the option to choose which pages you want in the branch without deleting each page you don't need.
  • Default sharing options need improvement.
  • Responsive ratios' in prototyping without having to recreate pages.
  • Better collaboration with Jira to bring in links in the design mode not just dev mode.
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Likelihood to Renew
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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Figma
Figma is a pretty cool tool in many areas. My team almost uses it on daily basis, such as, brainstorming on product/design topics, discussing prototypes created by designers. We even use it for retrospectives, which is super convenient and naturally keeps records of what the team discusses every month. Furthermore, I do see the potential of the product - currently we mainly use it for design topics, but it seems it is also a good fit for tech diagrams, which we probably will explore further in the future.
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Usability
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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Figma
It's easy to use for designers who are familiar with design terms and functions from Photoshop and Illustrator. However, non-tech and non-designer collaborators have a hard time figuring out how to leave comments and apply changes, compared to other online design tools like Canva and Squarespace. Even simple drag-and-drops and rearrangement of certain blocks become too complicated due to uncommon functions like Hug and Lock.
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Reliability and Availability
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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Figma
The only regret I have is, its not available when there is no internet
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Performance
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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Figma
I think its great, As there are many other software or systems which can be integrated with it as plugins or API's
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Support Rating
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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Figma
I haven't used their support lately but in the past, they had a chat that I used often. They often responded in a few hours and were able to give a satisfactory solution. I would imagine it's less personal now but the community has expanded drastically so there are more resources out there to self serve with a bit of Google magic.
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In-Person Training
Canva
No answers on this topic
Figma
In-person training has its own benefits - 1. It helps in resolving queries then and there during the training. 2. I find classroom or in-person training more interactive. 3. Classroom or in-person training could be more practical in nature where participants can have an hands on experience with tools and clarify their doubts with the trainer.
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Online Training
Canva
No answers on this topic
Figma
Online training has its own merits and demerits - 1. Sometimes we may face issues with connectivity or the training content 2. The way training is being delivered becomes very important because not everyone is comfortable taking online training and learning by themselves. 3. With the advancement of technology online training has become popular but there is a segment of people who still prefer class-room training over online one.
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Implementation Rating
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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Figma
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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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Figma
Figma compared to other tools has user friendly UI which is very easy for all levels of designers. Compared to Adobe XD and Sketch Figma is stable, while in other tools I have faced software crashing in the middle of the work which resulted in loss of data/design. Compared to other tools it's fast and shows less lag. Collaboration in Figma is very easy as it is cloud based but in XD it's not that smooth working with other designers.
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Scalability
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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Figma
I think this is great and as I mentioned at ADP we use Figma extensively whether by designers, researchers or content writers
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Return on Investment
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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Figma
  • Allows us to get funding for further phases of the project (which is uncountable)
  • Well, it lets us show off when needed due to well suited UI-oriented character
  • Easily approachable by anyone (browser use)
  • User friendly interface
  • More advanced cooperation requires some of the users to have a license
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ScreenShots