Canva vs. Google Forms

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Canva
Score 9.1 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
Google Forms
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Google Forms is an app for creating forms and surveys, and is part of Google Apps for Work. The product focuses on ease of use; the interface is similar to a document editor, with drop down lists of options and drag and drop question re-ordering. Users can embed images and video into surveys. Users can also program the question flow with custom logic. Google sends users basic summaries of the survey results automatically, or users can export the raw survey results data and analyze it via…N/A
Pricing
CanvaGoogle Forms
Editions & Modules
Pro
$12.95
per month
Enterprise
$30.00
Per Month Per User
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CanvaGoogle Forms
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CanvaGoogle Forms
Considered Both Products
Canva
Chose Canva
In my previous experiences, all of my attempts at Graphic Design were based on hashing various pictures and icons together in programs such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Paint. These designs reek of amateurism and anyone who has used these programs can identify their …
Chose Canva
Visme is a very similar product- so similar, I'm not sure how to differentiate them. They look a little different, they work a little different, but they take about the same amount of effort on about the same learning curve to create about the same quality of results.
Google Forms
Chose Google Forms
Canva has some visual advantages, but nothing on the reporting offered by Google Forms
Chose Google Forms
Google Forms excels at offering a simple way to collect data; however, it lacks robust features like logic questions, email communications (beyond an email confirmation), or dynamic functionality like the ability for respondents to edit responses. For some use cases, the …
Chose Google Forms
I've only played with Typeform, but if making surveys enjoyable and nice to look at is important to you, it's definitely a better product. Forms is the pragmatist's tool, not the artist's. Dubsado's survey tool is decent, but you don't have a way to collect broad data sets …
Features
CanvaGoogle Forms
Survey Format & Appearance
Comparison of Survey Format & Appearance features of Product A and Product B
Canva
-
Ratings
Google Forms
6.6
122 Ratings
19% below category average
Survey templates00 Ratings7.6113 Ratings
Themes00 Ratings6.0111 Ratings
Custom logo/branding00 Ratings6.099 Ratings
Survey Content
Comparison of Survey Content features of Product A and Product B
Canva
-
Ratings
Google Forms
8.0
120 Ratings
6% below category average
Changes to live survey00 Ratings9.0114 Ratings
Question design help00 Ratings7.297 Ratings
Multiple question types00 Ratings7.9119 Ratings
Survey Logic
Comparison of Survey Logic features of Product A and Product B
Canva
-
Ratings
Google Forms
7.0
109 Ratings
17% below category average
Survey logic flexibility00 Ratings7.0109 Ratings
Survey Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Survey Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Canva
-
Ratings
Google Forms
8.4
121 Ratings
4% above category average
Response tracking00 Ratings8.2119 Ratings
Data export00 Ratings8.1115 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings7.8112 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings9.285 Ratings
Analytics00 Ratings8.493 Ratings
Survey Administration & Security
Comparison of Survey Administration & Security features of Product A and Product B
Canva
-
Ratings
Google Forms
8.0
115 Ratings
7% below category average
Access controls00 Ratings7.9112 Ratings
Compliance00 Ratings8.189 Ratings
Survey Distribution
Comparison of Survey Distribution features of Product A and Product B
Canva
-
Ratings
Google Forms
7.6
89 Ratings
6% below category average
Vendor-offered crowdsourcing00 Ratings7.841 Ratings
Respondent restrictions00 Ratings7.587 Ratings
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CanvaGoogle Forms
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GIMP
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User Ratings
CanvaGoogle Forms
Likelihood to Recommend
9.8
(174 ratings)
9.6
(116 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(7 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(14 ratings)
9.1
(56 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(15 ratings)
8.0
(48 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
3.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
CanvaGoogle Forms
Likelihood to Recommend
Canva
They are suited to serve the non-profit space, offering premium features at no charge for up to 50 users. They provide tools for non-graphic designers that help to create appealing and attractive pieces. For those who are unsure about where to start with a project, Canva offers templates that can be edited to suit the current need.
Read full review
Google
Google Forms is great for simple surveys, such as quick polls, but any logic beyond conditional pages is not supported. Google Forms is best used when the survey participants have and are permitted to use a Google Account to fill out the form; we ran into issues with hospital IT departments. I don't believe there's a better free tool out there than Google Forms, though.
Read full review
Pros
Canva
  • It helps you find the right design and helps you start with the right template
  • It helps in creating for all platforms, basically you need to create the design only once and Canva takes care of the rest by resizing the design for whichever platform you want to publish it to.
  • It also comes with a content planner which is extremely helpful for obvious reasons. It relieves you from the hassle of posting when the right time hits.
  • There's a Brand feature which is also extremely fascinating as it helps you store all your brand information (even color) at the same place.
Read full review
Google
  • Live results: When a user completes the form the results are added instantly.
  • Easy to create: Google Forms has a simple interface that allows for a wide range of question types. Google will even try to guess the question type based on the question (but this can be overridden).
  • Answers export to Google Sheets: It is easy to have each response to your form add a row to a Google Sheet, allowing for further analysis or processing.
  • Ability to automatically collect email addresses within a domain: If you have a form that has been shared with users in your domain, you can set it to automatically collect the users' email addresses without them needing to type it in. Makes checking whether all students have completed the form easy.
Read full review
Cons
Canva
  • I have a hard time coming up with any improvements, perhaps increase the number of free elements to use in design.
  • Maybe, Canva should check if you start editing a previous document to see if you want to change the current design or create a new one as a clone of the current document (design).
  • I'm sorry, I really can't think of a 3rd. Overall, I really like working in Canva.
Read full review
Google
  • Sometimes finding the output -- a Google Sheet with all responses-- is a little difficult. It's also sometimes confusing to figure out how to get back into the Google Form Survey itself.
  • As always, sharing among an institutional Google account and your personal Google account can be frustrating. You have to make a copy and can't share across the two different accounts very easily.
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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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Google
I will definitely renew my use of Google Forms because I really like the ease of use and the number of tools that Google forms provide. I also love that I can administer a test in real-time and get results in a timely manner
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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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Google
Overall ease of use for staff, volunteers, and adult learners, and easy to get reports and to share reports via Sheets. As a free tool, it does more than expected. Easy to change the look and brand it to your organization, or just make it more fun, depending on what you want to use it for.
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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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Google
In the years I've used GoogleForms I've never ran into any issues with the reliability or availability. Google is a gigantic company with essentially limitless resources which makes it very easy to trust that I will continue to be able to enjoy the same reliability I've come to know and expect from GoogleForms
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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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Google
One of the things that comes as a benefit of the lack to create complex logic branching and truly custom design is that there isn't lot of room to bog down the software. GoogleForms has always loaded just as fast as my internet service and device would allow it. I'm not sure about front end integrations or integrations into the form itself, as I've never explored it, but on the backend, I've never had any issues with integrations channeling from GoogleForms from the GoogleForms's end of things.
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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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Google
We haven't used much official support for Google Forms. However, because it is so widely used, there are a ton of articles and guides available online to help administrators of varying technical abilities to work through problems that arise. Additionally, Google provides an official support forum where there are discussions with other users as well as Google developers that can help address issues if needed.
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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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Google
Google Forms doesn't really require "implementation": simply log into GDrive and create a survey! You can configure settings per survey to, for example, automatically write responses to a GSheet.
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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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Google
Although both platforms offer similar functionalities, Google Form has a personal advantage and it is the impeccable integration with the different applications of the Google suite, this allows to make use of all of them in a transparent way, which in the work environment allows to perform work efficiently and without affecting the quality of it.
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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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Google
GoogleForms lacks the ability for complex logic branching and the ability to truly design it in a custom manner. It's pretty obvious when you land on a GoogleForm that it is in fact a GoogleForm. This rating solely reflects the lack of flexibility which in turn makes it something that wouldn't usually be scaled. That being said, if needing to scale a simple solution, GoogleForms would be up for the job.
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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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Google
  • High positive impact and return of investment; easy to use and seamlessly integrated with current Google Drive and Suite
  • Ability to create surveys on demand and quickly, saving time and energy
  • Easy to train others in using Google Forms so that there is not a bottleneck of knowledge
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ScreenShots