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Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design

Adobe Express vs Figma vs Nano Banana

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Adobe Express

4.0

From $9.99/mo

Figma

4.1

From $16/mo per full seat

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Small businesses and marketers who want Canva-style design for less, especially anyone who already pays for Adobe.

Pick it if: Founders and teams designing a website, app or product, or working closely with developers.

Best overall

Pick it if: Marketers, store owners and creators who need realistic images and edits that stay true to the original person or product.

Overview

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
In one lineAdobe's answer to Canva: templates, quick edits and Firefly AI, cheaper than Canva Pro.The design tool product teams use, now able to turn a prompt into a working prototype.Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$9.99/mo$16/mo per full seat$19.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
Overall rating4.04.14.6Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.0
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
5.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
5.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.0
4.0
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app– Yes No
Browser extension Yes No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes No
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes Yes
Makes video Yes No No
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No No No
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score13/ 1713/ 179/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it.

Starter

Free

One person learning or sketching a first product.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

PremiumOur pick

$9.99/mo

One person making marketing content each week.

ProfessionalOur pick

$16/mo per full seat

Small teams designing a real product.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

Teams

$7.99/licence/mo, billed yearly

Small teams sharing a brand.

Organization

$55/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Companies with several teams.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations on Adobe.

Enterprise

$90/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Large organisations with security and governance needs.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Which plan to pickCheck whether your Creative Cloud or Firefly plan already includes Express Premium before paying. If not, Premium at $9.99 a month is cheaper than Canva Pro and enough for one person. Teams is good value for two or more people who need locked brand templates.Start on Starter if it is just you. Move to Professional when you have a developer or second designer involved, and put them on a cheaper dev or collab seat rather than a full seat. Organization and Enterprise are for companies, not small businesses.Start free in the Gemini app to see if it suits your work. If you make images most weeks, Google AI Pro is the one to buy because it unlocks Nano Banana Pro and comes with Gemini, video credits and storage. Developers should use Nano Banana 2 on the API and save Pro for hero images.

Key features

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
Standout features
  • Templates and Adobe Stock
  • AI Assistant
  • Firefly and partner models
  • Quick actions
  • Brand kits and scheduling
  • Works in AI chats
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Figma Make
  • Dev Mode
  • Claude Code connection
  • Design systems
  • FigJam and Slides
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API

Pros and cons

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
Pros
  • Cheaper than Canva Pro, and often free with Creative Cloud
  • Adobe Stock, Adobe Fonts and Firefly are built in
  • Moves cleanly to and from Photoshop and Illustrator
  • Works inside Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot
  • Templates feel less overused than Canva's
  • The industry standard, so designers and developers already know it
  • Collaboration is as easy as a Google Doc
  • Figma Make turns a brief into a testable prototype quickly
  • Official Claude Code connection for design-to-code
  • Starter plan is generous for a solo person
  • The best at editing a photo while keeping the person or product identical
  • Free to try in the Gemini app
  • Pro renders accurate text and up to 4K
  • Cheap, fast API with a half-price batch mode
  • Built into Canva, Photoshop and Higgsfield as well as Google's apps
Cons
  • Frequent 2026 reports of freezing, failed downloads and slow loading in the browser
  • Smaller template library than Canva
  • Lags on longer videos and multi-page projects
  • Some users report exports coming out downscaled or blurry
  • 250 AI credits a month on Premium runs out quickly if you generate a lot
  • Steep learning curve for anyone who is not a designer
  • Seat types and per-seat pricing are confusing for small teams
  • AI features and the Claude connection are tightly limited on the free plan
  • Overkill for social posts and flyers
  • Less artistic flair than Midjourney
  • Free images carry a visible watermark, and every image has an invisible SynthID mark
  • Model names and plan limits change often
  • Safety filters can block harmless requests involving people

Who each one is for

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaNano Banana
Best for
  • Social posts and flyers from templates
  • Adobe and Creative Cloud users
  • Cheaper Canva Pro alternative
  • Commercially safe AI images with Firefly
  • Website and app design
  • Clickable prototypes
  • Handing designs to developers
  • Design systems and brand assets
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
You'll find it used by
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Teachers
  • Adobe users
  • Social media managers
  • Product teams
  • Founders
  • Developers
  • Agencies
  • UX designers
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Adobe Express, Figma or Nano Banana?

Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (Adobe Express 4.0/5, Figma 4.1/5 and Nano Banana 4.6/5). Adobe Express is best for social posts and flyers from templates and adobe and Creative Cloud users. Figma is best for website and app design and clickable prototypes. Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change and product shots and lifestyle scenes.

Which is cheaper, Adobe Express, Figma or Nano Banana?

Adobe Express: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo. Figma: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $16/mo per full seat. Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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