Skip to content

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

Adobe Express vs Figma vs OpenArt

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

Best overall

Figma

4.1

From $16/mo per full seat

OpenArt

3.5

From $14/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best valueEasiest to use

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

Best overall

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

Pick it if: Creators and small brands making story-led content with recurring characters: social series, music videos, ads and picture books.

Figma scores highest overall, but Adobe Express gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
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.Make consistent characters, short stories and videos using over 100 AI models in one app.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumPaid
Starting price$9.99/mo$16/mo per full seat$14/mo
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
Overall rating4.04.1Winner3.5
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
5.0
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.0
4.0
3.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app Yes Yes No
Desktop app– Yes No
Browser extension Yes No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
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 Yes
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No No Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes No
Capabilities score13/ 1713/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it.

Starter

Free

One person learning or sketching a first product.

Free trial

Free

A quick look before paying.

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.

Starter

$14/mo, or $13/mo billed yearly

Personal projects only.

Teams

$7.99/licence/mo, billed yearly

Small teams sharing a brand.

Organization

$55/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Companies with several teams.

PlusOur pick

$34/mo, or $27/mo billed yearly

Creators and small brands publishing weekly.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations on Adobe.

Enterprise

$90/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Large organisations with security and governance needs.

Pro

$56/mo, or $44/mo billed yearly

Channels publishing video several times a week.

Wonder

$240/mo, or $175/mo billed yearly

Studios and heavy video producers.

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.Skip Starter if the work is for a business, because it has no commercial rights. Plus is the sensible plan for most creators. Pay monthly until you know how fast you use credits, since refunds are hard to get.

Key features

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
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
  • Consistent characters
  • One-Click Story
  • Director
  • Many models
  • Editing tools
  • MCP and CLI

Pros and cons

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
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
  • Consistent characters that hold up across images and video
  • One-Click Story makes a short story video from a single prompt
  • Over 100 models with the credit cost shown before you run
  • Chat Mode picks models and settings for beginners
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
  • Credits drain quickly on video and don't roll over month to month
  • Many complaints about charges after cancelling and refused refunds
  • Users report paying for failed or unusable Director results
  • No commercial rights on the cheapest plan
  • Bugs, downtime and features that change between updates

Who each one is for

AttributeAdobe ExpressFigmaOpenArt
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
  • Consistent characters across images and video
  • Short story and music videos
  • Faceless social media channels
  • Picture book illustrations
You'll find it used by
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Teachers
  • Adobe users
  • Social media managers
  • Product teams
  • Founders
  • Developers
  • Agencies
  • UX designers
  • Content creators
  • YouTubers
  • Musicians
  • Small brands
  • Authors

Questions people ask

Which is better, Adobe Express, Figma or OpenArt?

Figma scores highest overall in our ratings (Adobe Express 4.0/5, Figma 4.1/5 and OpenArt 3.5/5). 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. OpenArt is best for consistent characters across images and video and short story and music videos.

Which is cheaper, Adobe Express, Figma or OpenArt?

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. OpenArt: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $14/mo.

Which is easier to use, Adobe Express, Figma or OpenArt?

Adobe Express rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses and marketers who want Canva-style design for less, especially anyone who already pays for Adobe.

How we compare

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

Swap in another tool

More tools from Image, Logo & Design in the library.