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

Canva vs ChatGPT Images vs Figma

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

Best overall

Canva

4.5

From $144/yr for one person

ChatGPT Images

4.2

Free to start

Figma

4.1

From $16/mo per full seat

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Canva

4.5
Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.

ChatGPT Images

4.2

Pick it if: Anyone who already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.

Figma

4.1

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

Overview

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
In one lineMake social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you.Make and edit images inside ChatGPT by describing what you want, words included.The design tool product teams use, now able to turn a prompt into a working prototype.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$144/yr for one personFree$16/mo per full seat
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes No Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
Overall rating4.5Winner4.24.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
5.0
3.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.0
5.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
3.5
4.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes 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 Yes No
Writes code No Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations No Yes No
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score13/ 1716/ 1713/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it out.

Free

Free

A few images a day.

Starter

Free

One person learning or sketching a first product.

ProOur pick

$144/yr for one person

Anyone making marketing material every week.

Go

See website

Light users who hit the free limits.

ProfessionalOur pick

$16/mo per full seat

Small teams designing a real product.

Business

$250/yr per person

Teams who need shared brands and approvals.

PlusOur pick

See website

Most marketers and business owners.

Organization

$55/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Companies with several teams.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security requirements.

Pro

See website

Heavy daily users.

Enterprise

$90/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Large organisations with security and governance needs.

Business

See website

Teams who need shared workspaces and admin.

Which plan to pickUse Free until you find yourself fighting it, usually over the brand kit or background removal. Pro pays for itself the first time you skip a stock photo subscription. Business only makes sense once two or more people are working in the same brand.Free is enough to find out if the quality suits you. Plus is the one to buy if you make images most days, because the limits stop getting in the way and you get the whole assistant too. Pro is only for people living in ChatGPT all day.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.

Key features

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
Standout features
  • Templates for everything
  • Brand Kit
  • Canva AI
  • Magic Resize
  • Docs, sheets and video
  • Claude connection
  • Edit by conversation
  • Accurate text
  • Reference images
  • Thinking mode
  • Lives inside ChatGPT
  • API as gpt-image-2
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Figma Make
  • Dev Mode
  • Claude Code connection
  • Design systems
  • FigJam and Slides

Pros and cons

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
Pros
  • Nobody needs training to use it
  • The free plan is big enough to run a small business on
  • Brand Kit and Magic Resize save hours every week
  • Covers decks, documents and simple video as well as graphics
  • Works with Claude, so designs can start from a chat
  • No learning curve: describe it, then describe the fix
  • Reliable text and faithful use of your logo and product photos
  • Included in every ChatGPT plan, including Free
  • Handles many languages well
  • Thinking mode makes complex layouts and infographics workable
  • 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
Cons
  • Template designs can look generic unless you customise them
  • Fine control over type and layout is limited next to Figma or Adobe
  • Built-in image generation is a step behind the dedicated generators
  • AI features burn through credits faster than you expect on Free
  • Slower than dedicated generators
  • Free plan limits run out quickly on a busy day
  • Less distinctive artistic style than Midjourney
  • Limited fine control over composition compared with a design tool
  • No vector output
  • 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

Who each one is for

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesFigma
Best for
  • Social media posts and stories
  • Quick decks and one-pagers
  • Resizing one design for every channel
  • Simple logos and brand kits
  • Mockups and signage with real text
  • Editing an image by describing changes
  • Social tiles and quick marketing visuals
  • Multilingual text in images
  • Website and app design
  • Clickable prototypes
  • Handing designs to developers
  • Design systems and brand assets
You'll find it used by
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Social media managers
  • Teachers
  • Agencies
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Anyone on ChatGPT
  • Product teams
  • Founders
  • Developers
  • Agencies
  • UX designers

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.

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