Skip to content

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

Canva vs ChatGPT Images vs Krea

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

Krea

3.9

From $9/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overallBest value

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

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

Krea3.9

Pick it if: Designers, creative teams and hands-on marketers who want fast, controllable image making with many models.

Overview

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesKrea
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.Real-time image generation, an upscaler and dozens of AI models in one creative studio.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$144/yr for one personFree$9/mo
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 ImagesKrea
Overall rating4.5Winner4.23.9
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
5.0
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
3.5
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 ImagesKrea
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes No
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 Yes
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes No
Capabilities score13/ 1716/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesKrea
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it out.

Free

Free

A few images a day.

Free

Free

Learning the tools.

ProOur pick

$144/yr for one person

Anyone making marketing material every week.

Go

See website

Light users who hit the free limits.

Basic

$9/mo, or $5/mo billed yearly

Light personal or freelance use.

Business

$250/yr per person

Teams who need shared brands and approvals.

PlusOur pick

See website

Most marketers and business owners.

ProOur pick

$35/mo, or $21/mo billed yearly

Designers and marketers generating most days.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security requirements.

Pro

See website

Heavy daily users.

Max

$105/mo, or $63/mo billed yearly

Heavy users and video work.

Business

See website

Teams who need shared workspaces and admin.

Business

$200/mo, or $160/mo billed yearly

Creative teams of up to 50.

Enterprise

Custom

Large studios and brands.

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.Basic on yearly billing is one of the cheapest ways into a full AI studio with a commercial licence. Pro is the plan for anyone using it weekly, because it unlocks every model. Watch the compute meter on video and premium models in your first month.

Key features

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesKrea
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
  • Realtime
  • Enhancer
  • Krea 3 editing
  • Train your own
  • Krea Agent
  • Apps, API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesKrea
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
  • Real-time generation that no rival matches
  • Its own fast, cheap editing model in Krea 3
  • Many leading image and video models under one plan
  • Cheap entry plan with unlimited relaxed generations
  • Strong developer and designer integrations
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
  • Compute units are spent at different rates per model, so costs are hard to predict
  • Reviewers report trouble cancelling, surprise charges and slow support
  • Busy interface with a lot of tools to learn
  • Some users found the Enhancer changed colours or added grain
  • Performance can dip at peak times

Who each one is for

AttributeCanvaChatGPT ImagesKrea
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
  • Sketching ideas and seeing them rendered live
  • Upscaling and enhancing images
  • Fast product photo edits
  • Trying many models in one place
You'll find it used by
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Social media managers
  • Teachers
  • Agencies
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Anyone on ChatGPT
  • Designers
  • Creative directors
  • Marketers
  • Architects
  • Content creators

Questions people ask

Which is better, Canva, ChatGPT Images or Krea?

Canva scores highest overall in our ratings (Canva 4.5/5, ChatGPT Images 4.2/5 and Krea 3.9/5). Canva is best for social media posts and stories and quick decks and one-pagers. ChatGPT Images is best for mockups and signage with real text and editing an image by describing changes. Krea is best for sketching ideas and seeing them rendered live and upscaling and enhancing images.

Which is cheaper, Canva, ChatGPT Images or Krea?

Canva: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $144/yr for one person. ChatGPT Images: It's free to use. Krea: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9/mo.

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.