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

Canva 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

Figma

4.1

From $16/mo per full seat

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Canva

4.5
Best overallBest valueEasiest to use

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

Figma

4.1

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

Overview

AttributeCanvaFigma
In one lineMake social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you.The design tool product teams use, now able to turn a prompt into a working prototype.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$144/yr for one person$16/mo per full seat
Free plan Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeCanvaFigma
Overall rating4.5Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
3.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
5.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

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

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

Pricing

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

AttributeCanvaFigma
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it out.

Starter

Free

One person learning or sketching a first product.

ProOur pick

$144/yr for one person

Anyone making marketing material every week.

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.

Organization

$55/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Companies with several teams.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security requirements.

Enterprise

$90/mo per full seat, billed yearly

Large organisations with security and governance needs.

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.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

AttributeCanvaFigma
Standout features
  • Templates for everything
  • Brand Kit
  • Canva AI
  • Magic Resize
  • Docs, sheets and video
  • Claude connection
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Figma Make
  • Dev Mode
  • Claude Code connection
  • Design systems
  • FigJam and Slides

Pros and cons

AttributeCanvaFigma
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
  • 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
  • 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

AttributeCanvaFigma
Best for
  • Social media posts and stories
  • Quick decks and one-pagers
  • Resizing one design for every channel
  • Simple logos and brand kits
  • 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
  • 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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