Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
Canva vs Namelix vs Pixlr
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.
Pick it if: Founders and small business owners brainstorming a business, product or brand name.
Pick it if: Small business owners, creators and students who want a cheap, quick photo editor without installing Photoshop.
Canva scores highest overall, but Namelix gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Make social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you. | Free AI business name generator that suggests short, brandable names with a domain check. | Browser photo editor with AI tools for removing backgrounds, filling and making images. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | $144/yr for one person | Free | $2.49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5Winner | 4.4 | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | – | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | – | No |
| API access | Yes | No | No |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | – | No |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | – | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | – | No |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | – | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | – | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | No | Yes |
| Makes video | Yes | No | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | – | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | – | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 1/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional posts and trying it out. | FreeOur pick Free Anyone brainstorming a name. | Free Free Occasional quick edits. |
ProOur pick $144/yr for one person Anyone making marketing material every week. | Plus $2.49/mo, or $1.99/mo billed yearly Ad-free basic editing. | ||
Business $250/yr per person Teams who need shared brands and approvals. | PremiumOur pick $9.99/mo, or $7.99/mo billed yearly Small businesses using AI tools weekly. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations with security requirements. | Ultra From $24.99/mo, or $19.99/mo billed yearly Heavy AI users. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Use 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. | There's nothing to buy for the names themselves. If you want a logo for the name you pick, Brandmark sells one-off logo packages from $35, but you can take the name anywhere. | Use it free for simple edits. If the ads annoy you, Plus is cheap. Premium is the one to get if you'll use the AI tools every week. Ultra Max doubles Ultra's credits for $49.99/mo. |
Key features
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Canva | Namelix | Pixlr |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Canva, Namelix or Pixlr?
Canva scores highest overall in our ratings (Canva 4.5/5, Namelix 4.4/5 and Pixlr 4.0/5). Canva is best for social media posts and stories and quick decks and one-pagers. Namelix is best for brainstorming a business name and product and app names. Pixlr is best for quick photo edits in the browser and removing backgrounds and objects.
Which is cheaper, Canva, Namelix or Pixlr?
Canva: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $144/yr for one person. Namelix: It's free to use. Pixlr: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $2.49/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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