Canva vs Figma

September 19, 2023 | Author: Adam Levine
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Canva
Canva gives you everything you need to easily turn ideas into stunning designs. Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, flyers, posters, invitations and so much more.
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Figma
The collaborative interface design tool. Each contributor owns their part of the creative process and stays in sync along the way - across any platform. Securely connect teams, fonts, and libraries across your entire company.
Canva and Figma are both popular graphic design tools, but they have some key differences:

Use Case: Canva is primarily designed for non-designers or users with limited design skills who need to create simple graphics quickly and easily, such as social media posts, presentations, posters, and other visual content. Canva provides pre-designed templates, drag-and-drop editing, and a wide range of design elements, making it user-friendly for beginners. Figma, on the other hand, is a more robust and feature-rich design tool primarily aimed at professional designers and design teams for creating complex and interactive design projects, such as web and mobile app UI/UX design, prototypes, and design systems.

Collaborative Design: Figma is known for its strong emphasis on collaborative design capabilities, allowing multiple designers to work on the same design file simultaneously, in real-time. Figma provides features such as design components, design libraries, and design versioning, which are designed to enhance collaboration and streamline the design process for teams. Canva, on the other hand, is more focused on individual design creation and does not have the same level of real-time collaborative design features as Figma.

Platform and Accessibility: Canva is primarily a web-based tool that can be accessed via a web browser, making it easily accessible across different platforms, including desktop computers and mobile devices. Canva also offers a mobile app for designing on the go. Figma, on the other hand, is a cloud-based design tool that can be accessed via a web browser, but it also offers a desktop app for offline design work. Figma also provides design prototyping and viewing capabilities, making it accessible for design collaboration and feedback across different devices and platforms.

Design Capabilities: While both Canva and Figma offer a wide range of design capabilities, Figma is generally considered to be more powerful and feature-rich, with advanced design tools and features for professional designers. Figma provides vector editing, design components, design libraries, prototyping, and advanced design export options, among other features. Canva, on the other hand, provides a more simplified and user-friendly interface with pre-designed templates, drag-and-drop editing, and basic design tools. Canva may be more suitable for simple design tasks, while Figma offers more advanced capabilities for complex design projects.

Pricing Model: Canva offers both free and paid plans, with additional features and capabilities available in the paid plans. Canva's pricing model is primarily based on a subscription model, with different tiers for individuals, teams, and enterprises. Figma also offers free and paid plans, with additional features and collaboration capabilities available in the paid plans. Figma's pricing model is primarily based on a per-editor per-month subscription model, with additional options for organizations and teams.

Ultimately, the main difference between Canva and Figma lies in their target users, use cases, collaborative design capabilities, platform accessibility, design capabilities, and pricing models. Canva is more focused on non-designers or users with limited design skills who need quick and easy graphic design solutions, while Figma is geared towards professional designers and design teams who require more advanced design tools, collaborative capabilities, and design system management. Organizations should consider their specific design requirements, team collaboration needs, and budget when choosing between Canva and Figma.

See also: Top 10 Online Design software
Canva vs Figma in our news:

2023. Adobe and Figma end $20B acquisition plans after regulatory headwinds in Europe



Adobe's $20 billion acquisition of rival Figma has officially collapsed, as the companies cited regulatory challenges in Europe as the decisive factor leading to the abandonment of the deal. Initially revealed in September of the previous year, the significant size of the transaction and the elimination of one of Adobe's key competitors made it susceptible to regulatory scrutiny. Throughout 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) closely examined the deal, although no formal lawsuit had been filed to prevent its completion. In a final effort to avoid legal action, Adobe and Figma engaged in discussions with the DOJ before the weekend, ultimately resulting in the termination of the acquisition plans.


2023. Canva unveils Magic Studio, a suite of AI-powered design tools



Canva, the graphic design platform, has unveiled Magic Studio, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to simplify the creation of engaging and informative visuals. While the official launch was today, some of Canva's new features have been gradually introduced to a select group of users over the past few months. The Magic Edit trial, for example, gained attention earlier this year for its ability to modify individual elements in an image, transforming casual photos into professional headshots suitable for platforms like LinkedIn. Magic Studio represents a significant enhancement to Canva's AI offerings, introducing tools like Magic Switch, Magic Grab, Magic Expand, Magic Morph, Magic Alt Text, and Magic Animate. These tools utilize Canva's proprietary AI technology as well as contributions from partners like Google and OpenAI.


2022. Canva announces Docs - word processing tool



Graphic design platform Canva has introduced its latest collaborative word processing tool, Canva Docs. With the goal of rivaling established platforms like Google Docs, Canva Docs offers a stylish and visually appealing approach. Similar to its competitors, Canva Docs enables multiple users to collaborate simultaneously on a document, allowing you to observe real-time edits from your editor. In addition to standard features like spell check and support for non-English languages, including those with non-Latin characters, Canva Docs stands out with its emphasis on visual design. The word processor provides a range of format templates for users to select from, and its unique "Docs to Decks" feature automatically transforms a document into a presentation format, saving you significant time and effort. Furthermore, Canva Docs allows users to embed other Canva projects within their documents, such as presentations, videos, and digital whiteboards, enhancing the overall visual experience and flexibility of content creation.


2022. Adobe snaps up Figma for $20B



Adobe has recently announced its acquisition of Figma for a staggering $20 billion. Figma has gained popularity among individuals and teams due to its streamlined and modern cloud-based environment for design and prototyping. With approximately 4 million users to date, Figma has established itself as a prominent player in the industry. On the other hand, Adobe has been actively expanding its presence in the digital creation space through both internal developments and acquisitions. This expansion has taken Adobe beyond design and into marketing and other interconnected areas in the creation process. Design has always been at the core of Adobe's DNA, evident in their iconic products such as Photoshop, fonts, illustration, video, and 3D tools. The strategic vision behind the acquisition is to seamlessly integrate these Adobe products with Figma, positioning Figma as the native platform that unifies all of them. Adobe already had a similar offering in the form of AdobeXD, but the acquisition of Figma further strengthens its position in the design ecosystem.


2022. Canva moves beyond graphic design to launch a visual worksuite



Canva is expanding its range of offerings beyond its popular graphic design tool. The Australian company has introduced several new products to enhance its portfolio: Canva Docs, Canva Websites, Canva Whiteboards, and Data Visualization. In addition, Canva plans to expand its print services and extend its background removal technology to videos. Canva Presentations, launched in 2021, will also receive an upgrade with a remote control feature, enabling presenters to use other devices, such as a phone, as a virtual clicker.


2021. Canva is getting into video



Canva, the startup dedicated to making design accessible to all, has introduced a new video editing suite. The Canva video software features an interface designed around scenes, enabling users to break down their videos into manageable segments. Within the suite, users can soon trim scenes, manage multiple audio tracks, and utilize in-editor video previews to review their work. Canva emerged during the design renaissance, alongside the rise of Sketch, Figma, and InVision, challenging Adobe's dominance. However, Canva distinguished itself by prioritizing the democratization of design, offering a user-friendly interface that empowers individuals to create a wide range of assets, including slide decks, t-shirts, and social media content.


2021. Figma introduces a whiteboard tool called FigJam



Figma, the online collaborative design service, has unveiled FigJam, a new whiteboarding tool aimed at fostering teamwork. FigJam goes beyond providing designers with a space to generate ideas collectively; it also enables nondesigners to actively participate in the brainstorming process. The tool offers a range of features, including sticky notes, emojis, drawing tools, shapes, pre-built lines and connectors, stamps, and cursor chats. Integration with Figma ensures smooth transitions as components or design objects created in FigJam can easily be transferred to Figma. Additionally, Figma is introducing voice chat functionality across all its products. This allows users collaborating on designs in Figma or engaging in brainstorming sessions in FigJam to communicate via audio without the need for separate Zoom or Google Meet calls—simply toggling on chat in Figma facilitates seamless audio communication.


2020. Design platform Figma raises $50 million



Figma, the design platform renowned for its collaborative and cloud-based approach, has recently concluded a successful Series D financing round, raising $50 million. After nearly six years of development in stealth mode, Figma was launched in 2015 with the vision of creating a collaborative design tool that functions similarly to Google Docs. Since its inception, Figma has continued to enhance its platform, focusing on expanding accessibility and usability for individual designers, small firms, and large enterprise companies. Additionally, the company introduced an educational platform called Community, empowering designers to share their work and enabling users to "remix" designs or explore them layer by layer.


2019. Canva introduces online video editing



Canva, the design company that has secured nearly $250 million in funding, has unveiled a range of exciting new features, including a video editing tool. This tool simplifies the editing process and requires no prior experience, offering video templates, access to a stock content library encompassing videos, music, and more, as well as user-friendly animation tools. In addition, Canva has introduced Canva Apps, enabling developers and customers to build on top of the Canva platform. Notably, Dropbox, Google Drive, PhotoMosh, and Instagram are already part of the Canva Apps suite, with a total of 30 apps available upon launch.


2019. Graphic Design Software Canva launched enterprise product


Canva, the Australian design tool company, has announced a recent funding round that raised an additional $10 million, bringing its valuation to $3.2 billion. Alongside this, the company is introducing Canva for Enterprise. Up until now, Canva has provided users with a user-friendly toolkit for creating marketing and sales presentations, social media materials, and various other design products that are typically unrelated to product design. However, the challenge lies in maintaining brand consistency across the organization, especially outside the realm of product designers. While Canva remains free for individual users, the company has recognized the growing demand within professional organizations to ensure brand consistency and has responded with Canva Pro, a premium version of the product available for $12.95 per month.

Author: Adam Levine
Adam is an expert in project management, collaboration and productivity technologies, team management, and motivation. With an extensive background working at prestigious companies such as Microsoft and Accenture, Adam's in-depth knowledge and experience in the field make him a sought-after professional. Currently, he has ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a thriving consulting and training agency where he imparts invaluable insights and practical strategies to individuals and organizations, empowering them to achieve their goals and maximize their potential. You can contact Adam via email adam@liventerprise.com