Canva vs. Figma: Which Design Tool Do You Actually Need?
These tools aren't really competitors — they solve different problems. Canva is for anyone who needs to make things look good without being a designer. Figma is a professional UI/UX design tool built for product teams. If you're debating between them, the answer probably depends on whether you're designing social posts or designing software.
Why People Compare These Two
I get why this comparison exists. Both are browser-based, both involve dragging things around on a canvas, and both have free plans. But once you spend real time in each tool, the overlap is surprisingly small. Canva is trying to make design accessible to everyone. Figma is trying to make professional design collaborative. They're built for different people with different goals.
That said, Canva has been creeping into more "professional" territory with its AI features and brand management tools, while Figma now offers Figma Slides for presentations. So the lines are blurring a bit. I spent several weeks in both to see where they actually stand in 2026.
Canva: The Good and the Bad
✅ What I Liked
- Anyone can use it — zero design experience needed, genuinely
- Templates for everything — social posts, presentations, videos, flyers, resumes, you name it
- AI tools are impressive — background removal, Magic Write, AI image generation all built in
- Free plan is surprisingly capable — 2M+ templates, basic AI, 5GB storage
- Brand Kits keep things consistent — lock your colors, fonts, and logos in one place
- Print and publish directly — order business cards, schedule social posts, all from Canva
❌ What Bugged Me
- Premium content is everywhere — crown icons on the best templates get old fast
- Team pricing keeps climbing — the old Teams plan ($10/user/month, 3-user min) is gone for new sign-ups, replaced by Business at $20/user/month
- Not a professional design tool — limited vector editing, no robust component systems, no responsive layouts for product design
- Only 5GB cloud storage on free — a few video projects and you're maxed out
- Everything looks "Canva-ish" — experienced designers can spot a Canva template a mile away
Figma: The Good and the Bad
✅ What I Liked
- Real-time collaboration is unmatched — multiple designers working on the same file simultaneously, flawlessly
- Component and design systems — build reusable elements that update everywhere at once
- Prototyping is built in — create interactive, clickable mockups without leaving the tool
- Dev handoff is seamless — developers can inspect designs and grab CSS, measurements, assets
- Plugin ecosystem is huge — thousands of community plugins for everything
- Free plan works for solo designers — 3 design files, unlimited personal drafts
❌ What Bugged Me
- March 2025 price hike was brutal — Professional jumped to $16/user/month, a 33% increase
- New seat structure is confusing — Full, Dev, Collab, and View seats require planning
- Not for non-designers — your marketing person isn't going to make a flyer in Figma
- Performance tanks on big files — complex design systems can get sluggish
- Very limited offline mode — desktop app lets you view/edit already-opened files offline, but you can't open new files without internet
- Organization plan killed monthly billing — annual commitment only at $45+/user/month
Pricing Breakdown
Canva: Free plan with 2M+ templates and basic AI. Pro at $13/month (or $120/year) for one person — includes 140M+ premium assets, background remover, Brand Kit, and 1TB storage. The old Teams plan ($10/user/month, 3-user minimum) is no longer available for new sign-ups — existing Teams subscribers keep their pricing, but new team customers get Canva Business at $20/user/month (minimum 3 users, so $60/month total) which adds collaboration tools, approval workflows, and higher AI limits. Solo users should stick with Pro at $13/month. Enterprise is custom pricing.
Figma: Free Starter plan with 3 team files. Professional at $16/user/month (annual) for unlimited files and advanced prototyping. Organization at $45/user/month (annual only) for multi-team management and SSO. Enterprise at $90/user/month for the full suite with advanced security. Plus they've added Collab seats at a lower price point for non-designers who just need to comment and use Slides.
My take: These prices aren't really comparable because the tools do different things. But if you're a non-designer trying to decide where to spend money, Canva Pro at $13/month is a no-brainer for the value. If you're a product team that needs real design infrastructure, Figma Professional at $16/user is the industry standard for a reason.
Who Should Pick Canva?
- You're a small business owner, marketer, or content creator — not a designer
- You need social media graphics, presentations, or marketing materials fast
- Your team needs brand-consistent content without hiring a designer
- You want AI-powered design tools without any learning curve
- You're a teacher, student, or nonprofit (free premium access available)
Who Should Pick Figma?
- You're a UI/UX designer, product designer, or part of a design team
- You need to build interactive prototypes and hand designs off to developers
- Your organization needs a shared design system with reusable components
- Real-time collaboration on design files is non-negotiable
- You're building websites, apps, or digital products
My Final Take
Here's the honest truth: most people asking "Canva or Figma?" need Canva. If you're making Instagram posts, pitch decks, newsletters, or YouTube thumbnails, Canva will get you there faster and easier. Figma would be overkill, and you'd spend more time learning the tool than actually making things.
But if you're designing digital products — apps, websites, design systems — Canva can't even begin to do what Figma does. Components, auto layout, responsive frames, interactive prototyping, dev handoff — that's Figma's world entirely.
What I'd actually do: Use both. Seriously. I use Canva for quick marketing assets and social content, and Figma for anything product-related. They complement each other perfectly because they barely overlap.
Both have genuinely useful free plans. Canva's free tier is one of the best in any SaaS category. Figma's free plan covers solo designers and small personal projects.
Try Canva Free → Try Figma Free →
Not affiliate links. I make $0 if you sign up for either one.
Tested by: UnbiasedSaaS | Last updated: February 2026 | Questions? Get in touch