Canva vs Figma: Which Design Tool is Right for You in 2023?
When it comes to creating stunning visual designs, having the right tools can make all the difference. Two of the most popular options on the market today are Canva and Figma. While both are powerful design platforms, they each have their own strengths and are tailored towards different use cases and user types.
In this in-depth comparison, we‘ll break down everything you need to know to decide whether Canva or Figma is the best fit for your specific needs.
What is Canva?
Canva is a user-friendly online design tool that makes it easy for anyone to create professional-looking graphics. It‘s an ideal choice for marketers, small business owners, and casual users who want to make attractive designs without needing to learn complex software.
Some common use cases for Canva include:
- Social media posts and graphics
- Marketing materials like flyers and brochures
- Presentations and slideshows
- Invitations and cards
- Basic photo editing and collages
Canva requires no prior design experience thanks to its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Users can start with a template and quickly customize it with their own text, images, and branding elements. The extensive library of pre-made templates, graphics, photos, and fonts makes it a breeze to create designs that look polished and professional.
What is Figma?
Figma, on the other hand, is a more advanced tool geared towards UI and UX designers, product designers, and development teams. It‘s a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool that‘s used to design websites, mobile apps, and other digital products.
Some key use cases for Figma are:
- Wireframing and prototyping
- Designing high-fidelity mockups
- Creating design systems and pattern libraries
- Collaborating with development teams
- User flows and journey mapping
Figma is browser-based with a more technical, pared-back interface compared to Canva. It supports advanced features like vector networks, masking, and prototyping interactions that are essential for digital product design. While it does offer some basic templates to help you get started, most users start designing from scratch.
Learning Curve
One of the starkest differences between Canva and Figma is the barrier to entry. Canva was created with beginners in mind and requires virtually no learning curve to start making great-looking designs. The interface guides you through the design process step-by-step.
In contrast, Figma‘s interface and terminology will feel familiar to anyone with experience using other UI design tools or advanced graphic design software. However, first-time users may find it overwhelming and will likely need to go through some tutorials to get up to speed. While not as beginner-friendly as Canva, those with a design background can get the hang of the basics fairly quickly.
Pricing
Both Canva and Figma offer free versions that anyone can sign up for and start using. The free version of Canva includes access to over 250,000 templates and 100+ design types, along with 1GB of cloud storage. You can create and share designs for free, but some premium elements and features require a paid plan.
Canva Pro is $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year and unlocks more features like a brand kit, background remover, magic resize, and the full library of templates, photos, videos and graphics. Canva for Teams costs $14.99 per month for up to 5 people.
The free version of Figma lets you create up to 3 Figma design files and 3 FigJam whiteboards and includes unlimited personal files, collaborators and viewers. For more advanced features and unlimited projects, you‘ll need a paid plan.
Figma Professional costs $12 per editor/month if billed annually or $15 month-to-month. This unlocks org-wide libraries, unlimited version history, and increased cloud storage. Figma Organization is $45 per editor/month and adds organization-wide design systems, advanced security features, and dedicated account management.
Templates & Elements
Another area where Canva really shines is its massive library of templates and design elements. It has thousands of templates for every conceivable use case, from Instagram posts to wedding invitations to infographics. Even on the free plan, you get access to over 250,000 free templates as well as millions of free photos and graphics.
With Canva‘s template system, you never have to start from a blank canvas unless you want to. Each template acts as a customizable starting point that you can easily edit to fit your needs. The templates are extremely well-designed and on trend, so even simple customizations can yield great results.
In comparison, Figma‘s template selection is much more limited, with only a few hundred options currently available. Most of these are focused on app and web design, such as UI kits and wireframe templates.
When it comes to design elements like icons, illustrations and stock photos, Figma doesn‘t have a built-in library, so you‘ll need to source these from third-party sites or create them yourself. However, you can create libraries of reusable components to make your workflow more efficient.
Collaboration Features
Since Figma is primarily used by product teams and agencies, it‘s built with collaboration in mind. Figma pioneered many of the now-standard collaboration features in the design tool space.
The most notable is real-time collaboration, where multiple team members can work together on the same file at the same time and see each others‘ changes as they happen. You can also leave comments, mention collaborators, assign tasks, and track version history all within the Figma editor.
Figma also integrates with popular tools like Slack, Jira, and Trello to streamline design workflows and communication. Files can be securely shared with stakeholders for feedback and developers can inspect designs and copy code snippets.
Canva also supports collaboration, but in a more limited way. On a free plan, you can share a design for others to view and leave comments. On the paid Canva for Teams plan, you can invite team members to collaborate and edit shared designs. However, it lacks real-time editing so only one person can work on a design at a time.
App Integrations
In terms of app integrations and supported file formats, Figma is more flexible than Canva. With Figma, you can import files from Sketch, Adobe XD, Illustrator, and Photoshop. You can also use plugins to add additional functionality and connect your designs with external tools.
One handy integration is the Figma to React converter that turns your Figma designs into React code. Figma also has an open API that allows developers to create their own plugins and integrations.
Canva is a bit more limited on the integration front, but it does work seamlessly with social media and content platforms. You can post designs directly to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. Designs can also be embedded on websites or exported to PDF, JPG, PNG and video formats.
Final Verdict
So which tool is the right choice for your needs? The answer will depend on the type of designs you‘re creating and your level of expertise.
If you‘re a professional UI/UX designer working on complex digital products, Figma is the clear winner. Its vector-based editing, auto-layout features, and advanced prototyping capabilities make it a top choice for web and app design. The collaborative workflow features are also a must-have for many product teams.
On the other hand, if you‘re a marketer or business owner looking to create eye-catching graphics for social media and print, Canva is the way to go. With its user-friendly editor, extensive template library, and helpful integrations, it‘s the easiest way for non-designers to produce slick, professional-looking assets.
Many designers find themselves using both tools for different purposes. You might use Figma to create a cohesive design system for a website or app, and then use Canva to produce accompanying social media images and marketing materials that align with the brand.
Ultimately, both Canva and Figma are extremely capable tools that can help you produce beautiful, high-quality designs. By evaluating your specific needs and design skills, you can choose the tool that will allow you to work most efficiently and effectively.