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As a Mac software expert and long-time Canva user, I‘m often asked about the best ways to access Canva Pro‘s premium features without paying. While there‘s no secret hack to get Canva Pro for free forever, there are a couple legitimate ways to test drive the upgraded tools at no cost, even on your Mac.
In this in-depth guide, I‘ll show you exactly how to get a free trial of Canva Pro as well as how to access it through the Canva for Education program. We‘ll also dive into the differences between Canva Free and Pro, how Canva stacks up to other popular Mac design tools, and whether upgrading to a paid plan is worth it for you.
What Is Canva Pro?
First, let‘s clarify what Canva Pro actually is. Canva has become a go-to graphic design app for millions thanks to its easy drag-and-drop editor and library of customizable templates. The platform has a generous free tier, but Canva Pro is its premium offering that unlocks additional features and content.
Canva Pro includes everything in Canva Free, plus:
- 100+ million premium photos, videos, audio, and graphics
- 610,000+ premium templates
- 100GB cloud storage (vs. 5GB in free)
- Custom fonts and brand color palettes
- Remove image backgrounds
- Animations and visual effects
- Design resizing and transparent background downloads
- Collaboration and approval workflows
- Social media scheduling
- 24/7 customer support
Canva Pro usually costs $12.99/month or $119.99/year, which is affordable compared to many professional design tools but still a significant investment for casual users. Luckily, there are a couple ways to get the premium features for free.
Can You Really Get Canva Pro for Free?
The short answer is no, there‘s no ongoing free version of Canva Pro. The only way to get long-term access is to pay for a subscription.
However, there are two legitimate ways to get Canva Pro for free for a limited time:
- 30-day free trial
- Canva for Education
Let‘s break down both of these options.
Sign Up for a Canva Pro Free Trial
Every Canva user can try Canva Pro free for 30 days. This trial includes all the premium features and templates. To activate it:
- Open the Canva Mac app or go to Canva.com
- Click your profile icon and go to Account Settings
- Select Try Canva Pro Free under the Billing section
- Add a payment method and click Start Free Trial
Note that you will need to enter a credit card to start your trial, but you won‘t be charged until the 30 days are up and you can cancel anytime before then. I recommend setting a calendar reminder a few days before your trial ends so you can decide whether to continue with a paid plan or not.
During your trial period, you‘ll have unrestricted access to all the Pro templates, images, and editing tools. You can use them in as many designs as you want. This is a great way to really put the premium features through their paces and see if they‘re worth the upgrade for you.
Access Canva Pro through Education Program
Students and teachers have another way to get Canva Pro for free through the Canva for Education program. This provides free access to Canva Pro for all students and educators at eligible institutions.
To sign up as a teacher:
- Go to Canva.com/education and click the button to Join as a Teacher
- Enter your official school email address
- Follow the prompts to verify your teaching status with proof like a school ID or paycheck
- Once approved, you can set up virtual classrooms and invite students
To join as a student:
- Ask your teacher to send you a unique Canva classroom invite link
- Click the invite link and log in with your school email address
- Verify your student status if asked
- Start using Canva Pro through your classroom portal!
There‘s no set limit on how long you can access Canva Pro through the Education program, but you do need to reverify your eligibility each year to keep it active. This is still an excellent deal for students and teachers who want to use Canva for school projects.
Canva Pro on Mac: What to Know
Since we‘re focusing on getting Canva Pro for Mac users, let‘s talk about how the software works on Apple devices. The good news is that Canva is fully optimized for Mac, so you can access all the same features and tools whether you‘re using the desktop app or web version.
Canva relies heavily on cloud storage, so you don‘t need to worry about the program taking up too much hard drive space on your Mac. With the Pro plan, you get 100GB of cloud storage compared to just 5GB with the free tier. This extra space is handy for uploading your own images and saving designs.
One unique perk for Apple users in Canva Pro is the Background Remover tool. This lets you easily remove the background from any image with just a click, which is great for creating designs with transparent elements. The resulting file can be downloaded as a PNG.
Canva also offers a robust mobile app for iOS that syncs with your account. So you can start a design on your Mac and then continue editing it on your iPhone or iPad, which is convenient for on-the-go work. The mobile app includes most of the same features as the desktop version.
Canva Pro vs. Other Design Software for Mac
If you‘re considering investing in Canva Pro, you might be wondering how it stacks up to other popular graphic design programs for Mac. The main competitors would be Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Affinity Designer.
In terms of pricing, Canva Pro is much more affordable at $12.99/month compared to Adobe‘s plans which start at $52.99/month. Affinity Designer is a one-time purchase of $49.99.
Feature-wise, Adobe software is still the industry standard for professional designers who need maximum flexibility and control. But for the vast majority of users who just want to create attractive graphics quickly, Canva Pro offers unbeatable value. It has a far more extensive library of templates and stock assets than Adobe or Affinity.
| Program | Price | Unique Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Canva Pro | $12.99/mo | Huge template library, drag-and-drop editor, built-in stock photos |
| Adobe Creative Suite | $52.99/mo | Advanced tools, total customization, industry standard |
| Affinity Designer | $49.99 one-time | Precise vector editing, affordable perpetual license |
Ultimately, Canva Pro‘s main selling point is its ease of use. With the intuitive editor and pre-made templates, even complete beginners can create professional-looking designs in minutes. It may lack some of the advanced features of Adobe or Affinity, but it fits the bill for most people‘s needs.
Bottom Line: Is Canva Pro Worth It?
Now that we‘ve covered all the ways to get Canva Pro for free and how it compares to other options, you might be wondering if it‘s worth paying for a subscription.
As someone who happily pays for Canva Pro, I think it absolutely can be worth the investment depending on your needs. If you regularly create social media content, marketing materials, or any other kind of visual designs, upgrading to Canva Pro could save you hours each week while improving the quality of your output.
The massive library of premium templates and stock assets alone makes Canva Pro a great value in my book. It‘s so convenient having millions of high-quality photos, graphics, and videos at my fingertips whenever I need them for a project. The extra features like background remover, brand kits, and Magic Resize also streamline my workflow.
However, if you‘re just a casual Canva user who makes basic graphics now and then, you‘d likely be just as well served by the free version. Canva Free still has tons of great templates and tools that are more than enough for most people‘s needs.
To see for yourself, I suggest making use of Canva Pro‘s 30-day free trial. That will give you a full month to explore all the premium features and templates to decide if they‘re worth the upgrade.
For students and teachers, definitely take advantage of the Canva for Education program if you can. Getting Canva Pro for free is an incredible deal that will give you access to so many valuable tools and resources for school projects.
Canva‘s exponential growth in recent years shows that it‘s successfully serving the needs of its users. The company reported having over 60 million active users as of 2021, and that number has likely only grown. It‘s a testament to the quality and usefulness of the product.
"With Canva, we set out to empower the modern workforce to design anything and publish anywhere," said Canva co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins. "Our dream was to create a platform that simplified graphic design and made it accessible to everyone."
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide has helped you understand your options for getting Canva Pro for free on Mac. While there‘s no way to get permanent access without a paid plan, the 30-day trial and education program are both excellent ways to experience the premium features at no cost.
Whether you‘re a marketer, small business owner, student, or just someone who enjoys graphic design as a hobby, Canva Pro is an incredibly powerful and user-friendly tool. I‘m constantly impressed by the new features and assets the Canva team adds on a regular basis.
Even if you ultimately stick with the free tier, you really can‘t go wrong with Canva. It‘s hands down one of the best graphic design platforms for non-designers. Getting started is an investment that will pay off for years to come.