Is Canva Pro Worth It? Canva Free vs. Paid (2023)

There’s a reason why Canva is one of the top-rated graphic design tools that allows you to create social media graphics and other marketing materials for small businesses. Canva can help you edit your pictures and videos and even design posters, logos, and entire ad campaigns for free! This begs the question, what’s the difference between the free and paid versions of Canva?

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The free version of Canva is impressive in itself. It contains thousands of free templates, images and vectors, so you can use it to design marketing materials from scratch. Still, there are many added benefits to getting Canva Pro, from social scheduling to extra team members on your account.

In this article, we’ve compared the differences between Canva free vs. pro. So, keep on reading to know all the differences, and decide which one would suit your needs better.

Want to learn more about how to use Canva? Check out these guides!

Table of Contents

Free vs. Paid Version of Canva

There are many distinctions between the free and paid versions of Canva. This includes different features as well as storage.

Here are the main differences:

Canva Templates

Every graphic designer knows how great Canva templates can be. Canva has a huge selection of templates that can help any designer, whether you’re using Canva for professional marketing or to spice up your Instagram posts.

Luckily, you don’t have to pay to access Canva’s template library. The free version of Canva comes with over 250,000 templates. So, you can rest assured you’ll have the template you need no matter what you’re working on.

Still, Canva Pro significantly upgrades its template collection, constantly adding new templates. You can choose from over 610,000 different templates. The great thing is that unlike Canva free, in Canva Pro, you can even customize the template to your liking.

Design Elements

Elements are a great addition to any design you’re working on. In Canva, you don’t have to make your own stickers, frames, or even import photos. Instead, Canva has hundreds of design elements to choose from.

In the free version of Canva, you’ll get hundreds of thousands of different graphic elements. However, you won’t be able to separate the ones you can use in the free version.

On the other hand, you’ll get tons of extra features and graphic elements in Canva Pro.

For starters, you’ll get extra stickers and stock photos. Additionally, you’ll be able to use pre-licensed HD and 4K videos. Lastly, you’ll get a collection of over 25,000 audio clips.

If you’re using Canva for free, you won’t have access to any audio or video options.

Storage

Canva gives you the great option of storing your work for you even if you haven’t exported or saved it yet. This way, you can constantly go back to old projects and edit them later!

You’ll only get 5 GB of storage if you use Canva for free. This can actually be more than enough if you’re only using Canva for your personal Instagram. However, you’ll need much more storage if you’re working on larger projects.

In contrast, Canva Pro gives you huge storage of 1 TB, even larger than most phones’ storage space. Wow!

Output Options

You might not think of output options as something crucial in an editing application. After all, you only need the finished design in any picture format. However, if you’re an experienced graphic designer, the extra options will significantly benefit you.

You can export your photos into different applications in the free Canva. You can also save your finished work to your device. Yet, in Canva Pro, you have many other exporting options.

You can download vectors and PNGs and adjust the compression settings for your finished design. So, you can use these elements in different applications seamlessly.

Canva Pro Account Features

There’s no doubt that you’ll get extra features when paying for Canva Pro. These features will elevate your designs and make the editing process much easier than usual.

Here are just a few features you have access to with Canva Pro:

You can upload custom fonts and use them in all your designs
Save color palettes to your brand kit for your business and other projects
Use the magic resize button on your designs so you can use the same design on different platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest
Create a transparent background before you download your Canva design
Use the background remover in just a few clicks which can help enhance your designs
Access to thousands of premium stock photos which can save you time when designing graphics

It’s worth noting that there are two options for Canva paid: Canva Pro and Canva for Teams. Both include the same features, the only difference being the number of users.

One of the many features includes the magic resize button! This allows you to resize your Canva design for different platforms.

Editing Tools

One of the unique features available only in Canva Pro is the various editing tools. These tools will make editing much more accessible in ways you didn’t know existed.

For instance, the magic resizes tool in Canva Pro is perfect for sharing your work on different social media platforms.

That’s because it allows you to reformat the same picture to the appropriate size according to the specific platform. So, you can easily share the same design on any platform without the annoying size issues.

In addition, you’ll get to use the background removal tool. This tool is incredibly useful, especially if you want to edit headshots or create thumbnails for Youtube. You can also use this tool to make your stickers and vectors easily.

Social Scheduling

Canva Pro takes social media marketing to the next level with the social scheduling tool. Not only does Canva allow you to design social media posts, but it shares them for you at the right time.

This tool allows you to plan your content ahead of time. You can coordinate your posts, schedule the best time to share them, and choose the social media channel. Then, Canva will do the work for you.

Branding Tools

Canva Pro also allows you to have your one-of-a-kind brand kit. You can even have numerous brand kits if you’re a graphic designer with several clients and working on multiple projects.

You can use this tool to choose your brand colors, fonts, and even upload your brand logo. This way, the next time you need to design a stunning piece, you can refer back to your brand kit without getting lost in a sea of different fonts and colors.

Multiple Users

Whether you’re using Canva for free or Canva Pro, the plan is limited to one user. However, you can upgrade your Pro plan to include up to five users. The users can access each others’ designs and templates, making the workflow much easier.

How Much Does Canva Pro Cost?

There is Canva Pro which costs $119 per year for one person. If you plan on having team members, it will cost $149.90 for up to 5 team members on your Canva account.

If you purchase the Canva Pro monthly plan, it costs $12.99 per month. However, you can save 16% by upgrading to. the annual plan.

Here is why I love Canva Pro: As a small business owner of an online business, I use Canva on a regular basis. There is a learning curve involved but that’s because there are so many amazing features! I think Canva Pro is worth paying for because of the access to premium stock photos, animations, and other design elements. I also use the background remover and create transparent backgrounds frequently in my designs. It couldn’t be easier to create professional designs!

Should You Upgrade to Canva Pro?

Now that you know that we’ve compared both versions of Canva, you should examine your needs to figure out which version is suitable for you.

For instance, if you only use Canva for fun, you might not need the upgrade. Alternatively, the extra features will save you time and energy if you’re a professional graphic designer who often relies on Canva and other applications.

You should also consider the type of designs you create. Canva Pro is great if you also need to edit videos or add audio to your designs.

The branding tool will keep your designs neat and consistent if you’re responsible for marketing your brand online and on social media. Furthermore, Canva Pro will help you schedule your posts so you won’t need to stress about updating your brand’s social media.

Lastly, Canva for teams is a fantastic choice for enterprises, especially if your team members work remotely. It’ll help you control members’ access, publishing, and design approvals.

Bottom Line

The free version of Canva is incredibly functional that it can be hard to imagine what the premium version includes! Yet, before making the upgrade, you need to know the differences between Canva free vs. paid.

While thousands of templates and design elements are available for free on Canva, Canva Pro offers a lot more; you can customize your template. Additionally, Canva Pro includes pre-licensed videos and audio files you can add to your edit.

You can also make a brand kit in Canva Pro that includes your distinct brand colors, fonts, and logo. Lastly, if you’re a part of a larger group, you can upgrade to Canva for teams so you can easily access your team’s design.

Is Canva Pro Worth It? Canva Free vs. Paid