From creating stunning, professional-looking visuals to downloading thousands of free stock images, there’s a lot you can do with Canva. However, depending on your requirements, it might not have everything you need. In such a case, being familiar with other sites like Canva can really come in handy.
Whether you’re a professional graphic designer or just someone who needs to whip up high-quality visuals on short notice for social media, keep reading. In this article, we’ll take you through the best Canva alternatives to try in 2020.
Let’s get started.
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Why Pixelied is the Most Promising Alternative to Canva
If you’re a marketer or a graphic designer on a budget, creating top-level visual assets can be challenging. For starters, you need a great creative design tool that doesn’t break the bank.
That’s where Pixelied – a site just as good as Canva, if not better – comes into the picture. It offers an array of exciting graphic design tools in a highly intuitive user-interface.
With Pixelied, you can design masterpieces for social media, blog posts, email, and much more – all with a minimum learning curve.
And the best part? You don’t need to download anything. Simply sign up (it’s free), log in, and start designing social media posts, headers, covers and other creative assets.
11 Best Sites Like Canva [The Only Ones You Need to Know]
There are a few good websites/online tools that are just like Canva.
However, if you had to pick 11 great Canva alternatives, you could safely bet your money on the following:
1. Pixelied
Pixelied is an easy-to-use online graphic editor that’s already giving other well-known sites, such as Canva, Crello, Designbold, Visme, and Adobe Spark a run for their money.
Packed with some of the best features, such as ready-to-use templates, a highly flexible graphic editor, and free fonts, to name a few, this is easily one of the most versatile tools right now.
Let’s take a detailed look into what’s under the hood:
- Ready-Made Templates – whether you want social media graphics, headers, covers or any other type of asset, with Pixelied, you can create awesome visual content on the go. The tool offers a vast library of ready-made templates (nearly 1,500, to be exact – for Facebook covers, Instagram ads, YouTube channel art, and much more) to choose from.
- Advanced Editor – Pixelied is packed with some of the most popular and unique image editing features that aren’t offered by most competitors. This includes text manipulation (letter spacing, line height, etc.), image effects, filters, borders, shadows, and more.
- Premium Icons – with a huge library of premium icons at your disposal, you can make your visuals stand out.
- Vast Library of Fonts (900+) – another great thing about Pixelied is that you don’t need to spend hours searching for the perfect font. With over 900 Google Fonts to choose from, you can find the perfect typeface right then and there.
- Millions of Royalty-Free Stock Images – shifting between third party platforms to find stock images can be a real hassle. And not to mention, they can be quite expensive. Pixelied solves those problems by providing you with millions of high resolution, royalty-free stock images.
- SVG/Vector Editing – this Pixelied-only feature lets you upload SVG/vector files and change their colors.
In addition to the above, Pixelied also allows you to conveniently resize templates, remove backgrounds, and add image effects.
Pixelied Pricing
As of now, Pixelied comes with two pricing plans:
- Free – search 100+ templates, download unlimited templates, choose from over 3 million stock photos, use premium icons, upload files and create 2 folders, all for free.
- Pro – for just $9.95 per month, you gain access to all of the templates and 3 million stock photos, can create unlimited folders, upload files and custom fonts, get priority user support, and much more.
Visit Pixelied
2. BeFunky
Next on our list is BeFunky, another super handy design tool that offers sufficient features to help an average designer/market get by.
Like most other design tools, it lets you create professional-looking marketing assets and personal masterpieces in a matter of a few minutes.
Here are some of the most popular features:
- Collage maker – create photo collages with a few simple clicks on a very user-friendly interface.
- Touch Up – do away with minor imperfections in your selfies and portrait photos in a few steps.
- Photo Enhancer – this feature allows for common photography fixes, such as sharpening objects, brightening colors, and reducing image noise.
- Resizing – a standard image resizing tool that lets you re-purpose your visuals on-the-go.
Additionally, BeFunky offers standard features such as photo frames, watermarks, background removal, etc. It also has mobile apps for Android and iPhone.
BeFunky Pricing
The website offers two plans:
- Basic – with this version, you get to use 125 digital effects for free.
- BeFunky Plus – Pay $6 per month or $59.88 annually to use all of the tool’s features.
Visit BeFunky
3. Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is a slightly differentiated alternative to Canva that’s definitely worth a shot.
With Adobe Spark, you can quickly and easily create social media images, web pages, and even short videos.
Here are some of the features that this tool is known for:
- Free Fonts – as with any design tool, you can choose from a variety of free fonts as opposed to downloading them from third-party websites.
- Image Library – a number of royalty-free images are available for your designing needs.
- Themes – Adobe Spark offers a great selection of ready-made themes that you can use to instantly create stunning visuals.
- Sharing – once you’ve created your visuals, you can share them with others on social media or email directly from your Adobe Spark account.
All in all, Adobe Spark is a decent tool. However, there’s definitely a learning curve that can be challenging for some users to overcome (at least when compared to other sites like Canva) which is why some users look for its alternatives. But it’s not as complicated as Photoshop.
Adobe Spark Pricing
Adobe Spark offers the following two pricing plans:
- Starter Plan – With this free plan, you get to pick from a range of ready-to-use images and icons.
- Paid Plan – unlock all features for $9.79 a month or $117.49 annually.
Visit Adobe Spark
4. Stencil
If you’re looking for an online design tool specifically for social media or blogging, Stencil might be worth exploring.
Here’s a quick overview of the most popular features it has to offer:
- Templates – select from a variety of ready-to-use templates for different assets and websites.
- Stock Photos – quickly find and use royalty-free, high-resolution images in one place.
- Image Uploads – use any image you like in your visuals by simply uploading them to your Stencil account.
- Collections – create folders or ‘collections’ to keep your work organized.
Additionally, with Stencil, you can resize images, create folders to keep your work organized, and more.
Stencil Pricing
Here are the different plans offered by Stencil:
- Free – At zero cost, you can save 10 images per month, access limited photos and icons, upload 50 images, and create 10 collections, among other things.
- Pro – save 50 images a month, access 1,100+ templates, add logos, and more for $9 a month.
- Unlimited – get all Pro features plus unlimited photos, folders, and favorites for (a pretty steep) $12 per month.
Visit Stencil
5. PicMonkey
PicMonkey is another popular, easy-to-use design tool – perfect for creating professional-looking designs for your website and social media accounts.
Some of its neat features include:
- Photo Editor – crop, resize, balance color, and adjust exposure to enhance your images. You can also add frames and shadows.
- Touch Ups – fix minor imperfections in photos with a few clicks.
- Graphic Design – create artwork like a pro by adding gradients and filters, manipulating layers, adding text, and more.
- Collage Maker – with this feature, you can create photo collages in various designs and sizes.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
PicMonkey Pricing
The tool offers the following pricing plans:
- Basic – pay $7.99 monthly (or $79 annually) to access 1 GB storage, download images in JPG and PNG formats, use templates, and more.
- Pro – for $12.99 a month, you get unlimited storage, downloads in JPG, PNG or PDF formats, graphic design tools, priority support, and much more.
- Team – for $33.99 a month, get all Pro features plus a discount for 3 or more users and permissions management.
Incase you’ve tried the platform and it isn’t what you were looking for, then you can have a look at some of the better PicMonkey alternatives.
Visit PicMonkey
6. Snappa
Next on our list of sites like Canva is Snappa – a (relatively) lightweight program that lets you create graphics for social media, blogs, and ads.
Here are some features that make this tool a decent choice:
- Pre-made Templates – there are plenty of ready-to-use templates available on Snappa. Pick your favorite one and start designing.
- Infographic Maker – this is like a built-in Piktochart. It lets you create neat visual data representations for blog posts (great for SEO) and other content assets. Venngage is another great service for creating infographics in a few easy steps.
- Stock Photos – source royalty-free, high-resolution photos from one place.
- Basic Graphic Design – add text, shapes, and effects to your images and remove backgrounds with ease.
Snappa also lets you schedule social media posts to publish later. The tool hasn’t been updated or revamped for quite some time. There are many other better online design tool alternatives that give you the freedom to customize and have control over your creative process.
Snappa Pricing
Here’s a breakdown of Snappa’s pricing:
- Free – use 6,000+ templates, 3 million images, and get 3 downloads per month.
- Pro – pay $15 monthly or $120 annually. 1 user can access 6000+ templates, 3 million images, background removal, unlimited downloads, font uploads, and social sharing.
- Team – with this 5-user package, you’ll pay $30 monthly for all Pro features plus team collaboration privileges.
Visit Snappa
7. FotoJet
FotoJet has to be one of the most simplified alternatives to Canva.
Rocking a user-friendly interface, it’s great for someone with little or no experience with graphic designing.
Here are the main features:
- Graphic Design – create visuals for any digital purpose with pre-made templates. You can also add text, photos, clip art, and backgrounds.
- Photo Collage – choose from a long list of collage styles to create memorable masterpieces.
- Photo Editor – last but not least, the tool offers basic photo editing features such as cropping, resizing, rotating, drag-and-drop capabilities, photo enhancement, etc.
Considering everything, FotoJet is a great option for those who don’t want to be overwhelmed with an array of features.
FotoJet Pricing
As of now, FotoJet offers two pricing plans:
- Free – get basic photo editing tools, templates, fonts, photo effects, and a few other features, all for free.
- Plus – this plan unlocks other exciting features such as 30+ premium fonts, storage space, priority support, and more for $6.99 a month (or $3.33 per month, billed annually).
Visit FotoJet
8. Fotor
Fotor is a simplified design tool that’s ideal for personal use and small businesses.
At first glance, Fotor seems similar to FotoJet. However, it’s packed with a lot more features. Here are some that you might find useful:
- Photo Editing – easily enhance, resize, crop, apply effects, and add text to photos.
- Portrait Beauty – retouch selfies and portraits of others quickly and easily.
- Photo Collage – create different styles of photo collages in a matter of a few minutes.
Additionally, you can explore different templates such as banners, social media posts, business cards, and more.
Some of its cons are not having enough customization options, limitations on photo editing, limited options for quick and easy design creation. That’s why people look for Fotor alternatives soon after they start to use it.
Fotor Pricing
Fotor comes in two editions – Fotor Online and Fotor for Windows, both having the same plans:
- Basic Plan – in this free version, you can do some basic photo editing, make collages, and sync your work with Fotor cloud.
- Pro Plan – get everything in Basic plus no ads, advanced design features, more photo effects, and extra cloud storage for $8.99 a month.
Visit Fotor
9. Pablo by Buffer
A sister concern product of Buffer, Pablo is another promising option when it comes to sites like Canva.
It’s a great platform for social media managers/marketers, bloggers, and business owners alike who need to make social media creatives with a few clicks.
Pablo by Buffer offers:
- Templates – pick out any pre-made template you like for free and craft an eye-catching design.
- Royalty-free Images – get access to thousands of free images and use them however you like.
- Images Uploads – Got a picture you want to use in your artwork? Simply upload it.
- Social Sharing – Share your graphics with others on various social media platforms including LinkedIn and Twitter.
Furthermore, you can add logos and schedule posts (by integrating with the Buffer app).
Pablo Pricing
Pablo is 100% free.
Visit Pablo
10. Easil
Easil is another one of the highly simplified sites like Canva that even non-designers can get the hang of in no time.
The main features include:
- Templates – eye-catching templates for different uses (social media, web design, and blogs).
- Text Effects – add drop shadows to text or mask it with various textures and finishes.
- Dynamic Visuals – add GIFs to your artwork to make them all the more eye-catching.
Furthermore, you can invite collaborators to view and edit your work.
Easil Pricing
Select one of three pricing plans:
- Basic – you get templates, stock images, folders, text effects, and more – for free.
- Plus – get all Basic plus premium features including team collaboration, for $7.50 a month.
- Edge – get all Easil Plus features, along with priority support and industry-specific templates at $59 per month.
Visit Easil
11. RelayThat
The last tool on our list of sites like Canva is RelayThat.
This tool was made keeping the needs of solo entrepreneurs and small teams in mind.
RelayThat was developed with a brand-building focus. It’s worth checking out if you’re a business owner, business team, or a freelancer.
Some of the key features of RelayThat include:
- Free Image Library – choose from an array of free high definition images for your designs.
- Collaboration – work with teams on multiple projects simultaneously.
- Pre-set Color Palettes – cut down on your designing time with the help of convenient pre-set palettes.
Also, you can easily resize images, and keep a consistent look and feel across graphics.
RelayThat Pricing
Here’s the breakdown of the pricing plans:
- Entrepreneur – an individual business owner gets unlimited designs, 5 brand workspaces, and custom font uploads for $25 per month.
- Agency and Enterprise – businesses of all kinds get a custom brand portal, branded sign-in pages (for websites), large team collaboration, and white-label options. The price for this plan isn’t fixed – you can rest a quote based on your requirements.
Visit RelayThat
Wrapping it Up
While there are many sites like Canva, choosing the right one can be challenging.
Costs and learning curves aside, there are individual features to consider and just the overall value that they can add to your designing process.
If the above list of sites are not what you’re looking for, then you can always explore more alternative design tools to Canva.
That being said, Pixelied gives you everything you need to create professional graphics on a user-friendly interface for a pocket-friendly price.
And the best part? You don’t need to have high-level design skills.