Figma is a professional UI/UX design tool built for teams and complex projects with advanced prototyping capabilities, while Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform focused on quick, template-based content creation for non-designers. Figma dominates professional design workflows; Canva excels at accessibility and speed.
Canva vs Figma — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Drag-and-drop graphic design platform with 250,000+ templates for non-designers.
Cloud-based UI/UX design platform with real-time collaboration and advanced prototyping.
Primary Use Case. Learning Curve. Collaboration Features. Prototyping & Interactivity. Template Library. Team Pricing at Scale. Developer Integration
Choose Figma if you're a product designer, UX/UI professional, or managing design systems requiring advanced prototyping, developer collaboration, and team workflows. Choose Canva if you need to create marketing graphics, social media content, or presentations quickly without design experience, prioritizing speed and template availability over technical depth.
Canva: Native (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Yes (generous free tier) | Figma: Yes (full collaborative design)
Canva: $3.3-4.0 billion | Figma: $1.36-1.37 billion
Canva: $42 billion (private) | Figma: $10.53-13.8 billion (public)
Canva: ~12.7x | Figma: 9x-35x (varies by metric)
Canva: Private (IPO candidate 2026) | Figma: Public (NASDAQ: FIG)
Canva: Estimated 10-15% | Figma: 14-15% (non-GAAP)
Canva: ~25-30% (estimated) | Figma: ~40%
Canva: SMB, Enterprise Content Creation | Figma: Enterprise Design Teams
Canva: Basic team features | Figma: Advanced multiplayer editing
Canva: Unlimited access to templates | Figma: N/A
Canva: $13 (or free plan available) | Figma: $12/month (Starter, 1 editor)
Canva: 7+ (adds Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn Stories) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Basic only in Canva Teams | Figma: N/A
Canva: 1-month calendar (Canva Teams only) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Yes (limited templates, no Brand Kit) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Yes—Magic Write generates captions & copy | Figma: N/A
Canva: 8+ platforms via integrations | Figma: N/A
Canva: 5 team members (Canva Teams) | Figma: N/A
Canva: No (external tools required) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (no social caption AI) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Full video editing suite included | Figma: N/A
Canva: Unlimited designs (templates only) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Instant (0-2 seconds) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 71% (Canva AI variations) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Beginner/None (drag-and-drop) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 2-5 (select template, edit) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Advanced (real-time co-editing, permissions) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 4.7/5 (2.8M reviews) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Text-to-image, magic edit, object removal | Figma: N/A
Canva: Basic transitions/effects | Figma: Good prototyping animations; not production-ready
Canva: Basic (colors, fonts, logos) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited collaboration on Teams plan | Figma: N/A
Canva: 100M+ photos, 1M+ icons, 500K+ music tracks | Figma: N/A
Canva: 1,000,000+ (photos, videos, music) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Yes - full multi-user editing, comments, version history | Figma: N/A
Canva: 5+ (Magic Design, Eraser, BG Remover, Text-to-Image, Magic Expand) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Yes - Windows and Mac | Figma: N/A
Canva: None; static presentations only | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited; view-only or restricted editing | Figma: Unlimited concurrent editors per file
Canva: Web, iOS, Android (full features everywhere) | Figma: Web browser + Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Canva: Canva Free with 5,000+ templates and assets | Figma: N/A
Canva: 3-5 concurrent (depends on plan) | Figma: N/A
Canva: $13/month (annual billing) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 20+ (PNG, PDF, MP4, SVG, PPT, DOCX, GIF, WebP) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 150+ million monthly active users | Figma: N/A
Canva: 100+ million integrated | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (web-based only) | Figma: Read-only after 30 days; requires internet for editing
Canva: 3 (Background removal, Magic Edit, Generative templates) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 250,000+ | Figma: 500+ (community + official)
Canva: 0.25-0.5 hours (15-30 minutes) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Yes (real-time co-editing) | Figma: Unlimited, all editor tiers
Canva: No (browser-based + mobile apps) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Basic (limited layer control) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (approx. 50-100 per design) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 15+ formats (PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, GIF, MP4, PPTX) | Figma: Figma native format, exports to PNG, SVG, PDF, CSS, JSON
Canva: Unlimited (free tier with limitations) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 250,000+ ready-made templates | Figma: N/A
Canva: Web-based (requires internet connection) | Figma: N/A
Canva: 5GB free (100GB Pro) | Figma: 0GB (Figma Projects only)
Canva: 100+ million (integrated in free tier) | Figma: 0 (third-party integrations available)
Canva: Basic: filters, adjustments, magic edit | Figma: N/A
Canva: Used by 60% of non-designers | Figma: N/A
Canva: Basic (trim, cut, transitions, filters) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (basic file import) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Unlimited designs, basic templates, Magic Write/Edit, 5GB storage | Figma: 3 files maximum, unlimited pages per file, basic prototyping, browser-based
Canva: 500,000+ | Figma: 50,000+ community templates
Canva: Limited to 1 active editor per document | Figma: 10+ simultaneous editors with live cursors
Canva: Basic transitions and animations only | Figma: Interactions, conditional logic, component states, animations, flows
Canva: Basic brand kits and color palettes | Figma: Components, variables, tokens, auto-layout, design tokens management
Canva: Magic Write (text), Magic Edit (image), text-to-image, background remover | Figma: Limited AI—mostly design optimization and naming suggestions
Canva: $13/month | Figma: $12/month (Editor)
Canva: Basic (shapes, limited curves) | Figma: Professional (boolean ops, advanced paths)
Canva: 3 (animations, transitions, basic links) | Figma: 15+ (conditions, variables, triggers, overlays)
Canva: 1,000,000+ photos + 100k tracks | Figma: None (external sources required)
Canva: 6 (Magic Design, Background Remover, Magic Expand, etc.) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Layer-based, simplified | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (5-10% functionality) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Unlimited | Figma: 3 editable files
Canva: $180/year (Canva Pro) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (Teams plan ~10-15 efficient concurrent) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Fixed by document type (typically 1080x1080 to 1920x1080) | Figma: N/A
Canva: Full editing on iOS and Android apps | Figma: N/A
Canva: Limited (basic embed, no robust API) | Figma: N/A
Canva: $15/month (Canva Pro) | Figma: $0 (Figma Free)
Canva: 5 viewers only | Figma: Unlimited (edit + view)
Canva: Basic brand kit only | Figma: Full component library with variants and design tokens
Canva: Limited API access | Figma: 300 requests/minute
Canva: N/A | Figma: Built-in real-time collaboration
Canva: N/A | Figma: Sites CMS beta (200 items)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Variables, components, tokens
Canva: N/A | Figma: Requires external hosting
Canva: N/A | Figma: Dev Mode with inspection
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (per plan)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Cloud-only, no self-hosting
Canva: N/A | Figma: Voice-to-text, Make controls, question cards, design suggestions
Canva: N/A | Figma: 350+ plugins available
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited with live cursors
Canva: N/A | Figma: Master Variables with full version control
Canva: N/A | Figma: Limited (separate ecosystem)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Voice-to-text, Make features, automation
Canva: N/A | Figma: Browser-dependent, can slow with 1000+ frames
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single Editor)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Canva: N/A | Figma: Performance issues above 2GB
Canva: N/A | Figma: Limited offline, primarily cloud-based
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced design specs, Dev Mode, code generation
Canva: N/A | Figma: Intermediate (basic flows, transitions)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 500+ (performance degrades)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Generous (3 projects, 2GB)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors
Starter Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Four-tier with seat types (Full, Dev, Collab)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Industry-leading precision tools
Canva: N/A | Figma: Excellent for design workflows
Canva: N/A | Figma: Basic design assistance
Canva: N/A | Figma: 15+ concurrent editors (unlimited)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced variables system with 20+ variant combinations per component
Canva: N/A | Figma: 71% among design teams
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced auto-animate, conditional logic, 35+ interaction types
Canva: N/A | Figma: 30 days of version history
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (draft-based)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Community plugins only
Canva: N/A | Figma: Enterprise-grade (variants, tokens, documentation)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Yes (100% browser-native)
Canva: N/A | Figma: $12 (Professional tier, free tier available)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
Canva: N/A | Figma: Yes; built-in with live cursors, comments, and activity tracking
Canva: N/A | Figma: Limited (browser-dependent)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Yes, full features for 1 file
Canva: N/A | Figma: Web + macOS + Windows + iPad
Canva: N/A | Figma: Shared libraries with variants
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced with variables
Canva: N/A | Figma: Basic preset animations without timeline
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited on paid plans
Canva: N/A | Figma: Dev Mode with code snippets and specs
Canva: N/A | Figma: Component versioning in main product
Canva: N/A | Figma: $12 per editor/month
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited on any plan
Canva: N/A | Figma: Optimal up to 5,000 artboards
Canva: N/A | Figma: 61% of design professionals
Canva: N/A | Figma: 70% of professional design teams
Canva: N/A | Figma: 2000+ official plugins and integrations
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Canva: N/A | Figma: $12/month (billed annually)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 500+ simultaneous users
Canva: N/A | Figma: 40-60% (design to code via plugins)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Basic interactions, limited keyframe animation
Canva: N/A | Figma: Variables, tokens, component library, extensive version control
Canva: N/A | Figma: Basic interactions (6/10)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Good with plugins (7/10)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Full Variables system with token export
Canva: N/A | Figma: $0 (Free) / $12 (Pro)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 1.5-2.5 hours (beginner-friendly)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (Team plan)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Any browser (Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad, web)
Canva: N/A | Figma: $60 (all share one license)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Basic interactions (tap, hover, drag)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 4 (Web, Mac, Windows, iPad)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Limited (API for third-party imports)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Public/password-protected with comment threads
Canva: N/A | Figma: 3 (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 1,200+ community plugins
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited viewers + 1 editor
Canva: N/A | Figma: 1,000+ plugins via Figma API
Canva: N/A | Figma: No (design tool only)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 50+ simultaneous users
Estimated Time to First Design (Beginner)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 120-480 minutes (2-8 hours)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced: conditional flows, variables, component variants, design tokens
Canva: N/A | Figma: Enterprise-grade: design tokens, branching, versioning, token management
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors per team
Canva: N/A | Figma: 2-3 seconds (cloud-based, depends on internet)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 3/10 - basic selection and fill tools; not optimized for photo work
Canva: N/A | Figma: 9/10 - native component systems, design tokens, auto-layout, prototyping
Team Collaboration - Simultaneous Editors
Canva: N/A | Figma: 50+ simultaneous editors
Canva: N/A | Figma: No - requires external services
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced with tokens, variables, and nested components
Canva: N/A | Figma: Limited to Dev Mode specs; no automated code generation
Canva: N/A | Figma: 5,000+ plugins available
Canva: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (cloud-based)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 50-150ms (true real-time)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Limited offline editing (browser cache)
Professional Design Tool Market Share (2025)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Third-party plugins only; no native Adobe integration
Average Time to Proficiency for New Users
Canva: N/A | Figma: $80/editor (Professional)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Yes - nested variants with multiple properties
Canva: N/A | Figma: 100 simultaneous editors
Canva: N/A | Figma: 500+ templates (UI/design focused)
Canva: N/A | Figma: Advanced - interactions, animations, logic, variables
Canva: N/A | Figma: 3 editable files (unlimited view-only)
Canva: N/A | Figma: 130+ community plugins available
Canva: N/A | Figma: Basic transitions and interactions
Canva: N/A | Figma: Full variants support with auto-layout and smart selection
Canva: N/A | Figma: 12+ million monthly active users
Canva vs Figma — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Canva vs Figma. Contains 306 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Canva vs Figma — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Canva vs Figma.
Can I use Figma for social media graphics and marketing content?
Technically yes, but it's inefficient. Figma lacks templates and is optimized for UI/UX design workflows. Canva is 10x faster for social media because it provides 250,000+ ready-made templates. Use Canva for marketing content; reserve Figma for product design.
Can I collaborate with my team on both platforms?
Yes, but differently. Canva supports 5+ viewers on paid plans with basic commenting. Figma offers unlimited real-time multiplayer editing with developer handoff, version history, and design system management—making it far superior for team workflows. Figma is built for collaboration; Canva treats it as a secondary feature.
Which tool integrates better with developer workflows?
Figma dominates here. It offers CSS code generation, design token export, developer comments, and a robust REST API (300 req/min free tier). Canva provides basic API access for exports only. If your team includes developers, Figma's developer handoff capabilities save significant time.
Is Canva's free version actually usable?
Yes, for basic designs. The free version includes 5,000+ templates and core editing tools, though it limits exports to 5/month and lacks advanced features. For casual users, it's excellent. For professionals, Pro ($15/month) unlocks unlimited downloads and 250,000+ templates.
Why is Figma free for individual designers but Canva isn't?
Different business models. Figma attracts teams and enterprises with a free tier, monetizing through Pro ($12/month) and Organization plans ($45/user/month). Canva targets individuals and small businesses, monetizing the free tier through Pro subscriptions ($180/year). Figma's freemium model is more generous for solo professionals; Canva's is better for hobbyists.
Primary Use Case: Canva has Template-based graphic design for social media, marketing, documents, while Figma has Professional UI/UX design, product design, complex prototyping.
Learning Curve: Canva has Minutes to first design (beginner-friendly), while Figma has Hours to proficiency (steeper, design-focused).
Collaboration Features: Canva has Basic real-time editing, limited version control, while Figma has Advanced multiplayer editing, version history, developer handoff tools.
Prototyping & Interactivity: Canva has Basic animations and transitions only, while Figma has Advanced interactive prototypes with conditional flows and interactions.
Template Library: Canva has 250,000+ templates across 100+ categories, while Figma has Limited templates, community resources available.
Team Pricing at Scale: Canva has $180/year per user (Teams plan), while Figma has $144-180/year per user (Professional/Organization).
Developer Integration: Canva has API limited, basic export options, while Figma has Robust API, design tokens, CSS code generation, plugin ecosystem.