Canva excels at design templates and ease-of-use for non-designers with 500K+ templates, while PicsArt focuses on photo editing and AI tools with advanced manipulation features. Canva is better for presentations and social graphics; PicsArt is better for photo enhancement and artistic effects.
Canva vs PicsArt — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Web-based design platform with drag-and-drop templates for non-designers to create marketing materials.
Mobile-first AI-powered photo editor with extensive filters, effects, and a 150M+ user creative community.
Template Library Size. Primary Focus. Free Plan Features. Pro Subscription Cost (Monthly). AI Features. Mobile App Rating (iOS). Learning Curve for Beginners
Choose Canva if you need quick designs, presentations, social media graphics, and professional templates with minimal learning required—it's the clear winner for non-designers. Choose PicsArt if you're focused on photo editing, artistic effects, and AI-powered image manipulation—it offers more advanced editing capabilities at a lower price point.
Canva: Native (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes (generous free tier) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: $42 billion (private) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Private (IPO candidate 2026) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: ~25-30% (estimated) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: SMB, Enterprise Content Creation | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic team features | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 100 million images | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Unlimited access to templates | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 100+ million users | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: $13 (or free plan available) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 7+ (adds Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn Stories) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic only in Canva Teams | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 1-month calendar (Canva Teams only) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes (limited templates, no Brand Kit) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes—Magic Write generates captions & copy | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 8+ platforms via integrations | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 5 team members (Canva Teams) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: No (external tools required) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (no social caption AI) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Full video editing suite included | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Unlimited designs (templates only) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Instant (0-2 seconds) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 71% (Canva AI variations) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Beginner/None (drag-and-drop) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 2-5 (select template, edit) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Advanced (real-time co-editing, permissions) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 4.7/5 (2.8M reviews) | PicsArt: 4.5/5 (1.2M reviews)
Canva: Text-to-image, magic edit, object removal | PicsArt: Photo enhance, canvas expand, object removal
Canva: Basic transitions/effects | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic (colors, fonts, logos) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited collaboration on Teams plan | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 100M+ photos, 1M+ icons, 500K+ music tracks | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 1,000,000+ (photos, videos, music) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes - full multi-user editing, comments, version history | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 5+ (Magic Design, Eraser, BG Remover, Text-to-Image, Magic Expand) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes - Windows and Mac | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: None; static presentations only | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited; view-only or restricted editing | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Web, iOS, Android (full features everywhere) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Canva Free with 5,000+ templates and assets | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 3-5 concurrent (depends on plan) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: $13/month (annual billing) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 20+ (PNG, PDF, MP4, SVG, PPT, DOCX, GIF, WebP) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 150+ million monthly active users | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 500,000+ templates | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 100+ million integrated | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (web-based only) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 3 (Background removal, Magic Edit, Generative templates) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 0.25-0.5 hours (15-30 minutes) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes (real-time co-editing) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: No (browser-based + mobile apps) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic (limited layer control) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (approx. 50-100 per design) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 15+ formats (PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, GIF, MP4, PPTX) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Unlimited (free tier with limitations) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 250,000+ ready-made templates | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Web-based (requires internet connection) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 5GB free (100GB Pro) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 100+ million (integrated in free tier) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic: filters, adjustments, magic edit | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Used by 60% of non-designers | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic (trim, cut, transitions, filters) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (basic file import) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Free tier included | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Unlimited designs, basic templates, Magic Write/Edit, 5GB storage | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited to 1 active editor per document | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic transitions and animations only | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic brand kits and color palettes | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Magic Write (text), Magic Edit (image), text-to-image, background remover | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic (shapes, limited curves) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: None—static designs only | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 1,000,000+ photos + 100k tracks | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 6 (Magic Design, Background Remover, Magic Expand, etc.) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Layer-based, simplified | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (5-10% functionality) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 2 GB (cloud-based) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: Free tier + Premium enhancements
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: 800+ filters & effects
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: Limited third-party support
Canva vs PicsArt — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Canva vs PicsArt. Contains 141 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Canva vs PicsArt — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Canva vs PicsArt.
Which is better for beginners with no design experience?
Canva is significantly better for complete beginners. Its drag-and-drop interface requires zero design knowledge, with pre-made templates handling 80% of the design work. PicsArt has more of a learning curve due to advanced editing tools and layer systems that appeal to experienced editors rather than novices.
PicsArt is 33% cheaper at $9.99/month ($120/year) compared to Canva's $15/month ($180/year). However, Canva's free plan offers 5GB storage vs PicsArt's 2GB, and Canva has no watermarks on free exports, while PicsArt adds watermarks to free content.
Which has better photo editing capabilities?
PicsArt is the superior choice for photo editing, featuring advanced tools like layer masks, selective editing brushes, and 1000+ filters. Canva focuses on graphic design templates rather than detailed photo manipulation, making it less suitable for photographers seeking professional editing.
Can I use either for team collaboration?
Canva is far better for teams, supporting up to 30 simultaneous collaborators with real-time editing and brand consistency tools. PicsArt does not have native team collaboration features, making it primarily a personal creative tool.
Which platform has the larger user community?
PicsArt has a significantly larger community with 200+ million monthly active users versus Canva's 120+ million. However, Canva's users report higher satisfaction (4.7/5 rating with 2.8M reviews vs PicsArt's 4.5/5 with 1.2M reviews).
Template Library Size: Canva has 500,000+ templates, while PicsArt has 100,000+ templates.
Primary Focus: Canva has Design templates & layouts, while PicsArt has Photo editing & AI tools.
Free Plan Features: Canva has 5GB storage, limited templates, while PicsArt has Watermark removal, basic editing.
Consider: Pro Subscription Cost (Monthly)
Pro Subscription Cost (Monthly): Canva has $180/year or $15/month, while PicsArt has $120/year or $9.99/month.
AI Features: Canva has Text-to-image, magic edit, remove objects, while PicsArt has AI photo enhance, expand canvas, object removal.
Mobile App Rating (iOS): Canva has 4.7/5 stars (2.8M reviews), while PicsArt has 4.5/5 stars (1.2M reviews).
Learning Curve for Beginners: Canva has Very easy (drag-and-drop), while PicsArt has Moderate (more editing options).