Canva excels at design templates and ease-of-use for non-designers with 500,000+ ready-made designs, while PicsArt focuses on photo editing and AI tools with advanced layer-based editing capabilities. Canva is better for creating marketing materials and social content; PicsArt is better for photo manipulation and artistic effects.
Canva vs PicsArt — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
User-friendly design platform with 240M+ users, AI tools, and 420K+ templates for all skill levels.
Mobile-first photo editor with AI-powered effects, layer editing, and 100,000+ design templates.
Primary Focus. Template Library Size. AI Features. Layer Editing Support. Learning Curve. Free Plan Watermark. Mobile App Quality
Choose Canva if you need quick, professional-looking designs from templates without editing expertise—ideal for social media, marketing materials, and presentations. Choose PicsArt if you're serious about photo editing, want advanced AI-powered effects, and prefer traditional layer-based editing workflows.
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: $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 minutes for beginners | 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: Pre-built transitions, basic effects, limited control | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic (colors, fonts, logos) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited collaboration on Teams plan | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 100+ (photos, icons, illustrations) | 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: $14.99 (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: $14.99/month (Pro) or Free | 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: 3 (animations, transitions, basic links) | 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: $180/year (Canva Pro) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (Teams plan ~10-15 efficient concurrent) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Fixed by document type (typically 1080x1080 to 1920x1080) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Full editing on iOS and Android apps | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited (basic embed, no robust API) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: $15/month (Canva Pro) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Basic brand kit only | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Limited API access | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Not available | PicsArt: Available
Canva: Basic (Pro only) | PicsArt: Advanced (free & Pro)
Canva: None | PicsArt: Applied (removed in Pro)
Canva: $10/month (annual bill) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 5.0/10 (template reuse) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 9/10 (real-time editing) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Not applicable - no video recording | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Yes - simultaneous editing with team members | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: No - not available | PicsArt: N/A
Annual Subscription Cost (if paid yearly)
Canva: 4 (Magic Design, Photo Editor, Background Remover, Brand Kit AI) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 50+ (presentations, social, print, web, video) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 420,000+ templates | PicsArt: 100,000+
Canva: 5-8 basic chart types | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: 8+ (text-to-image, background remover, magic write, design suggestions) | PicsArt: N/A
Canva: Desktop, tablet, mobile (3 main sizes) | 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: N/A | PicsArt: Unlimited (community-based)
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: Object removal, healing brush, background replacement, selective editing
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: No native integration
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: Mobile-first (iOS/Android), web secondary
Canva: N/A | PicsArt: Community challenges, trending feeds, creator marketplace, direct monetization
Canva vs PicsArt — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Canva vs PicsArt. Contains 189 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Canva vs PicsArt — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Canva vs PicsArt.
PicsArt has significantly more advanced AI features. Its free plan includes object removal, face swap, and style transfer tools. Canva's AI is more limited on the free tier, with basic background removal and text-to-image generation available only to Pro users. For serious photo editing with AI, PicsArt wins decisively.
Can I use these without a watermark for free?
Canva doesn't add a watermark to free plan exports, so you get clean results immediately. PicsArt watermarks all free exports unless you subscribe to Premium ($9.99/month). This is a major advantage for Canva if you want watermark-free designs without paying.
Which is better for social media content?
Canva is ideal for social media templates—it has 500,000+ ready-made designs optimized for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. PicsArt excels if you're editing photos and adding effects before posting. Many creators use both: Canva for graphics/text overlays, PicsArt for photo enhancement.
Is layer editing available on the free versions?
No for Canva—layers are a Pro-only feature. PicsArt offers full layer support on its free plan, making it better for users who want advanced editing without paying. This is significant if you need to blend images, work with multiple elements, or do professional retouching.
Canva has an extremely shallow learning curve—it's designed for non-designers with simple drag-and-drop templates. PicsArt requires more familiarity with photo editing concepts (layers, masks, brushes). If you've never edited anything before, Canva is far more beginner-friendly. If you have editing experience, PicsArt's tools feel more natural.
Primary Focus: Canva has Graphic design & templates, while PicsArt has Photo editing & AI effects.
Template Library Size: Canva has 500,000+ templates, while PicsArt has 100,000+ templates.
AI Features: Canva has Basic AI text-to-image, background remover, while PicsArt has Advanced AI object removal, face swap, style transfer.
Layer Editing Support: Canva has Limited (Pro plan only), while PicsArt has Full layer support (free & Pro).
Learning Curve: Canva has Minimal - drag-and-drop focused, while PicsArt has Moderate - more professional tools.
Free Plan Watermark: Canva has No watermark on exports, while PicsArt has Watermark applied (Pro removes it).
Mobile App Quality: Canva has Full-featured (90% of desktop features), while PicsArt has Comprehensive (95% of desktop features).