Canva is a beginner-friendly drag-and-drop design tool optimized for social media, marketing, and presentations, while Figma is a professional vector design and prototyping platform built for UX/UI designers and team collaboration. Figma has steeper learning curve but offers deeper design capabilities; Canva prioritizes speed and template-based creation.
Canva vs Figma — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Canva if you need to quickly create social media posts, marketing materials, presentations, or simple graphics without design experience—its 250,000+ templates and built-in media library make it 10x faster for non-designers. Choose Figma if you're a UX/UI designer, design professional, or building design systems that require advanced vector tools, prototyping, and seamless team collaboration on complex projects.
Template-based design platform for non-designers creating social media, marketing, and presentation graphics.
Cloud-based vector design and prototyping platform for professional designers and design teams building complex interfaces.
Structured comparison data for Canva vs Figma with 233 attributes.
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single Editor)
Starter Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Canva vs Figma — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Canva vs Figma.
Do I need to buy stock photos separately if I use Figma?
Yes. Figma has no integrated media library, so you must use external sources like Unsplash, Pexels, or Shutterstock. Canva includes 1M+ photos and 100k+ music tracks free, eliminating this friction.
Which tool is faster for creating social media posts?
Canva is 5-10x faster. With 250,000+ templates and drag-and-drop simplicity, you can create a professional social post in 15 minutes. Figma requires design knowledge and would take 60+ minutes for the same output.
Can I use Canva for professional UI/UX design work?
No. Canva lacks professional vector tools, prototyping capabilities, and design system features required for UI/UX work. Its strength is marketing/social content. For UI/UX, Figma is the industry standard with full prototyping, interactions, and component libraries.
Is Figma better for team collaboration than Canva?
Yes. Figma allows unlimited simultaneous collaborators on all paid plans and offers real-time multiplayer editing that reduces feedback cycles. Canva's free plan caps at 5 editors. For teams of 5+, Figma's collaboration is significantly superior.
Which tool is best for design students learning UX/UI?
Figma is the industry standard. Its prototyping, components, and design system tools mirror real-world workflows. Canva won't teach professional design skills. However, start with Canva if you're new to design, then progress to Figma for UX/UI specialization.