Canva Pro VS Free – Is It Worth The Upgrade? | Canva Pro Review

Are you wondering if Canva Pro is worth the money? What is the difference between Canva Pro and Canva Free?

In this post, I will walk you through these questions so you can make the best-informed decision.

I started with Canva Free and had the Canva Pro free trial, and then later, I upgraded to Canva Pro.

If you have been following my blog for some time, you will know I use Canva Pro for my blog on a regular basis, and it has saved me tons of hours when designing.

In this Canva Pro Review, I have covered:

• What Is Canva?
• Canva Free VS Paid
• How Does Canva Work?
• Pros And Cons Of Canva
• How Much Does Canva Pro Cost?
• How To Get Canva Pro For Free
• Is Canva Pro Worth It?
• How To Earn With Canva
• FAQ
• Final Thoughts

Ok, let’s get started.

What Is Canva?

Canva, launched in 2013, is one of the most popular online graphic design tools.

It can be used by anyone who wants to create designs (e.g., social media graphics and presentations) easily and quickly.

Whether you are a blogger, social media marketer, freelancer, or small business owner, Canva can save you tons of TIME and MONEY each month.

However, Canva is not just for novices because of its simplicity; seasoned designers will also find Canva helpful to create stunning designs.

Canva Free VS Paid

Is Canva Still Free?

Canva is not free anymore.

Yes. Canva still has a FREE plan (a.k.a. Canva Free) for everyone to use. You can use the free account for as long as you want.

It has everything you need to start designing.

You can access 250,000+ free templates, hundreds of thousands of free photos and graphics, 5GB of cloud storage, and more.

That is more than enough to create simple, impressive designs for beginners.

When you use a free version, you can still see the Pro features (e.g., premium fonts and images) with a tiny crown icon 👑 next to them. If you want to use them in your design, you will need to pay a small fee (e.g., $1 for its use) before downloading.

It doesn’t hurt to spend a few dollars occasionally. However, if you repeatedly pay for the small feeshere and there, they can quickly add up. You might consider upgrading to Canva Pro to save more money 💵💵💵.

Now let’s look at what exactly Canva Pro is and what separates it from the free version.

What Is Canva Pro?

Canva Pro is the premium version that includesadvanced tools and content, such as premium graphics, elements, and gorgeous stock photos.

Canva Pro VS Free – Is It Worth Paying for Canva?

Here is a list of Canva Pro features👑 that provides way more creative tools and content than Canva Free. Let’s take a closer look at the differences. 🧐

1️⃣ Stock Photos, Videos, Audios, And Graphics (100+ Million VS Hundreds Of thousands Of)

Have you been spending a lot of time looking for stunning loyalty-free visual content?

Look no more. Now you can create attractive designsfrom start to finish in one place.

Or, you could upload your own content to create unique designs.

With Canva, you can search your images by 

• Name: Type the name of what you are looking for.
• Color: Choose the color you like. Your brand colors also apply.
• Orientation: Square/Vertical/Horizontal
• Price – Free/Pro. As for Canva Pro users, it is free to use all images. 
• Cut-out: That is an image with transparent background.

2️⃣ Templates (610,000+ VS 250,000+)

Canva has followed its core value: Make Complex Things Simple.

If you don’t know where to start, simply choose a fully customizable template from the colossal collection to start with.

Here is a list of types of templates

• Presentations
• Social Graphics
• Instagram Posts
• Web Banners
• Videos 
• Posters
• Logos 
• Flyers
• And More…

3️⃣ Cloud Storage (100GB VS 5GB)

The Canva Free storage is 5GB, whereas it is 100GB for Canva Pro.

4️⃣ Brand Kits (Up To 100 VS None)

Looking for more fantastic features of Canva Pro? This feature is only exclusive to the paid version.

If you aim to build your brands, you can add your brand assets (colors, logos, and fonts) or upload your Brand Kits to keep consistency across all designs (with your team members). 

This feature could facilitate the design process as you can easily access the assets while designing.

Learn more about Brand Kits in detail here.

5️⃣ Schedule Social Media Content (Up To 8 Platforms VS None)

You don’t have to jump from one platform to another now (download and re-upload your content).

Canva Pro allows you to schedule your designs with Content Planner and post them directly to the most used social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn) – another time-saving tool.

Disclaimer: I don’t use this feature as I use other tools to schedule my social media content. But it is a convenient feature to have for starters.

6️⃣ Folders (Unlimited Folders VS 2 Folders)

Can’t find your designs? No need to worry anymore.

You can organize them by creating as many folders as you need with Canva Pro.

This is extremely helpful when your business grows.

Here are some examples of folders 🗂.

• Pinterest pins for your blog
• Instagram posts
• YouTube thumbnails
• Freelance work for each client
• Designs for your eCommerce shop
• …

7️⃣ Premium Fonts (3000+ Fonts VS 1700 Free Fonts)

Are you a big fan of fonts? If so, you are in luck.

With over 3000 premium fonts, you can create tailor-made typefaces that make your brand stand out from the crowd.

Or even better, you are welcome to upload your own fonts (Only for Pro account users).

8️⃣ Additional Effects – Time-Saving Tools

Magic Resize

Among all the amazing features of Canva Pro, this is one of my favorites.

You can resize your design into different formats(e.g., Pinterest to Facebook) within a few clicks.

Try Magic Resize

Background Remover – ILOVE it! 💕

This is one of the best features of Canva Pro.

Do you want to remove image backgrounds? If so, the Canva Pro background remover tool comes in handy.

You only need to choose the tool and boom 🤯! The background is disappeared magically 🪄within one click. Easy and fast.

Sometimes, your image might not be cropped perfectly; that is where you can use a brush (Erase/Restore) to get the best part of your design.

You can also customize the design by adding other eye-catching backgrounds for your target audience.

Then download the image as a transparent PNG file and use it wherever you see it fits.

Animation

You can use animations on a free plan, but they are limited. As for the Pro account, you can use all of them (page, text, photo, and elementsanimations) with flexibility.

This tool can quickly make your images more vivid and attractive, turning your designs into videos or GIFs.

Take your design to the next level by choosing from the premium animation styles.

Collaboration

Invite up to 4 people WITHOUT paying extra to boost your workflow on your Canva Pro account.

It is a huge bonus for small business owners or solopreneurs who don’t have a big budget for graphic designs.

Customer Support

If you ever encounter any issues,Canva offers a substantial amount of articles, short videos, and tutorials to help you bring your ideas to life. I love the tutorials and courses on Canva. They are short and informational.

You are also welcome to contact Canva via online forms if you can’t find your answer on the platform.

How Does Canva Work?

The design process is the same no matter which device you are using, and your work will be auto-saved across all devices. So no worries about missing designs. 😌

When you log into your Canva account, you can first explore the free ready-to-use templates or start with a completely blank page.

It is ok if you don’t find the perfect template, you can always customize it. Feel free to play around.

Then start editing with all the tools and content (e.g., photos,elements, texts, and fonts) by dragging and dropping.

If you need help when designing, simply hover over the information icon ℹ️ if possible. Or, click on the purple Help button at the right bottom of the page to get more information.

Once you finish, you can download your design after selecting the file type and size.

Voila! A personalized design is born. 🎉

Note: If you use the free plan, you can’t choose the transparent background or compress the file.

Pros and Cons of Canva

Pros

1. Canva Free for everyone 
2. Canva Pro free trial for 30 days
3. Reasonable pricing 
4. Super beginner-friendly: Canva makes design easy and fun. 
5. Clean user interface: It is simple to use and easy to navigate.
6. A huge collection of resources (e.g., ready-to-use templates and graphics) with new designs added daily
7. Online collaboration: You can invite team members to view, edit or comment on your designs. Work together in real-time.
8. No/mild learning curve: You can create a stunning design without previous experience. You are also welcome to check out their extensive learning materials (courses, tutorials, and blog) whenever you are stuck.
9. Available on multiple devices: Desktop for Mac or Windows, Mobile for IOS or Android

Cons

1. No offline editing 
2. Simple photo editing compared to other advanced software
3. Similar designs (especially for photos and templates): If you only use the basic images and templates with little editing, your work will be similar to others as many users use Canva.

Canva Pricing Plans

How Much Is Canva Pro?

Canva Pro offers monthly and annual subscriptions.

The Canva upgrade cost for an annual subscription is $119.99. That is under $10 per month.

And the cost of Canva Pro for a monthly subscription is $12.99/month.

You can use it individually or invite up to 4 people without paying extra. However, additional fees would apply if you have more than 5 users.

Before upgrading, you can take advantage of theCanva Pro FREE trial to unlockthose tiny little crown icons 👑 next to the premium tools and content.

If you don’t think it is a good fit for you, simply cancel it at any time with no questions asked.

If you see yourself using Canva regularly, the annual subscription is a better deal (which could save you $35.89) compared to the monthly subscription.

Enterprise

As for larger organizations like agencies, Canva Pro might not be enough. Canva also offers an Enterprise plan (custom price) with all the advanced features for you and your team.

Apart from having everything Pro offers, you can manage your brand assets and campaigns, have24/7 enterprise-level support and enjoy much more benefits in one single platform.

Improve your workflow and save money in the long run.

How to Get Canva Pro for Free

There are 3 ways you can get Canva Pro for FREE.

1. You can access all the additional features by trying the Canva Pro FREE trial here (30-day).

2. If you are eligible for their Nonprofits program, you and your team (up to 10 members) can use Canva Pro premium features for FREE.

You can apply for the Nonprofits program here.

3. Canva Pro is FREE for all K-12 educators, librarians, and students. If that is you, you can apply for a Canva for Education account.

Apply for a Canva for Education account here. After applying, Canva will review your application and get back to you.

Canva For Education VS Canva Pro

With Canva for Education, you can enjoy all the features of Canva Pro along with teaching-related resources (such as lesson plans, presentations, and worksheets).

Is It Worth Paying For Canva?

It depends on your needs.

You can access all the photos, elements, graphics, and other advanced features with the Pro version.

If you are a social media manager or a blogger, the cost of Canva Pro is worth every cent for visual content to grow your business.

You can also ask yourself the following questions before upgrading.

1. Do you design regularly or a few times a month for your business?

If you don’t use the tool that often, it is not worth paying for the premium plan. You can still use the Pro features if necessary; you just need to pay for each use.

2. Can basic designs satisfy your needs?

If so, Canva free is more than enough.

3. Do you work for other companies or individual clients as a freelancer?

If yes, it is much easier and cheaper to subscribe to Canva Pro than other expensive alternatives.

4. Do you need to upload promotional content to multiple social media channels (such as Pinterest, LinkedIn page, and Facebook page)?

Canva Pro (the Magic Resize tool) and Content Planner can save you tons of time if your answer is positive.

If you still haven’t made up your mind, why don’t you try Canva Pro for FREE and see what you think?

Grab Your Canva Pro FREE Trial Here >>

How To Earn With Canva

1. Become a contributor in Canva.
2. Create digital products (such as planners and stickers) using Canva and sell online.
3. Design social media templates (like Pinterest pin templates) and sell on your website or other online platforms. 
4. Create online courses about Canva (teach people how to use Canva effectively).
5. Become a Canva affiliate and earn commission by promoting Canva Pro.

FAQ – Canva Pro VS Free

Final Thoughts On Canva Pro Review

We are visual creatures. Stunning visual content is essential for every business in this digital world.

Canva, the all-in-one design tool, is your BFF 💕 if you find other advanced graphic design tools overwhelming and want to create appealing visual content fast.

Canva free is impressive, given all the free features and content.

However, with tons of premium features, the Pro version encourages creative freedom and saves you a massive amount of time.

It is one of the great blogging tools that I use regularly.

I recommend trying the Canva Pro 30-day for Free; then, you can know how the premium version can benefit you and your business.

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