Canva Reviews

I am not a designer. Last I draw or make something was 12 years ago. But with Canva, I can make a presentable graphics in 10-15 minutes. With my skill level (I used to use MS Word Clip Art tool and Paint), I should not be able to do anything at all.

True I havent been able to draw a masterpiece, but Canva is not for that sort of work, at least not that I know of. But if you are looking for a social media post, image for your blog post, poster, cover image, Canva can handle all of those. Sure, you still need to hire a designer if you are going to do stunning artworks. But the day to day grind to produce several images everyday, either professional or personal needs, Canva is there for you. You can even create memes with it!

Another nice surprise is, you dont need a paid plan to use Canva. Only the premium features and elements are paid. And to be honest, most users dont even need them. Even I haven't used the premium feature for myself. The free plan is more than enough, better than any other free tool in the market and a few premiums too.

There is absolutely nothing I want to change. This is simple, intuitive, free or very, very cheap. What more can I ask for??

There is some grumblings among pro-designers who use Canva about some high-level features being absent, certain export formats not there or background remoal option not available. But this is not Photoshop and we should not treat it like that. Also, last I heard, Canva is working very hard to add more functions to their toolbox.

Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform with a wide range of templates and customization options. Its collaboration features and integration with other tools have made it a popular choice for creating professional-looking designs quickly and easily.

Limited customization: While Canva does offer a wide range of customization options, some users feel that it is still limited compared to more advanced design software.

It's very easy to use and offers a ton of design content for free. You don't necessarily need to search outside of Canva for images but you can if you want. It's great for designing simple social banners or marketing materials quickly but there is a catch. They are trying to sell you printing services and their pricing is not competitive with quality printers.

I recommend Canva to clients who need to create social media marketing images. I have worked with clients who need me to print postcards, flyers or brochures that they designed on Canva and there are issues. Canva is trying to sell printing services. Their design templates are sized and setup for the printer companies they outsource to. If you design on Canva and download the files to send to a professional printer then those files are not setup correctly and require alterations to be printed. That's if there is room for alterations, but not all designs will allow for easy alteration so therefore the customer is forced to print on Canva at higher costs.

I love Canva because I can either utilize a template OR I can create something from scratch based on my time. It's such an easy software to use and makes my life so much easier!

I really don't have anything bad to say about the software. I do wish that exported slides kept their name instead of automatically reverting back to the file name.

I liked the drag and drop feature which makes the design process easier and takes no time. Also the auto save of the project is a great feature because when the laptop suddenly close, i don't have to design from the beginning

I didn't like that i couldn't use canve without internet. Also, i can't depend on it in big projects which need professional tools and features

quite good inter action, no worries during the first use because the application is quite intuitiveit's a really useful application

It would be interesting to integrate a Drive module

I found using Canva a joy. There's a multitude of templates to choose from depending on what you're going for. Each template can easily be edited. There's a little something for every one. I recently made menu's using one of the many free templates you find on there and it turned out great! Unlike other apps where there's a lack of free good quality templates to choose from, Canva provides free templates with exceptional quality. This is the kind of app you can use for just about anything. Highly recommended!

The only downside I would say is that it was a bit harder to use on my Mobile phone.

PROS It has its free version that makes the user's life much easier with less financial value.

Cons It has little choice of images and fonts in the free version

They are the options and resources to edit photos, put filters and make edits.

Some filters are similar to others. and this ends up limiting editing.

I like the ease and practicality of creating or editing a template.

I don't like the way most templates are paid, this ends up leaving the experience of those who don't want to purchase the product at first, very limited.

1. Super easy to use. I use Canva to create my daily content. It's fast and easy to use.
2. Canva has built-in tools to remove background, controlling exposure, which is very helpful for my quick design.
3. Canva provides free resources (premium pictures, photos, design elements) that I can use freely. So simple that I don't have to buy stock photos. It's instantly available within the platform.
4. It has the presets & templates size for Instagram, youtube thumbnail, Linkedin banner, etc. Ready.
5. It has presentation templates as well!

1. The cheapest premium plan only has 1 brand preset. I find it difficult to switch among brand because the cheapest premium plan only allows me to have 1 brand preset. (default color, font, logo, etc). Hence I need to change manually when I do different design from different brand. However, you can choose the more expensive subscription plan if you have this kind of difficulty.

I use Canva on a weekly basis to make flyers and posters for the promotion of my student organization's events. I love how versatile Canva is in its functionality right from developing, flyers, posters, infographics and Instagram stories. After using Canva I haven't gone to any other product. I especially love the feature where it allows other team members to collaborate and make its usage more open source for the entire team. As a student volunteering for the organization, I really like how Canva allows you to access functionalities for free to create your artwork.

While creating content, a lot of screen space is taken by the functionalities and templates and these are not adjustable. Because of this, the actual screen space of the flyer being created reduces. At times the flyer area during editing is really small and difficult to work with. Although Canva allows you to zoom to increase the flyer/poster size, it involves a lot of scrolling to add in new features. It would be really beneficial if Canva allows resizing functionality and template areas.

I love love love Canva - I use it for everything. Seriously....EVERYTHING I have designed wedding invites, thank you notes, monthly mailers, videos, social graphics, PNG's, JPGS, SO MUCH MORE! I also use them for printing marketing materials, christmas cards, posters, and more. They are amazing, the quality is great, I have only one time had a shipping delay and I print from them at a minimum monthly

Sometimes the platform is down and access is impossible, but they have a status page which is nice to keep myself updated.

The best part of Canva is all the available features they have for both free and paid plans. They are easy to use and you don't have to be a graphic design artist to create something amazing! The impact they've had on my business has been huge.

I feel like they could be better organization within the software itself. For example, better ways to organize uploaded pictures/videos etc. I also feel like the customer service could be a little more friendly and timely.

Even a total newbie may use the included instructions and extensive library of pre-made templates to create high-quality visuals. Canva is a great tool for mass producing graphical content, such as blog entries, posters, and social media postings. It's a lot of fun to use, and if you're just starting out, you'll be amazed at what you can do. It's easy to create and modify projects for many sorts of uses, including personal, professional, and more.  Additionally, the platform's features and functions are extensive, ranging from the ability to modify photographs and brand material for social media to the use of templates for creating progress reports and yearly reports, both of which have proven to be quite useful and time saving. Furthermore, this platform needs zero specialised expertise or training to use.

I don't like how restricted the video editing options are. Currently, there aren't too many alternatives. To that end, I look forward to future instalments. Canva's video editing tools are too basic for me to use them at this time. It's concerning that many people just copy and paste the templates, making it simple to identify Canva users online. Canva might improve matters by spreading the word about its Design School, found under the site's Learn section. Many people don't even realise it exists. Canva's free plan lacks a filter that separates freemiums from premiums, despite the fact that it offers a large number of features and the ability to upload files for use in design creation. At the moment, their in-app search function simply allows you to narrow down templates by colour and language. If you don't use a template, you'll have to use keywords to find what you need. In my opinion, it would be beneficial to include this functionality. Also free membership let you dowenload the contents with low resolution.

Multiple features and functions. Can create a variety of print and digital media from Facebook posts to printed flyers and postcards. Large selection of details, photos, and fonts to use... in both Free & Premium versions. Easy to use with your own images and templates, easy to customize and use again. Transfers easily from online platform to computer to print shops. Great to use for personal fun, but also a great product for small businesses! Not a bad price either!

There are some user interfaces and functions that could be improved upon. Hard to find ways to adjust small details while in the design; cannot adjust individual colors within stickers or fonts, hard to resize the design template unless selected previously, and difficult to manipulate sizes for photos and backgrounds. There are lots of options in the Free version, but for most items you will need the Premium version to get more. Do not be fooled... this is not a replacement for more advanced software programs such as Photoshop or InDesign, but works beyond limited/basic needs for print and digital media.

What I like most about Canva, especially in the most current version, is the fact that the application is very intuitive.

In the new version, all features are separated by tabs - or, if the user prefers, he can click on a button and they all appear instantly.

What I liked most about this version is the possibility to create videos / animations from images, besides being able to create animated stories for Instagram and even include music!

In short, Canva remains my greatest ally at work, due to its versatility and ability to include new functions, making work more agile and efficient.

In contrast, what I like least about Canva is the fact that some of its features are still blocked (shapes and frames, for example), and you have to pay to unlock them. In the current version, all songs are still blocked.

Another point that I consider negative is the fact that the cell phone is very slow - I believe that this happens due to the large volume of functions. In addition, all created designs are saved in the application, even when they go to the Recycle Bin, contributing to the device being slow and some jobs are delayed.

To improve the performance of the application, I would recommend allowing at least some functions such as simpler shapes and borders (and even some music) to be included in the design for free.

I love how easy this is to use. I was able to figure out how it worked in minutes, and was able to navigate the different design options with ease. As this tool has grown, I have found that they have offered more opportunity to get really creative with customization. If you need a simple template and don't want to get too detailed, there are so many great options. If you have a vision and your own content, and you just need a simple tool to put it together, it's also great for that. They stay on top of trendy fonts, colors, and patterns, and you can really tell that they know what their users want. I have used Canva for invitations, newsletters, meeting agendas, and most commonly I make flyers with it. I run social media for a dorm and catchy designs are necessary if we want college students to take a second look. I have never found that I need anything but Canva.

I haven't found what I don't like, but the ability to use gif images would be helpful. I recognize that if pictures move, it may go beyond what this software can do. Animated or not, some images are just in that format. Additionally, the search feature is occasionally difficult to navigate since you need to sort through free and payment required images to find what you need.

Canva offers a quite a lot in the free version of the software, what I love most is the functionality wrapped in a beautiful web app.

You can create images that are sized for different social media channels like Pinterest, Facebook Banners and posts, Twitter, Instagram. They have a very large selection of free templates you can choose from and customize. It's easy to change text size, colors, position, and once you get used to the layout of various boxes/blocks (text, background, effects) you'll see how much you can vary, from colors to transparency. I love that it's easy to duplicate a design and create variations of the same template.

You used to be able to create a graphic in a certain size, i.e., for Pinterest and then at top left select the Magic Resize option. That would let you take that graphic and have it resized for something completely different, like a Facebook banner ad. It was really excellent to have that included in the free version, and it's a bummer to see it completely gone. I get it, companies need to make money. It would be nice to see it available to create at least one time something like three different sizes from one template to show how easy it is to use as a tool, and add to the incentive to purchase a subscription.

If you're creating a design and want to pull something in from a previous design you created, you can't access those earlier designs unless you upgrade your account.

It feels like it can get a bit slow, it's a good idea to check how many Canva tabs you have open because each time you click on a new design, you open a new tab, which will consume your resources.

Keep an eye on how many designs you're working on as they'll open new tabs which can consume resources.

A lot of products in the "design for non-designers" category have the problem of not allowing enough flexibility. They pin the user in with too few choices and restrictions so that every design (logo, banner, etc.) that you make ends up feeling too similar and not inspired, not YOUR creation. Canva is exceptional in that it makes it easy and fun to try LOTS of different designs, providing you with just the right assets to try a lot of different designs. It's still easy enough that you don't feel like you have to struggle or read a lot of how-to guides to get started but it's flexible enough that when you've created something, it feels like it's really yours (and not just a couple template options that you picked from). It's very handy for creating assets like logos, banners, t-shirts, etc. when you need something quick and when you don't have a professional designer resource. Great for home businesses working on marketing assets or startups where a CEO or product or marketing person needs to jump in and produce a few assets for a campaign, merchandise, etc.

This is more of a limitation than a negative comment about the product: Canva has a LOT of template types, including videos and menus (for restaurants) but they do NOT (as of Mar 28, 2020) appear to have a few key types like screenshots (i.e. for app stores) and their videos don't allow you to superimpose a graphic or video within the scene. I bring these two cases up because it's a very common need for a small business that produces apps to create promotional screenshots (the type where the screenshot is surrounded by marketing text) and promotional videos demoing their app content. For cases like this you'll have to look at https://biteable.com/ (for promo videos) and https://theapplaunchpad.com/ (for screenshot generators).

Easy to use tool and user-friendly especially for those without any designing and video editing skills.
Perfect Images and Video and Templates for quick designs and videos.
A lot of vector images and elements with free commercial use.
All my designs are being saved in my account and no need to download them as PSD or something like this.
You can undo any changes and I like the work History option ( still beta but, so far so good ).
Amazing free to use fonts and font styles with different colors.
Free one month trial and you can cancel it anytime you want without any charges on your credit card or PayPal.

In costume dimensions, you can't create designs more than 5000*5000 px.
On the project page, you can't have more tools like for example layers, effects, background...etc.
Not enough tools like the Erase tool, Selection tool, Remove Background tool, Color Hunt tool...etc
Don't have a lot of text styles and effects to choose from.
No stroke tool to add Stroke to the elements or the text.
You can't marge two or three layers together ( you can group them but, it's not like margin them and making them like one layer not three layers in one group ).
You can't work with a transparent background.
not enough video effects and transactions to chose from to add them to your videos.

For many, including me, Canva can be a divine sign or really the savior of the motherland. It features a huge variety of formats, layouts and tools, for basically any graphic material you might think of doing. Social media, work presentations, logos, cards, invitations, posters, ads, photo albums, ebooks and even resume! You can create all of this and more using Canva. And the best is the ease of use. You only have to choose a layout and customize it however you want. You can change the color of the text and some vectors, change fonts and more. It's a great software to exercise your creativity - even when you're not on a very creative day, because the software already gives you the almost ready work, you only need to adjust it according to your ultimate goal.

Canva presents a great image bank that covers several categories, making it really easy for you to choose the right image for your project without having to leave the page. Some images are free and very good, but there are the paid pictures also. They are great and the price is affordable - you might not mind paying, depending on your project.

It's really hard to find defects in Canva.

Even with those beautiful designs presented, some of the best ones are not totally free. Sometimes the complete design comes with a price, and other times some of the images used on it come with a price. If you can pay for them, this clearly does not prove to be a problem. If you can not afford it, there are the free images – but maybe some images do not show the best quality after download. Depending on the project you are designing, this can be a problem. For me, in the case of creating content for social networks (because the measures of these networks do not require a giant resolution), this has never been a problem. I can create beautiful arts for social media without any problem. And finally there's a Canva "problem" that I really LOVE to have: the variety of layouts it presents is soooo great that sometimes it takes me too long to pick one, hahahaha.

This is a really great tool for creating simple and repeatable designs. We have used it to create social media posts, flyers, and even our annual report. There are many things I like about Canva:

* There is a good library of free-to-use graphics and clip-art. The pro-version (reasonably priced) now includes the right to use every stock-footage photo and asset on the site.

* It is so intuitive and easy to use. I have used Photoshop and Pixelmator on the Mac and although they are very powerful they have a difficult learning curve - Canva does not have all those features, but you can get many (most?) tasks done quickly and with no training.

* It is very template driven, so you can work from existing templates that they provide, or create your own template to use. We designed a template for our social media posts and can now adapt and reuse it very simply.

* You can upload your logo and the corporate colours you use with your brand and they are stored in the site and easily accessible every time you create something

* All of your work is stored and conducted online. There is no software to install! You can always find your work. You never lose your work.

* You can export your work in a variety of formats - including with a bleed and crop marks for commercial printing. I've had items printed professionally and they have looked spectacular.

* The system is not good at giving you pixel perfect control. There are no rulers that I have discovered in the system - this is frustrating if you need some elements of the design to be in exactly the right place. This has not stopped us creating printed matter, but it is sometimes frustrating.

* There are occasionally tasks that I cannot do in Canva and need to resort to other applications to do, for example removing the background from an image through a custom crop.

It allows me to choose according to the type of social network in which I am working, to select the most varied templates adapted to the specific formats; and if I'm not satisfied with the predesigned material, I can modify it by making my final presentation more personalized. It has the ability to accept own photographs, adapt them and edit them within the same application with filters that give a professional appearance of excellent quality. If there is no format within the predesigned templates, you can also change the size. It offers a wide range of designs that fit the type of advertising desired, which are required to present both in a work meeting or disseminating information by various social networks.

There are times when not all the details of a presentation are saved, and it is annoying because some need time to do them again. If you select a specific template, the system opens a new tab, once you finish all the work and save the information, you must go back to the previous tab and close it, this is a bit tedious. Depending on the complexity of the presentation, sometimes the program can delay in processing the changes efficiently, which can sometimes make you lose the work done previously. In other opportunities if you upload your own image, in some occasions editing it on the platform is not friendly if the connection that is used on the internet does not turn out to be fast enough.

I have to tell you I've been using Canva for several years now and It has made my life as The business owner and content creator much easier. I think what I like most about Canada is that it's a program that is built for would be designers to design things like thumbnails for platforms like YouTube or Facebook. Or create flyers and banners for Instagram and Facebook. What I like most is that it's much easier to use than a platform like Adobe Photoshop and it has a lot of the same features. Plus, they're always updating the software so just when you think you're going to have to switch over to using a new platform like Adobe they update things and add that one feature you've always wanted. Like for example the transparency feature that they just added a year or two back has been a real game changer for me. It's really helped me because now I've been able to make images have clear backgrounds and I don't believe that they used to have that. It's opened up possibilities for what I can do in the software. And by the way this is coming from someone who does know how to use Photoshop. I use Photoshop and I use Lightroom but I always go to Canva first because it's simpler to use and it's by far more accessible for beginners. Also, you don't have to use the premium service with Canva but I highly recommend it because the cost is rather low and you get access to so many different features like stock images and other editing tools that make the price worth it.

One of the only cons I can see with Canva is that I wish it had more editing tools. So, sometimes I do have to edit an image in an Adobe program but be honest that's very rare.