Figma vs Canva: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Figma and Canva are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering unique features that enhance productivity and creativity. We'll compare Figma and Canva to determine which platform best meets the needs of professionals in design and business environments.

A Quick Overview of Figma and Canva

What is Figma?

Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that helps design and development teams build products together. It offers a range of products and solutions tailored for different roles and use cases, emphasizing seamless collaboration and integration between design and development.

Figma's unique features include AI-generated UI, which allows users to instantly create mockups and prototypes. Another standout feature is its seamless collaboration within shared files, enabling all team members to contribute and stay updated in real-time.

What is Canva?

Canva is a design platform that offers a wide range of tools for creating visual content. It provides features for designing documents, presentations, social media graphics, and websites.

Canva offers free customizable templates and drag-and-drop tools for easy design. Its all-in-one design platform integrates website creation with other design needs, setting it apart from competitors.

Features of Figma and Canva

Similarities

Figma and Canva share several key features that make them popular choices for designers and businesses alike. Both platforms emphasize ease of use and collaboration, making them accessible to a wide range of users.

• Real-time Collaboration: Both Figma and Canva allow multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, enhancing team productivity.
• Cloud-based Platform: Users can access their work from anywhere with an internet connection, thanks to both tools being cloud-based.
• Extensive Libraries: Both platforms offer a wide range of templates, icons, and design elements to streamline the design process.
• Drag-and-Drop Interface: An intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for users to create designs without needing advanced skills.
• Cross-Platform Accessibility: Both tools are accessible on various devices, including desktops and mobile devices, ensuring flexibility for users.

Differences

Figma and Canva cater to different design needs, each offering unique features that set them apart. Here are the most significant differences:

• AI Features: Figma offers AI-generated UI and prototypes, while Canva provides AI photo editing and Magic Write™ for text generation.
• Design Systems: Figma includes robust design systems for product development, a feature Canva lacks.
• Website Creation: Canva excels with its website builder, offering free templates and custom domains, which Figma does not provide.
• Plug-ins: Figma supports a wide range of plugins for UI kits and templates, whereas Canva integrates with Bitmojis, Giphy, and media imports.
• Dev Mode: Figma's Dev Mode translates designs into code, a feature not available in Canva.

User Interface and Usability

Figma's user interface is designed to be intuitive, featuring tools like Auto Layout and batch editing to streamline the design process. The platform supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same file simultaneously. Its user experience integrates design and development workflows, offering tools for brainstorming, designing, and building products collaboratively. Features like AI-generated UI and Dev Mode enhance productivity and ensure consistency across projects.

Canva's user interface is easy to use with drag-and-drop tools and customizable templates. It supports real-time collaboration, making it simple to invite collaborators and share drafts. The user experience is seamless and intuitive, requiring no prior experience in website building. Canva offers features like password protection for private websites and website insights for tracking traffic. The platform is accessible on any device, allowing users to switch between mobile and desktop seamlessly.

Figma has a more robust user interface and usability compared to Canva.

Collaboration

Figma allows seamless collaboration by enabling everyone to work in one shared file, including designers, developers, and clients. Its communication tools, such as audio and chat features, facilitate quick connections within the file. The centralized feedback system and design systems streamline the product development process, ensuring all team members can view, understand, and contribute to the work.

Canva also supports real-time collaboration, allowing users to invite collaborators and work together on designs by sharing a link directly from the dashboard. Its drag-and-drop interface simplifies adding and arranging content, while the Brand Kit ensures brand consistency. The ability to invite unlimited team members and share work easily enhances teamwork and productivity.

Both platforms offer robust collaboration features, but neither stands out as definitively better for collaboration.

Figma and Canva Pricing

Figma offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs. The Starter Team plan is free, while the Professional Team plan costs $15 per full seat per month. The Organization plan is priced at $45 per full seat per month, and the Enterprise plan costs $75 per full seat per month. Figma's pricing is straightforward and scales with the complexity of features.

Canva's pricing includes a Free plan, a Pro plan at $120 per year for one person, and a Teams plan at $100 per year per person, with a minimum of three people. The Enterprise plan has custom pricing. Canva's pricing structure is designed to cater to individual users and teams, offering flexibility and value for different user needs.

Overall, Canva offers more affordable options for individual users, while Figma's pricing is more suited for teams requiring advanced design and collaboration features.

Comparing Figma and Canva to Piktochart

Transform complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

• AI-Powered Design Generator: Piktochart's AI-powered design generator can transform any prompt into stunning visuals in seconds, making it incredibly efficient for users.
• Comprehensive Visual Tools: The platform offers a wide range of tools for creating infographics, presentations, social media graphics, and even video content, catering to diverse visual communication needs.
• Educational and Support Resources: Piktochart provides extensive resources, including blogs, courses, podcasts, user stories, video tutorials, and webinars, to help users maximize the platform's potential.
• Special Plans for Education and Nonprofits: Discounted plans are available for students, teachers, education staff, and registered nonprofits, making Piktochart accessible to a broader audience.
• Versatile Video Tools: Piktochart includes unique video tools such as a screen recorder, social media video maker, video cropper, and video-to-text converter, enhancing its utility for various content creation needs.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro:
  • $29 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Business:
  • $49 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Figma Reviews

Overall, users have given Figma a rating of 4.7 out of 5. While many appreciate its ease of use and collaboration features, some find the learning curve steep and the offline capabilities limited.

• "The learning curve is quite steep, and it lacks some essential features." - John D., 3.5/5
• "Performance issues with large files can be frustrating." - Sarah M., 3.8/5
• "Subscription details are unclear, and offline functionality is limited." - Alex P., 3.9/5

Find more of Figma reviews on G2!

Canva Reviews

Overall, users have given Canva a rating of 4.7 out of 5. While many appreciate its ease of use, some find the limited features in the free version and slow customer support frustrating.

• "Sometimes customer support is a little slow to respond. But there are so many users, videos, and Facebook Groups out there that you can usually find the answer you need pretty quickly." - Jasmine M., 3/5
• "There is little to dislike about Canva, but if pressed, I'd say some of the 'magic' tools have a little way to go. For the price and usefulness, it is very hard to fault." - Frank C., 3/5
• "Canva provides a robust design experience while online. It falls short by not offering offline editing capabilities restricting the flexibility to work on projects at any given time or place." - Milly S., 3/5

Find more of Canva reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use and the variety of templates available. Here are some of the sentiments from our customers:

• "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
• "Piktochart is great!" - Katie S.
• "Incredibly intuitive design app." - Megan B.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why a consumer might want to use Figma over Canva:

• Figma is ideal for design teams and developers who need advanced design features and seamless integration between design and code. Its real-time collaboration and comprehensive design systems make it perfect for professional product development.

Why a consumer might want to use Canva over Figma:

• Canva is perfect for entrepreneurs, content creators, and small business owners who need an easy-to-use tool for creating professional-looking designs quickly. Its drag-and-drop interface and extensive template library make it accessible to users with no prior design experience.

Why a consumer might want to use Piktochart over Canva and Figma:

• Piktochart is ideal for communications professionals, educators, and marketers who need to create engaging visual content efficiently. Its AI-powered design generator and versatile video tools make it a comprehensive solution for diverse visual communication needs.

Figma, Canva, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a seasoned designer, a small business owner, or an educator, Figma, Canva, and Piktochart each offer unique strengths to meet your needs. While all three platforms are excellent choices, we believe Piktochart stands out with its AI-powered design generator and versatile visual tools. Give Piktochart a try and see how it can transform your visual communication effortlessly.