Stencil is an online graphic design tool that aims to simplify the creation of social media graphics for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. This article will provide an overview of Stencil's features, user reviews, and other graphic design tools to consider.
What is Stencil?
Stencil is an online graphic design tool that allows users to create social media graphics, ads, blog headers, and more. It is designed to be easy to use for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers.
Unique features include a vast library of over 5,000,000 stock photos, 1,350+ ready-to-edit templates, and the ability to upload and store multiple logos. Users can also access 6,550+ Google Web Fonts, upload custom fonts, and utilize 3,100,000+ icons and graphics.
What to Consider When Selecting a Stencil Alternative?
When considering alternatives to Stencil, it's essential to focus on features that cater to the needs of bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. Here are the top five features to look for:
Ease of Use: Look for tools that offer a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality. This ensures that even those without design experience can create professional-quality graphics quickly.
Template Variety: A wide range of ready-to-edit templates for social media, ads, blogs, and more can save time and provide inspiration. Ensure the platform offers templates that are relevant to your specific needs.
Stock Photos and Graphics: Access to a vast library of high-resolution stock photos, icons, and graphics is crucial. This feature allows you to enhance your designs without additional costs or the need for external resources.
Brand Consistency Tools: Features like the ability to upload and store multiple logos, custom fonts, and brand kits help maintain brand consistency across all your designs. This is particularly important for business owners and marketers.
Collaboration and Sharing: Tools that offer real-time collaboration, shared libraries, and direct social media sharing can streamline your workflow. This is especially beneficial for teams and social media marketers who need to work together efficiently.
Best Alternatives to Stencil
1. Piktochart
Piktochart is a visual communication tool that enables users to transform complex ideas into captivating visuals such as infographics, reports, presentations, and more. It is designed to be user-friendly, requiring no design experience, and offers a variety of templates and design elements to help users create professional-quality visuals quickly. Try Piktochart For Free!
Pros of Using Piktochart
AI-Powered Design Generator: Allows users to create stunning visuals from prompts or documents in seconds, ensuring brand alignment without the need for design experience.
Extensive Template Library: Offers a wide range of templates for infographics, presentations, reports, social media graphics, and more, catering to different use cases and industries.
Brand Assets Hub: Ensures brand consistency by providing easy access to brand fonts, colors, and logos, and allows for the transformation of templates into on-brand designs.
Collaboration Features: Facilitates team collaboration with shared libraries, commenting, and revision features similar to Google Docs or Microsoft Teams.
Interactive Maps: Enables users to visualize geographical data with customizable maps.
Who should use Piktochart?
Piktochart targets businesses, educators, and marketers who need to create professional-quality visuals quickly and efficiently. It is ideal for those who want to enhance their visual storytelling without requiring extensive design skills.
Pricing
Free: $0 (Free forever)
Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually)
Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually)
Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)
Reviews
Piktochart has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users appreciate the variety of templates and the ease of creating attractive graphic designs. Check out more of our reviews here!
2. Snappa
Snappa is a graphic design software designed to help users create online graphics quickly and easily. It offers features like pre-made templates, access to high-resolution stock photos, easy text and graphic additions, one-click background removal, and instant resizing and sharing of graphics. It is particularly aimed at non-designers who need to create professional-looking graphics for social media, ads, blogs, and more.
Pros of Using Snappa
Time-Saving: Snappa saves time with features like pre-made templates and one-click background removal.
Ease of Use: Designed for non-designers with no learning curve, making it accessible without the need for tutorials.
Comprehensive Tools: Offers a wide range of tools including 200+ fonts, 100,000+ vectors and shapes, and various photo effects.
All-Inclusive: All photos and graphics are royalty-free and licensed for commercial use, with no extra fees.
Cons of Using Snappa
Limited Advanced Features: As it is designed for ease of use, it may lack some advanced features that professional graphic designers might need.
Dependence on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires an internet connection to use, which might be a limitation for some users.
Pricing
Team: $30 per month (billed monthly) or $20 per month (billed yearly)
Snappa's pricing for more than five users on the Team plan is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Snappa has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally appreciate the ease of use and the range of templates. Check out more Snappa reviews here.
3. Easil
Easil is a design tool that empowers teams to create brand-compliant digital and print marketing materials with drag-and-drop ease. It offers pre-designed graphic templates that can be customized using a brand kit, images, and videos.
Pros of Using Easil
Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop interface with pre-designed templates.
Brand Consistency: Tools for maintaining brand standards, including a brand kit and design approval workflows.
Collaboration: Flexible locking permissions and the ability to manage and edit groups of designs.
Cons of Using Easil
Learning Curve: While designed to be user-friendly, new users may still need time to familiarize themselves with all features.
Dependency on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.
Pricing
Plus Plan: $7.50 per user/month (billed monthly) or $6.25 per user/month (billed annually)
Edge Plan: $59 per user/month (billed monthly) or $49 per user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, contact Easil for details.
Reviews
Easil has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more Easil reviews here.
4. Fotor
Fotor is an online photo editor that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for enhancing and editing photos. It offers features like basic adjustments, advanced editing, batch photo editing, AI-powered tools, and a variety of filters and effects. Fotor is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for both amateurs and professionals. It is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Pros of Using Fotor
AI-Powered Tools: Fotor offers a range of AI-powered features for quick and efficient editing.
Batch Photo Editing: Allows users to edit multiple photos simultaneously, saving time and effort.
Multi-Platform Availability: Accessible on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, making it versatile for different users.
Cons of Using Fotor
Advanced Features Require Pro: Some advanced editing tools are only available in the Pro version.
Overwhelming Range of Features: The extensive list of features might be overwhelming for new users.
Pricing
Fotor Pro: $3.33 per month (billed annually)
Fotor Pro+: $7.49 per month (billed annually)
Reviews
Fotor has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and good editing tools. Check out more Fotor reviews here.
5. DesignBold
DesignBold is a digital agency that aims to democratize design by making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or background. They offer a variety of services including a graphics marketplace, a graphic design platform, a website builder platform, and a design and digital agency service.
Pros of Using DesignBold
User-Friendly Interface: DesignBold provides an easy-to-use interface that allows users to create stunning visuals for various projects.
Vast Library of Resources: The platform offers a wide range of templates, graphics, and fonts to choose from.
Comprehensive Services: From graphic design tools to website building and digital agency services, DesignBold covers a broad spectrum of design needs.
Cons of Using DesignBold
Potential Overlap in Offerings: With multiple services and products, users might find some overlap or redundancy in the tools and resources provided.
Learning Curve: Despite being user-friendly, new users might still face a learning curve when navigating the various features and tools.
Pricing
DesignBold's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
DesignBold has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more DesignBold reviews here.
6. PicMonkey
PicMonkey is a photo editing and design tool that allows users to create eye-catching images for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, as well as for ads and logos. It offers a wide range of templates for various design needs, including flyers, presentations, logos, and invitations.
Pros of Using PicMonkey
Wide Range of Templates: Offers stunning templates for logos, banners, thumbnails, and more.
Advanced Photo Editing Tools: Includes features like Touch Up, Color Changer, and background remover.
Extensive Library: Provides access to 9,000+ graphics and textures, 100s of fonts, and thousands of templates.
Cons of Using PicMonkey
Browser Compatibility: Some features may not be supported by all browsers.
Subscription Required: Full access to all features likely requires a subscription.
Pricing
Business Plan: $228.00 USD per user annually or $23.00 USD per user monthly
Reviews
PicMonkey has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more PicMonkey reviews here.
7. Vectr
Vectr is an AI-powered vector graphics editor that allows users to create and edit vector images online. It offers tools for background removal, image to vector conversion, and real-time collaboration. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, catering to both beginners and professionals, and supports cross-platform synchronization.
Pros of Using Vectr
AI-Powered Tools: Advanced AI tools for various conversions and image generation.
Real-Time Collaboration: Live sharing and chat features for efficient teamwork.
Cross-Platform Sync: Seamless synchronization across multiple devices.
User-Friendly Interface: Easy to learn and use, suitable for all skill levels.
Cons of Using Vectr
Premium Features: Some features like sharing vector graphics or downloading require a premium account.
Browser Compatibility: Works best on Chrome; other browsers may have issues.
Pricing
Vectr's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Vectr has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more Vectr reviews here.
8. Lucidpress
Lucidpress is a web-based design and publishing tool that allows users to create and collaborate on various types of visual content such as brochures, flyers, newsletters, presentations, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible to users with varying design skills. Marq is designed to help businesses maintain brand consistency, speed up content creation, and reduce creative requests by turning designs into branded templates that teams can customize without losing brand control.
Pros of Using Lucidpress
Guarantees Brand Consistency: Lock critical elements like logos, fonts, and colors to ensure brand standards are maintained.
Speeds Up Content Creation: Allows for faster delivery of content to the audience by streamlining the design process.
Reduces Creative Requests: Cuts out repetitive design tasks, freeing up time for strategic work.
Empowers Teams: Enables teams to self-serve their content needs, leading to higher productivity and business growth.
Cons of Using Lucidpress
Learning Curve: New users unfamiliar with design tools may need time to get accustomed to the platform.
Dependence on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.
Pricing
Lucidpress's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Lucidpress has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more Lucidpress reviews here.
9. BeFunky
BeFunky is an all-in-one online Creative Platform that provides tools for photo editing, graphic design, and collage making. It offers a user-friendly interface with features like crop and resize, artsy filters, batch processing, background remover, touch-up tools, and customizable design templates.
Pros of Using BeFunky
User-Friendly Interface: Easy to use for beginners and professionals alike.
Comprehensive Toolset: Offers a wide range of photo editing, collage making, and graphic design tools.
AI Features: Includes advanced features like background remover and batch processing.
Customizable Templates: Provides pre-made design templates that can be easily customized.
Cons of Using BeFunky
Limited Advanced Features: May not have as many advanced features as some professional-grade software.
Subscription Model: Some of the most powerful features are locked behind a subscription (BeFunky Plus).
Pricing
BeFunky's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
BeFunky has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more BeFunky reviews here.
10. RelayThat
RelayThat is a design automation app that helps marketing managers, agencies, and teams create consistent, on-brand digital marketing materials, display ads, and social media content. It allows users to manage multiple workspaces and campaigns, generate headlines automatically, access curated libraries of top-performing color and font combinations, resize and remix layouts for different channels, and utilize over 3 million royalty-free images.
Pros of Using RelayThat
Brand Management: Easily manage and switch between multiple workspaces and campaigns.
Headline Generator: Automatically generate perfect copy with wildcard keywords.
Defeat Creative Block: Access curated libraries of top-performing color and font combinations.
One Click Resize: Resize and remix layouts to fit any advertising or social media channel without additional tweaking.
Cons of Using RelayThat
Learning Curve: New users might need time to get accustomed to the platform.
Dependence on Internet: Requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.
Pricing
PRO: $15 per month (Per User)
PRO PLUS: $25 per month (Includes 2 Users)
ENTERPRISE: Contact for pricing
Reviews
RelayThat has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention ease of use and a variety of templates. Check out more RelayThat reviews here.
Which One Should You Go With?
While each of these graphic design tools offers unique features and benefits, Piktochart stands out for its AI-powered design generator and extensive template library, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a user-friendly and efficient solution. Whether you're a business owner, educator, or marketer, Piktochart can help you create professional-quality visuals quickly and effortlessly. If you're exploring alternatives, give Piktochart a try and see how it can transform your visual communication.
Piktochart Team
