Stencil and Canva are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering powerful features to create professional graphics and websites effortlessly. We'll compare Stencil and Canva to determine which one excels in usability, features, and overall value for creative projects.

A Quick Overview of Stencil and Canva

What is Stencil?

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Stencil is an online graphic design tool aimed at helping bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers create beautiful social media graphics quickly and easily. The company has joined Namecheap and boasts over 395,000 happy users.

With over 5,000,000 stock photos and 3,100,000+ icons and graphics, Stencil offers a vast resource library. The ability to upload and store multiple logos and custom fonts sets it apart from competitors.

What is Canva?

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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 a variety of designer-made, fully responsive website templates that are free to use and customizable. Its AI-powered Magic Write™ feature allows users to generate, summarize, expand, and re-write text quickly, setting it apart from other website builders.

Features of Stencil and Canva

Similarities

Both Stencil and Canva are popular online graphic design tools that cater to a wide range of users, from bloggers to business owners. They share several key features that make them versatile and user-friendly.

  • Both platforms offer a vast library of stock photos and customizable templates.
  • They provide drag-and-drop design tools, making it easy to create professional graphics without any design experience.
  • Users can upload and store custom fonts and logos on both platforms.
  • Both Stencil and Canva support social sharing to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
  • Real-time collaboration is available, allowing multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously.

Differences

While both Stencil and Canva offer robust tools for creating stunning visuals, they each have unique features that set them apart.

  • Stencil: Offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, allowing users to create images directly from their browsers.
  • Canva: Provides AI-powered tools like Magic Write™ for text generation and a one-click background remover.
  • Stencil: Integrates with WordPress, enabling users to design images within their WordPress posts.
  • Canva: Includes a Brand Kit feature for consistent application of brand elements across all designs.
  • Stencil: Boasts a vast library of over 5,000,000 stock photos and 3,100,000+ icons and graphics.

User Interface and Usability

Stencil's user interface is straightforward, with a clean layout and intuitive navigation. The design is minimalistic, focusing on ease of use, which helps users quickly find the tools they need. The experience is smooth, with features like browser extensions and WordPress integration enhancing usability. However, the simplicity might limit advanced customization options for some users.

Canva's interface is also user-friendly but offers a more feature-rich environment. The drag-and-drop functionality and real-time collaboration tools make it versatile for various design needs. The platform's extensive template library and AI-powered tools provide a comprehensive design experience. Despite its complexity, Canva manages to maintain an accessible and organized layout.

Overall, Canva offers a more robust user interface and usability compared to Stencil.

Collaboration

Stencil offers basic collaboration features, such as the ability to share designs directly to social media platforms and browser extensions that allow team members to create and share images from anywhere. However, it lacks specific real-time editing or team collaboration tools, which may limit its effectiveness for more complex collaborative projects.

Canva, on the other hand, provides robust real-time collaboration features, allowing users to invite collaborators and work together seamlessly. The platform's easy sharing and exporting tools, along with the ability to invite unlimited team members, make it more suitable for collaborative efforts. Overall, Canva appears to be better suited for collaboration than Stencil.

Stencil and Canva Pricing

Stencil offers three pricing plans: Free, Pro, and Unlimited. The Free plan costs $0/month, the Pro plan is $9/month when paid annually or $15/month, and the Unlimited plan is $12/month when paid annually or $20/month. Each plan includes different features, with the Unlimited plan offering the most comprehensive set of tools.

Canva also provides a range of pricing options: Free, Pro, Teams, and Enterprise. The Free plan is $0/year, the Pro plan is $120/year, and the Teams plan is $100/year per person with a minimum of three people. Enterprise pricing is custom. Canva's plans offer extensive features, especially for team collaboration and enterprise needs.

Overall, Stencil's pricing is more straightforward and potentially more affordable for individual users, while Canva offers more advanced features and scalability for teams and enterprises.

Comparing Stencil and Canva to Piktochart

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Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, 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 allows users to create stunning visuals quickly and effortlessly, making it a standout feature for those needing fast, professional results.
  • Wide Range of Visual Tools: From infographics to social media videos, Piktochart offers a comprehensive suite of tools that cater to various visual content needs, ensuring versatility for any project.
  • Customizable Templates: The platform provides a vast array of customizable templates, enabling users to tailor their designs to specific requirements without starting from scratch.
  • Video Editing and Transcription: Piktochart includes advanced video tools such as a screen recorder and automatic video transcription, making it easier to repurpose content across different formats.
  • Support for Multiple Industries: Piktochart is designed to meet the needs of various sectors, including education, marketing, and healthcare, offering specialized features and templates for each industry.

Piktochart's Pricing

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

What Are Others Saying?

Stencil Reviews

Overall, users have given Stencil a rating of 4.5 out of 5. While many appreciate its ease of use and intuitive interface, frustrations include a small workspace and limited customization options.

  • "The workspace is small, and the templates are not very attractive." - Justine A., 3.5/5
  • "Limited font options and outdated design templates." - Jess L., 3.5/5
  • "Issues with resizing images leading to pixelation." - Verified User in Education Management, 3.5/5

Find more of Stencil reviews on G2!

Canva Reviews

Canva has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Users appreciate its ease of use and variety of templates, but some find the free version limited and customer support slow.

  • "The free version lacks some features." - Jayson Mavrick A., 3.5/5
  • "Some 'magic' tools need improvement." - Frank C., 3.5/5
  • "Customer support can be slow at times." - Jasmine M., 3.5/5

Find more of Canva reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use and the variety of tools available for creating professional visuals. Here are some of the sentiments from our customers:

  • "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
  • "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jennifer K.
  • "Excellent, easy way to create infographics." - Rachel L.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why a consumer might want to use Stencil over Canva:

  • Stencil is ideal for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers who need a straightforward tool to create social media graphics quickly and easily.

Why a consumer might want to use Canva over Stencil:

  • Canva is perfect for entrepreneurs and content creators who require a comprehensive design platform with advanced features like AI tools and real-time collaboration.

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

  • Piktochart is suited for educators, marketing professionals, and business users who need a versatile tool for creating infographics, reports, and videos with the help of AI-powered design generators.

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

While Stencil and Canva offer impressive features and cater to different needs, Piktochart stands out with its AI-powered design tools and versatility across various industries. Whether you're an educator, marketer, or business professional, Piktochart provides an intuitive and comprehensive platform for creating stunning visuals effortlessly. We believe Piktochart is the best choice for those looking to transform complex ideas into captivating visuals that truly engage their audience.