Both Stencil and PicMonkey are crucial for businesses and designers, offering tools to create professional-quality visuals quickly. We'll compare Stencil's simplicity and extensive resources with PicMonkey's advanced photo editing and branding capabilities to determine the best option for your needs.

A Quick Overview of Stencil and PicMonkey

What is Stencil?

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Stencil is an online graphic design tool aimed at bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. It is designed to be easy to use, allowing users to create beautiful social media graphics quickly.

Stencil offers a vast library of over 5,000,000 stock photos and 1,350+ templates for faster image creation. The ability to upload and store multiple logos and custom fonts sets it apart from competitors.

What is PicMonkey?

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PicMonkey provides photo editing and design tools aimed at helping users create professional-quality images for various purposes, including social media, marketing, and branding. The company offers a range of features and templates to make the design process quick and easy.

PicMonkey's advanced photo editing tools like Touch Up, Color Changer, and background remover are notable. The brand kit feature, which allows users to store and easily access their logos, fonts, and colors, sets PicMonkey apart from its competitors.

Features of Stencil and PicMonkey

Similarities

When comparing Stencil and PicMonkey, it's clear that both platforms offer a range of features designed to simplify the creation of professional-quality visuals. Here are the most significant similarities between the two:

  • Templates: Both platforms provide a wide variety of templates to speed up the design process, catering to different needs such as social media posts, ads, and logos.
  • Stock Photos: Access to extensive libraries of royalty-free stock photos is a key feature for both, allowing users to enhance their designs with high-quality images.
  • Custom Fonts: Users can upload and use custom fonts on both platforms, ensuring brand consistency across all designs.
  • Social Sharing: Both Stencil and PicMonkey offer direct sharing options to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, making it easy to distribute content.
  • Browser Extensions: Each platform provides browser extensions to facilitate easy access and use of their tools, enhancing user convenience.

Differences

While both Stencil and PicMonkey offer robust tools for creating professional visuals, their feature sets cater to different needs. Here are the key differences between the two platforms:

  • Advanced Photo Editing: PicMonkey excels with tools like Touch Up, Color Changer, and background remover, which Stencil lacks.
  • Artsy Effects: PicMonkey offers unique effects such as Edge Sketch and Posterize, not available in Stencil.
  • Brand Kit: PicMonkey's brand kit feature allows users to store logos, fonts, and colors for easy access, a feature not found in Stencil.
  • Browser Extensions: Stencil provides Chrome and Firefox extensions, while PicMonkey does not offer browser plug-ins.
  • WordPress Plugin: Stencil includes a WordPress plugin for creating images within posts, a feature PicMonkey does not have.

User Interface and Usability

Stencil's user interface is straightforward, with a clear navigation bar and prominent call-to-action buttons. The design emphasizes simplicity, making it easy for users to find what they need quickly. The user experience is enhanced by detailed feature descriptions and positive testimonials, which build trust. Overall, Stencil's usability is bolstered by intuitive navigation and comprehensive information, ensuring users can efficiently create graphics.

PicMonkey's interface is similarly organized, featuring a navigation bar and multiple call-to-action buttons. The user experience is designed to be engaging, with video elements and informative sections that guide users through the tool's capabilities. Usability is high, thanks to the well-structured content and strategic placement of call-to-action buttons. Both platforms offer robust usability, but neither stands out significantly over the other.

Collaboration

Stencil does not emphasize collaboration features, focusing instead on individual productivity tools like stock photos, templates, and social sharing. The platform lacks real-time editing or team collaboration tools, making it more suitable for solo projects. User testimonials highlight ease of use and speed but do not mention collaborative capabilities.

PicMonkey similarly does not highlight collaboration features on its webpage. The focus is on individual design tools and templates, with no mention of real-time editing or team collaboration. User feedback also does not address collaboration, concentrating instead on the tool's effectiveness for personal use.

Neither Stencil nor PicMonkey stands out as better for collaboration.

Stencil and PicMonkey Pricing

Stencil offers three pricing plans: Free, Pro, and Unlimited. The Free plan costs $0 per month, Pro is $15 per month (or $9 per month annually), and Unlimited is $20 per month (or $12 per month annually). Each plan includes a 7-day money-back guarantee, providing flexibility for users to try before committing.

PicMonkey also has three plans: Basic, Pro, and Business. The Basic plan is $7.99 per month (or $72 annually), Pro is $12.99 per month (or $120 annually), and Business is $23 per month (or $228 annually). A 7-day free trial is available for both Basic and Pro plans, allowing users to explore features risk-free.

Overall, Stencil offers more affordable options, especially for annual subscriptions, making it a better choice for budget-conscious users.

Comparing Stencil and PicMonkey 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

  • Ease of Use: Piktochart's intuitive interface allows users to create stunning visuals without any design experience.
  • Variety of Templates: The platform offers a comprehensive suite of templates for infographics, presentations, flyers, posters, and reports, catering to diverse needs.
  • Content Repurposing: Piktochart's video editing tool enables users to turn long videos into customized bite-sized clips, making content repurposing straightforward.
  • Automatic Subtitles: The tool automatically adds subtitles to videos, which can be customized for social media, enhancing accessibility and engagement.
  • Drag-and-Drop Functionality: Users can easily create designs with Piktochart's drag-and-drop feature, streamlining the process from creation to publishing.

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)
  • Campus: Custom Pricing (Minimum 3000 seats, contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Stencil Reviews

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

  • "The workspace is small and templates are not very pretty." - Justine A., 4.0 out of 5
  • "Good for social media posts but lacks robust features." - Verified User in Education Management, 3.5 out of 5
  • "Inability to copy text easily is frustrating." - Jess L., 3.0 out of 5

Find more of Stencil reviews on G2!

PicMonkey Reviews

PicMonkey has received mixed reviews, with users appreciating its ease of use but finding limitations in advanced features and performance. Overall, PicMonkey has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.

  • "PicMonkey was the Canva before Canva became cool!" - Atif U., 3.0 out of 5
  • "Best design creating and editing online tool" - Nisarg S., 3.0 out of 5
  • "The Zoo For Your Crazy Designs: PicMonkey" - Itishree M., 3.0 out of 5

Find more of PicMonkey reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have praised Piktochart for its ease of use and versatility. With an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, customers find it particularly useful for creating professional-quality visuals quickly.

  • "Piktochart is very easy and simple to use online graphics creation tool." - ASHESHWAR Y.
  • "Piktochart offers good looking pre-built templates for creating graphics." - Jakub J.
  • "Easily Create Social Images and Infographics to Boost Business Services." - Rachel L.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why Choose Stencil:

  • Stencil is ideal for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers who need to create visually appealing graphics quickly and easily. Its vast library of stock photos and templates makes it perfect for those who prioritize speed and simplicity in their design process.

Why Choose PicMonkey:

  • PicMonkey is suited for users who require advanced photo editing tools and unique effects to create professional-quality images. This platform is perfect for graphic designers and creative professionals who need more robust features for detailed and artistic designs.

Why Choose Piktochart:

  • Piktochart is the go-to choice for users who need to transform complex ideas into engaging visuals, such as infographics, reports, and presentations. It's ideal for content creators, businesses, and educators who value ease of use and versatility in their visual communication tools.

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

While Stencil and PicMonkey offer valuable tools for specific needs, Piktochart stands out for its versatility and ease of use. Whether you're a content creator, business professional, or educator, Piktochart makes transforming complex ideas into engaging visuals a breeze. We believe Piktochart is the best choice for anyone looking to create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations effortlessly.