Are you looking for the best alternative to Canva?
Canva’s simplicity and ease of use make it one of the most popular graphic design tools today. However, it’s far from your only option.
And Canva’s habit of moving free features to its paid plan may cause you to reconsider your options.
There are other software available that you could use to create social media graphics or any other type of visual content.
Today, we’ll explore the best Canva alternatives, all the features they include, and how much they cost.
1. Visme
Visme is our favorite graphic design tool not just for social media images but for presentations, infographics, and other visual resources.
It’s one of the most complex tools available. It can handle video and audio content. The drag-and-drop editor makes it fun to create designs. The included animations add spice to your content.
It has all the advanced features you’ll need to make media content more engaging for your audience. Visme even comes with free-to-use stock images.
Admittedly, there is a bit of a learning curve when using Visme because it offers so many features. But after a few minutes of use, you should be able to work your way around the visual editor and use all the design elements like a pro.
There are also a ton of ready-to-use templates available so you don’t even have to start a design from scratch if you don’t want to. All templates are customizable. You can change just about everything — from background colors and images to animation settings.
It’s the ultimate alternative to Canva.
And here’s the best part:
Visme has a free version.
Of course, the free plan does have limitations. But it’s the best way to experience Visme and everything it could do for your business. It’s a great solution for novice and professional designers alike.
Key features
- Free stock images and videos
- Customizable templates
- Data visualization
- Team collaboration features
- Basic analytics
- Project export options
- Cloud-based content
- Animation tools
- Theme colors
Pros
- Simple, user-friendly UI
- Dynamic functionality
- Wide range of design elements
- Easy integration with other tools
- Highly versatile
- Affordable
- Free version available
Cons
- Limited features on a free plan
- Limited storage capacity
- No offline access
Pricing
Get started with a free account or upgrade to a paid plan. Paid plans start at $29/month but you get 6 months free if you pay yearly. This works out at half price monthly plans.
Learn more in our Visme review.
2. Placeit
Placeit is a no-fuss online graphic design tool so it’s suited for anyone that needs a straightforward way to create images for social media posts.
It comes with lots of templates that are constantly updated. All you need to do is to pick one and customize it as you see fit.
But where Placeit really excels is product mockups.
Normally, you’d have to do photoshoots and edit the images before you could share your product images with your target customers. But with this Canva alternative, all you need to do is to slap your design on top of the mockups available on the site.
Got a shirt idea? No problem. Just upload your design and place it on top of all the shirt mockups available on the site. You can also do mugs, hoodies, books, business cards, banners, hats, iPads, face masks, and more.
You can even do logos, gaming overlays, and social media videos.
It’s a great tool for online businesses in the apparel space or social media influencers with little to no graphic design experience. Now you can create stunning visual content to promote your product designs.
Key features
- Free design templates
- Mockup generator
- Customizable business logos
- T-shirt and apparel designer
- Social media graphics
- Print media templates
- Ready to use video templates
- Gaming overlays
- Unlimited subscription service
Pros
- Extensive template library
- User-friendly interface
- Largest collection of mockups
- Professional, high-resolution results
- No design software required
- Cost-effective pricing
Cons
- No free plan or trial
- Requires internet access
- Templates may lack uniqueness due to a wide user base
Pricing
Plans start from $9.99/month.
3. Easil
Easil is one of those drag-and-drop DIY graphic design tools that simplify the whole process so that anyone can create images through basic editing tools.
It is perfect for brand-oriented projects since it has a Brand Kit feature. What this does is it allows you to store and access design elements like colors, font, logos, and other assets that match your company branding.
Not only does it offer professional templates, but it also comes with more than a million stock images.
Easil has a team collaboration feature that includes the ability to add an approval workflow. The locking permissions feature lets you dictate which elements of the design a team member can edit, add, or remove. That way, those who are not supposed to make design changes can’t accidentally mess up your work.
You can perform a bunch of actions that will improve the look of your designs. If you want to add a drop shadow, glow, or curved effect to your text — you can. With the Text Mask tool, you can add text effects like metallic or glitter textures. You can even animate text and graphics.
There’s even a tool for removing the background from your images. You’d normally need advanced photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop to do this. But now you can use Easil instead.
Key features
- Professionally designed templates
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Resizable designs
- Brand kit feature
- Social media scheduling
- Team collaboration tools
- Organizational tools
- Stock photos library
Pros
- High-quality visuals
- Intuitive, user-friendly interface
- Free graphic elements
- Supports font, image, and video uploads
- Free graphic elements
- Supports real-time collaboration
- Promotes brand consistency
- Free plan and 1-month free pro trial available
Cons
- Free version is highly limited
- Less suitable for complex designs
- Is internet-dependent
Pricing
Paid plans start from $7.50/month. Free plan and free trial available.
4. Stencil
Stencil is here for social media marketers that need a quick way to create graphics for all of their social channels.
Its biggest strength is the number of stock photos in its library. You can choose from over 5 million royalty-free photos to use for your project. All of these images are high-resolution too. So you’re guaranteed to come up with super crisp graphic designs.
This product also lets you pick from presets that are ideal for social media. For example, if you’re posting on Facebook, Stencil will recommend the right image size to use so that your design will look great on that platform.
However, you’d still have the option to create a custom size if that’s what you need.
You can also preview your work right before you publish your projects on social media. And when you’re happy, you can share your work in seconds through the Buffer app integration.
Stencil might not be as complex as the other entries in this Canva alternatives list. But if all you do is post inspirational quotes on your social channels (or something along those lines), then this tool might be exactly what you need.
Key features
- Social media graphic templates
- Over 5 million royalty-free photos
- Custom image creation tool
- Premium icons and graphics
- Buffer integration
- WordPress intregration
- Instant image resizing
- Customizable logo maker
- Social media sharing
Pros
- High-resolution, professional-looking images
- Simple, fast, and easy to use
- A vast library of images and graphics
- Image sizes are preset
- Easy image search feature
- Easy content sharing
- Free plan available
- 7-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Limited features for complex designs
- Limited free access
Pricing
Plans start from $15/month. Free plan and free trial available. Discounts available if you pay yearly.
5. Venngage
Venngage is a tool you could use to create infographics for your website or social media accounts. It’s great for transforming boring data into visually appealing content that your audience would more likely share with their friends.