Everybody these days is raving about how awesome Canva. But is the Pro really needed?
If you’ve tried the free version before, you know what I am talking about. You probably think it is the best online design tool out there, don’t you?
The thought of upgrading to Canva Pro has now hit you, and you are sitting there wondering if it is going to be worth your money.
Well stop worrying and read this comprehensive guide in which I cover topics such as:
Summary
Canva is one of the best design tools which can be used by both design professionals and beginners. If you are looking for the world’s easiest design tool to use in your small business then click here to start designing.
What is Canva Pro?
Canva Pro is the professional version of Canva that includes premium:
- Graphics
- Templates
- Photos
- Features and more.
Canva Pro is trusted by over 31 million users in roughly 192 countries worldwide. Popular brands that use Canva Pro are:
- HuffPost
- GreenPeace
- Duke University and
- Anytime Fitness
The question of whether you should start using Canva Pro in your company may still be looming in your mind, to help you answer this we will start by giving you:
The Key Differences Between Canva Free and Canva Pro
The free version of Canva is great for you if you just want to use it to create simple designs and you love the features and content it already has.
On the other hand, the pro version of Canva is great for you if you want to get access to some of the world’s best design templates, features, and more functionalities.
Let’s now compare the two in detail starting with the:
Canva Free Plan
This plan includes:
- 200 000 + Photos – Start using 200 000 images for free. If you want premium ones you will have to pay a small fee of $1 each.
- Over 250 000 Templates – Start using over 250 000 design templates included in the Canva database. Something to note is that some include a Canva watermark.
- Over 57 000 graphic elements and over 13 000 videos – Get free access to over 57000 graphic elements and 13 000 videos to use in your designs.
- Access to 75 audio tracks – Use any of the 75 tracks for free.
- Over 1700 Fonts to choose from – You can’t upload your own fonts though.
- 6 animation effects – Get only 6 free animation effects.
- Storage capacity of 5GB – Get 5GB storage on your projects.
- Give access to your team – Give access to your team members by sending them a link via email.
- Get a brand kit – Get access to only one color palette in your brand kit with only three different colors to choose from.
- Create two folders – Create only two folders to help organize your designs.
This massive list of features, functionalities, and content are what you will find if you use the Canva Free plan. Now let’s see what is included in the:
Canva Pro Plan
The Canva Pro Plan is a heavenly gift to all designers. It includes everything from the free plan plus:
- Background removal capabilities – Remove backgrounds from any image with just a click of a button.
- A Professional Brand Kit – Customize and organize your brand’s visual identity. Upload your own fonts, logos as well as setting up your color palette as you might like so that your brand identity stays uniform.
- Over 420 000 Templates – Use any of the 420 000 + professionally designed templates.
- Over 75 million images, audios, and videos – Choose from a database over 75 million amazing images, graphics, audios, videos, and elements. There is no need to subscribe to video subscription sites as well as premium stock photo sites. Upgrade to Canva Pro today.
- Resize Images easily – Easily resize images to use on all social media sites and other websites.
- Schedule your Content – Create amazing content for social media and schedule it to be posted at your desired time with Canva Schedule and the Content Planner.
- Transparent background designs – Download transparent images with a click of a button.
- 1 price for up to 5 teammates – Pay only once for 5 users.
- Create animations – With Animator Pro you can create amazing animations in GIF or MP4 format.
- Real-time collaboration – Start collaborating with your team members in real-time.
- Create as many folders as you like – Add your projects into folders and subfolders to stay organized.
- Over 3000 fonts to choose from – Use any of the 3000 + fonts if you upgrade to Canva Pro.
- Add your own fonts – Create and upload your own fonts that match your brand.
- High-quality downloads – Download your designs in any resolution you want.
- Get 100GB storage – Upload as much as 100GB of digital assets.
- Premium Support – Upgrade and get prioritized support.
- Save designs in SVG format – SVG format is great for creating vector graphics. Canva Pro lets you download designs in this format.
Canva Pro can help you create professional designs that eliminate the need to hire a graphic designer. The fact that you get over 75 million digital assets, over 420 000 premium design templates, and over 3000 different fonts to choose from make them the go to design tool you have been dreaming about.
There is nothing better than being able to easily create designs that match your brand and being able to resize those designs and repurpose them to different platforms. One click background removals and animation creation are the cherries on top of the pie.
Canva has another functionality that most design tools don’t have called:
Canva Print
Canva Print is a service that Canva offers that allows you to print your amazing designs and order them if you like.
One thing you should note about Canva Print is that it is not offered in every country even though they are expanding rapidly.
Now the question you’ve been yearning to get answered:
Is it Worth Upgrading to Canva Pro?
If you are looking to use and enjoy access to:
- Over 75 million digital assets,
- Over 420 000 design templates,
- Over 25 000 royalty free music,
- Over 3000 fonts,
- A storage of over 100GB,
- As many folders and sub-folders to organize your work as you like,
- World-class collaboration tools and
- Other features that will save you a considerable amount of time then Canva Pro is worth it.
Do you really need this many features?
If the answer is “yes” then upgrade, if “no” then don’t upgrade, simple as that. I personally chose to upgrade because I want to always be dishing out premium, quality content to my audience to keep them coming back for more.
You probably should try out Canva Pro for free right now to see why everyone is raving about it before you can make your decision.
How much does Canva Pro Cost?
Having read this article you might be thinking that Canva Pro is around $99 per month don’t you? – But NO…It is just a small fee of $12.99 if you want to pay monthly or the yearly discounted price of $119.
If perhaps you want even more features and benefits you’ll have to go with the Enterprise plan and pay a small fee of $30 per month.
Which of the two plans should you choose?
The Canva Pro plan has almost everything you need to run your business successfully. If you have more than ten members working collaboratively on Canva then the Enterprise plan is right for you. The Pro plan is good for small businesses and the Enterprise plan is good for mid-sized and big businesses.
Should I choose the monthly or yearly Canva plan?
Choosing the yearly Canva Pro plan gives you a 23% discount as opposed to the monthly plan. You get the same features and benefits in both the monthly and yearly plan.
My Recommendation: Canva Pro offers you a 30 day trial which you try out and see if it fits your business needs.
How easy is it to use Canva?
Most graphic design tools are difficult to use because they are often made for the professionals. Canva was made with ease-of-use in mind, which is why they are one of the most used graphic design tools in the world.
Like I told you earlier on – they offer you a whopping 420 000 + different pre-designed templates and over 75 million different digital assets you can just drag and drop or choose at a click of a button. There is no design tool that gets easier than this.
Pros and Cons of Using Canva
Every tool that exists has its good and bad side, Canva is no different. Here is what to look out for when you choose Canva as your design tool of choice.
Canva Pros
- Canva is super user-friendly. Any beginner can use it.
- Canva can integrate with many different third-party apps including most social media platforms as well as editing extensions and cloud storage platforms like HubSpot and many more. These integrations save you time from logging into many different platforms to complete a simple task.
- Canva gives you an arsenal of pre-designed templates to use as you wish, cutting the need of designing graphics and other stuff from scratch.
- You can collaborate with your team members from anywhere in real-time.
- Canva has a clean interface that doesn’t overwhelm newbies.
- Canva gives you access to over 75 million different graphics, photos, videos and elements, etc.
Canva Cons
- It is difficult to use their mobile app.
- The Canva support team usually takes longer than anticipated to answer your questions mostly due to the fact that they have millions of users contacting them from all around the world.
- Most of their best features need you to upgrade to Canva Pro.
- Their search feature is not very good especially if you are using their free version.
- You can’t use Canva when there is no internet connection.
How to Use Canva Pro for Free
Did you know that you can start using Canva Pro for free? If not here is how you do it.
- Go to Canva.com and click on “Pricing/Plans.”
- Click on “Try for free” then login or signup if you are new to Canva.
- Click on “Try for free for 30 days” on the page you’re redirected to.
- Choose the monthly or yearly plan then proceed to add your credit card. Note that your charge is $0, so do worry.
If by the end of the trial you are not satisfied with what you are offered then cancel your subscription.
You can now enjoy Canva Pro like the rest of us, congratulations.
Last Words
Canva is a design tool that helps you create the most amazing and professional designs possible.
Every small business including you is getting online these days. This means that you need to choose whether you are going to hire a graphic designer for $2 500 a month or choose Canva for free or $12.99 p/m to help you with your designs. The decision is yours to make– Choose wisely.
Canva FAQ
Can I use Canva for commercial purposes?
Yes. Everything on Canva is royalty-free and can be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.
Can I cancel the Canva Pro plan?
Yes, you can cancel the Canva Pro plan at any time that you want.
Can I cancel the Canva free trial?
Yes, but make sure you cancel it before it expires – Remember that you have only 30 days to use it.
Which is better: Canva or Photoshop?
Both are great, the only difference is that Canva is for non-designers and Photoshop is for trained professionals. Read more in our detailed comparison.
How long is Canva pro free trial
30 days.