Until Canva came in and revolutionized the world of design by creating a platform that offered a simple graphic design tool to users of all competence and experience levels, the world mostly depended on CorelDraw and Adobe software such as Illustrator and Photoshop.
While Canva’s presence has not taken away the fact that some things are still meant to be tackled with heavy-duty graphic design applications, it has made it possible for everyone to feel confident enough to design elements that are both appealing and useful for accomplishing their design and marketing objectives using DIY design tools.
PROS
CONS
ALTERNATIVES
Best Overall
Visme
All the benefits of a top-notch graphic design and photo editor in one package, with extras.
PROS
- Easy to create presentations and social media infographics
- Provides dynamic features to create professional-looking designs
- Data visualizations easy
- Easy to use photo image editor
CONS
- Does not have guest collaboration features.
- Lower-priced packages have too many restrictions.
- Storage is limited in lowest priced plan.
ALTERNATIVES
Best for Corporations
Adobe Express
As close as one can get to the power and benefits of Adobe Photoshop without the cost and complexity.
PROS
- Thousands of templates available
- Over 20K+ stock photos in their library
- Common editing features are easy to use
- Create video content and website designs
- Access to the Adobe Creative Cloud
CONS
- Occasional bugs and lag issues.
- Some users find the web app difficult to use
- You can only create 30-second videos.
ALTERNATIVES
Best for SMBs
Pixelied
Easy application to get started with and a one-time buy-in gives it a place among the best options.
PROS
- 1500+ templates available
- Stock images and premium icons are offered
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor
- Features like background remover and custom blends
CONS
- Background remover credits are limited.
- Mockups take some time to save.
- Short supply of illustrations available for use.
ALTERNATIVES
Best for Marketers
DesignCap
Great for presentations and graphics that will aid with marketing campaigns and reporting.
PROS
- Provides thousands of templates
- The paid plans are very affordable
- Both map editor and chart editor are available for better data visualization
- Create engaging presentations
CONS
- Despite its ease of use among other qualities, it doesn’t have as much luster as other options.
- The maps offered are often inaccurate or not completed.
ALTERNATIVES
Best for Starters
Pixlr
A rather simple and affordable Flash-based tool that gets high remarks for its capabilities.
PROS
- Offers a huge library of stock images, fonts, and templates
- Broad range of editing features
- Easy to learn advanced editing
- It is often lauded as an affordable version of Adobe Photoshop
CONS
- Doesn’t have tools such as clone and healing.
- Does not support large and high-quality images.
- Pixlr can only be used with Flash.
ALTERNATIVES
Canva isn't the only option available for improving your design capabilities. Numerous Canva alternatives have their place in the graphic design landscape for designers and non-designers.
The option to choose one over another depends on how you intend to use the software and your design objectives.
Canva
Canva is a powerful freemium graphic design tool packed with robust features for users to design high-quality visual content and graphic files for use in image-centric projects. Canva is an easy-to-use platform that one does not need to be a top-level design professional to create eye-catching graphics.
From absolute beginners designing simple flyers and posters to professionals looking to create attention-grabbing visuals for organizations and high-ticket clients – Canva is the design platform that offers multiple tools and design elements to work with to produce a quality creative element quickly and effectively.
Canva Features
Brand kit
Saving source files is a crucial part of any design or creative project. This makes it possible for the designer to go back to find current or previously saved versions of a project to make changes without having to start over again.
Canva’s Brand Kit allows it to save colors, fonts, and images used in your designs for later use and consistency in all designs in the future. This feature is a time saver for designers and teams using the graphic design tool.
Canva animator
When added to a design, animations lift said design to a new level of beauty and fascination. Designers who want to impress their clients with a design that stands out from the rest can put the animator to use to create a dynamic animation.
To access the feature, users only need to click “Animate.” Doing so will show all the effects available for use, including Block, Drift, Fade, Pop, Rise, and Tumble.
Drag-and-drop editor
Drag and drop functionality has become a familiar and welcome feature in design and creative platforms because of the convenience it guarantees users. Canva supplies users with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor to help complete designs faster.
Elements such as fonts, photos, templates, widgets, and videos – among others – can be dragged into position and dropped in place. All one has to do is indicate what they intend to create, and Canva will display the relevant elements to help them design great visuals in minutes.
Elements
The Element tab inside the Canva designer gives users access to audio, charts, gradients, grids, icons, graphics, photos, photo frames, shapes, and videos. All a user needs to do is to use the search box to find everything available on the platform – remembering to be specific in their search query as Canva’s Elements library is large, and there’s much to choose from.
Publish or schedule to social media
Canva, just like some other online photo editors, gives users the option to share completed designs on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack, Twitter, and Tumblr.
A recent addition to the platform’s features allows users to create social media posts and schedule them across multiple networks. A convenient addition that makes it possible for a designer and social media marketers to complete a task much more quickly.
Pros of Canva
- User-friendly interface and easy to use for beginners
- Templates are offered in various sizes for specific purposes
- A vast library of templates and stock photos
- Brand kit and social media automation tools are available
- Pro and enterprise versions are available at budget-friendly prices
Cons of Canva
- Generic photos and templates
- Lacks pro editing features
- Has limited image editing tools
- Limited functionality for pro designers
- Most graphic elements are only available to paid users
- Needs internet connection at all times, therefore inconvenient for offline work
Canva User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about Canva
Very good app for designing anything you want; from logos, Facebook posts, presentations, etc.” –Amy Nelson (US)
“Canva is an excellent option to design anything you want to publish. I use Canva to design my post on Facebook and Instagram and they are perfect. I love Canva!” –Wilfredo Brausin (CO)
“This app is amazing and I would say is a must have for small businesses! We have used it to create business cards, labels, Instagram posts, etc! I love Canva, it is helpful and versatile!” –Honeybees’ Creations (US)
Overall Trustpilot Rating – 3.5 out of 5, based on 25 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating Canva
Capterra – 4.7 out of 5, based on 9,622 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.7 out of 5, based on 3,452 ratings and reviews.
Canva Pricing
Canva has two pricing plans, Pro and Teams.
Canva Pro: $119.99/year (per user)
The standard Pro package comes with the following benefits to the user:
- 1TB cloud storage
- 100+ million premium stock audio, graphics, photos, and video
- 610,000+ free and professionally designed templates with new designs daily
- Infinitely resize designs with Magic Resize
- Instantly remove image backgrounds with Background Remover
- Save designs as templates for reuse
- Save and apply brand or campaign colors, fonts, and logos with up to 100 Brand Kits
Canva for Teams: $30/month (per person, minimum 25 users)
Canva for Teams: $149/yr (5 users)
The benefits of Enterprise include everything in the Pro package in addition to the following and more:
- 24/7 Enterprise-level support
- Built-in workflows for design approval
- Control team uploads into Canva
- Control team access to apps, colors, fonts, graphics, and logos with brand controls
- Establish the brand’s visual identity across multiple Brand Kits
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Template locking to help stay on brand by setting which elements the team can edit
Best Canva Deal
Free: Canva has a forever-free plan.
Trial: Canva offers a 30-day trial for paid versions.
Guarantee: No money-back guarantee is available for paid plans.
Sale or Discount: Free Canva Pro subscription for nonprofits and special offers for students and teachers.
Canva Support
Canva has a complete education section dedicated to teaching people about using Canva. For users who need access to specific information or need to contact the support team, Canva offers an email ticket system, live chat, and a rich knowledge base to find answers to common problems.
The Best Canva Alternatives in 2022
Below are some of the best Canva alternatives to help meet your design requirements without spending too much on a software license.
Visme
First impressions count, and for many people, the visual cues you present to them are enough for them to form an opinion. That is why it is essential to let people see the best representation of what you can offer.
Visme accomplishes this by offering feature-rich content creation, data visualization, and presentation tools that can be accessed online and offline. Proving to be a one-stop shop for a user’s graphic and visual needs, this platform completely transforms the look of projects and is great for bloggers, content creators, website builders/owners, and more.
Visme Features
Charts and maps
The Visme chart templates are impactful. Among others are concept maps, flowcharts, line graphs, maps, and pie charts. Whatever it is that needs to be designed, the tool seemingly offers.
Document and printable templates
Visme has a wide range of templates for all documents and printables. From certificates, e-books, flyers, invitations… even magazine covers, menus, resumes, schedules, etc. Visme has templates in formats that help get the job done.
Whether the user intends to start with a custom-sized printable or go with any of the built-in templates, they can be sure of the quality result of their efforts.
Web graphics
Visme’s web graphics templates are divided into blog graphics, email headers, large and medium rectangles (IAB), leaderboards, wallpapers (both desktop and mobile), and wide skyscrapers.
Infographics
For users who want to make infographics, Visme has templates specific for creating guides, comparing items, and presenting processes. Visme makes many of these available on the free plan, which other competitors do not do.
Social network graphics
It is important to have visual content that is both aspirational and outstanding – especially on social channels. Visme allows users to create stunning graphics for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube with appropriate and suitable templates.
Pros of Visme
- Easy to create presentation slides and social media infographics
- Provides dynamic features to create professional-looking designs
- Makes data visualization very easy
- Easy to use photo editor to create images
Cons of Visme
- Does not have guest collaboration features
- Lower-priced packages have too many restrictions
- Storage is limited in lowest priced plan
Visme User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about Visme
“Visme requires a few more minutes to learn than some of the other tools but it's well worth it because you get to create something unique; not the cookie-cutter stuff you see elsewhere.” –Yvonne Valdez (US)
“At first glance, this is like any other design tool; but I have to say after a couple weeks; you start to really see what's under the tool.” –Stewart Rutherford (US)
“Great features and a nice user interface makes this tool a must-have for infographics, background removal, and social graphics.” –Keith Lang (IE)
Overall Trustpilot rating – 4.1 out of 5, based on 55 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating Visme
Capterra – 4.5 out of 5, based on 603 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.5 out of 5, based on 190 ratings and reviews.
Visme Pricing
Visme has one free plan, Basic, and three paid plans; Personal, Business, and Enterprise.
Visme Personal: $12.25/month, billed annually
Here are the benefits of Visme’s Personal plan:
- Download files as JPG, PNG, PDF
- Full access to templates and assets
- 24/7 Email & chat support
- 250 MB storage
Visme Business: $24.75 (per user, per month, billed annually)
Here are the benefits of Visme’s Business plan:
- Full downloading options including PPTX, HTML5, Video, & GIF
- Privacy controls
- Team features include Brand Kit, analytics, team collaboration tools, & integrations
- 3 GB storage
Visme Enterprise (custom)
- Advanced security options
- Custom sub-domain
- Personalized training and onboarding
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- 25 GB storage
To sign up for the Enterprise package, you must reach the Visme sales team for a custom quote.
Best Visme Deal
Free: Visme has a forever-free plan.
Trial: Visme uses their free Basic plan as their free trial.
Guarantee: No money-back guarantee is available for paid plans.
Sale or Discount: There is a discount for students, educators, and non-profit organizations.
Visme Support
The Visme blog, ebooks, video tutorials, and webinars help users master the Visme platform and acquire various other skills. Users can also visit the help center to find answers to frequently asked questions. The support team can be contacted via live chat and email to get help regarding specific queries.
Adobe Express
Formerly Adobe Spark, Express is Adobe’s newest app for content creation and simple graphic design. Adobe Express comes with an image editor, a video-making tool, and a website builder for creating simple yet beautiful content that is impactful and does not require the user to possess savvy design skills.
It is a ‘get in and use’ platform that anyone can use as long as they know what decent creative visual content should look and feel.
Adobe Express Features
Image background remover
Transparent backgrounds are essential to create graphics because they give a professional designer many options. Images with their backgrounds removed are easier to use in different scenarios.
Image effects
With just a few taps, users can apply compelling and cool effects when used to create images in Adobe Express. And with the undesired background removed, users can choose new backgrounds and effects, such as overlays, to make their image pop and social media-ready in just a matter of minutes.
Another effect that comes with this feature is the duotone effect which is easy to apply to images. Users must filter images with their primary brand colors or two hues to evoke the right mood – resulting in eye-catching content.
Libraries and template sharing
Adobe Express users collaborating as a team can create consistent content and on-brand from anywhere because of Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries. Users can manage and organize creative elements at any point with library access. Teams can collaborate via Creative Cloud Libraries by sharing assets, brand identity elements, logos, and templates across the team. This is a considerable feature other Canva alternatives do not have.
Stock photos and templates
Design platforms can never be complete without stock photos and templates to get users started. Adobe Express has design elements and templates for users to create amazing content, so they don’t have to start from scratch.
Also, Adobe’s stock images come in handy whenever users need a photo supporting their work. There are millions of current, seasonal, or trending images to choose from – presenting users with enough options for any project.
Quick actions
Quick Actions are an effective way to edit images with just one click. With Adobe’s Quick Actions and their one-tap effect, you can resize images and videos or remove their backgrounds. Videos can be cropped, merged, reversed, trimmed, or converted to GIF format.
Pros of Adobe Express
- Thousands of templates are available for social media, posters, business cards, and logos
- Over 20K+ stock photos are available in their library
- Common editing features like trim, cut, crop, and resize, are very easy to use
- You can also create video content and website design for solo web pages easily
- Create stunning visual content with this Canva alternative
- Access to the Adobe Creative Cloud with a subscription
Cons of Adobe Express
- Occasional bugs and lag issues
- Some users find the web app difficult to use
- You can only create 30-second videos
Adobe Express User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about Adobe Express
There are no current reviews of Adobe Express on Trustpilot. We will update as reviews are added.
Here’s how software review sites are rating Adobe Express
Capterra – 4.5 out of 5, based on 830 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.5 out of 5, based on 296 ratings and reviews.
Adobe Express Pricing
Adobe offers a free plan and a single premium paid-for plan with their subscription.
Adobe Express Premium: $9.99/month or $99.99/year (save 16%)
- 100GB of storage
- Add your branding, logo, colors, and fonts in one tap
- All premium templates and design assets
- Convert & export to and from PDFs and other file types
- Create, manage, and share your templates and assets with Creative Cloud Libraries
- Create on both web and mobile
- Over 160 million royalty-free Adobe Stock collection photos
- Over 20,000 licensed Adobe fonts, curved type, grids, and font pairs
- Plan, schedule, and publish social media images across multiple social media channels
- Premium advanced features like refined cutout, resize, and graphic groups
Best Adobe Express Deal
Free: Yes, Adobe offers a forever-free application.
Trial: Yes, a 30-day trial is available for the paid plan.
Guarantee: No money-back guarantee is available for paid plans.
Sale or Discount: None at this time.
Adobe Express Support
The Adobe Express blog, tutorials, FAQs, help center, and user guide enable users to learn about the platform independently. Live chat and email support are also available 24/7 for customers to get help with specific problems regarding the platform. They also have an active community where users help each other.
Pixelied
With online basic editing tools becoming a staple in the modern world for bloggers, copywriters, designers, and all kinds of entrepreneurs, it is becoming necessary to have tools that can be used without the need for professional assistance.
Solid visuals and images will always power blogging. Good imagery is an essential accessory to storytelling; that is where an online editing tool such as Pixelied comes in.
For individuals new to photo editing or simply looking for a tool with basic design features, Pixelied is an excellent option to consider – especially if the primary objective of the tool is designing featured images for blog posts and social media content.
Pixelied Features
Background remover
Anyone who’s ever dabbled in graphic design or image manipulation would attest that having quality images with the background removed is a big deal. While it can be done using professional software like Photoshop, it is not easy. That is why a tool like Pixelied’s background remover is a welcome convenience.
In just one click, users can remove the backgrounds of images within seconds without diminishing the image quality.
Custom blends
Color coordination in graphic design can be a problem – especially when the designer is just beginning or has difficulty blending and matching colors to complement each other.
Pixelied’s custom blends feature was designed to remove that headache by making a color palette with shades that complement each other. The color blends provide a good starting point for anyone using the image editor.
Elements
The library has elements including arrows, blobs, lines, speech bubbles, and many more that can be modified by changing the colors to create contrast and highlight relevant portions of the design that need attention.
Templates
Pixelied’s built-in social media templates are ready for regular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. One can view all the channels where premade templates are available from the Templates tab. In addition to the usual suspects, Etsy and Twitch templates – among others – are included.
This platform’s templates are ready-made for any purpose, and all the user has to do is make adjustments to fit their preferences and the image is ready for download in any format – be it JPG, PNG, or PDF.
Stock images
Pixelied integrates with Pixabay and Unsplash, meaning that users can easily include the stock images on these sites in their designs without worrying about copyright rules. Users who want to upload their images can do so by clicking on ‘My Files’ to upload.
Mockups
Pixelied understands that sometimes, designers have to create presentations for a client or a superior at work. For this reason, they have mockup templates available to help the design creator visualize their designs in the context in which they’ll be used.
Pros of Pixelied
- 1500+ templates available for social media graphics and book covers
- Stock images and premium icons are also offered to users
- Easy-to-use editor with drag-and-drop functionality
- Features like background remover, custom blends, and exporting in several file types
Cons of Pixelied
- Background remover credits are limited
- Mockups take some time to save
- Short supply of illustrations available for use
Pixelied User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about Pixelied
Pixelied is hands down one of the best design tools I have used. Since I use most of the designs for online marketing, the pre-made templates provided make it easy to add a few changes and simply download the design in different file types.” –Rayan Imran (CA)
“Pixelied is a burgeoning graphics design tool. It has all the features needed to get started, but will need to pick up the development pace to catch up with the front-runners in the online graphics editor space like Canva and Crello.” –Trevor N (US)
“Pixelied is an incredible tool. I'm using it for my daily business uses. The team is very interactive and supportive.” –Shehraj Singh (IN)
Overall Trustpilot rating – 4.2 out of 5, based on 6 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating Pixelied
Capterra – 4.5 out of 5, based on 42 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.3 out of 5, based on 32 ratings and reviews.
Pixelied Pricing
Pixelied is the only Canva alternative that offers a lifetime plan.
Pixelied Lifetime: $97/lifetime
The lifetime package comes with the following benefits:
- All future upgrades
- Magic resize
- Priority support
- Unlimited brand presets
- Unlimited downloads
- Unlimited storage
- 2 team members
- 4m+ stock photos & icons
- 5 brand workspaces
- 100 BG removing credits/month
- 4000+ premium templates
Best Pixelied Deal
Free: Pixelied has a forever-free version.
Trial: There is no free trial offered at this time.
Guarantee: There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Sale or Discount: None at this time.
Pixelied Support
The knowledge base, blog, and YouTube channel are places users can find more information and relevant resources about Pixelied. Canva's support is slightly better when comparing support for Pixelied vs Canva.
You can ask the community for help regarding specific queries or contact their support team via live chat or email. The support team usually gets back to you within a few hours.
DesignCap
DesignCap is an online platform where users can create graphics like infographics, flyers, logos, posters, and social media graphics without needing professional design skills.
Sporting a powerful editor tool, royalty-free photos, and a user-friendly interface, DesignCap is worth consideration, as it has all one is likely to need to complete simple to medium complexity design jobs.
DesignCap Features
Design template and stock media library
With thousands of customizable templates suitable for any industry and purpose, users can create various graphics to suit any occasion. Whether they’re designed for marketing purposes, providing social media content-driven designs, or creating visuals for special occasions, the templates available are up to the task.
There are also millions of photos in the image library; well-organized to make finding them easy, and an editing tool to make customizing the stock images a simple process.
Drag and drop user interface
The user-friendly interface features a drag-and-drop editor allowing users to move elements such as images, logos, and text into position and drop them in place. Regardless of one’s skill level, the drag-and-drop feature of this online graphic design software makes it easy to use.
Modules
This time-saving feature allows users to design professional-grade visual modules such as diagrams, steps, timelines, and more. This is a feature that, when used correctly, can help design a landing page.
Quick text formats
Just as there are design templates to make life easy for the designer, there are quick text templates or formats in DesignCap to save the user time.
Whether creating a blog, Facebook post, or even YouTube video thumbnails, these text formats make the work easier as they can find the right template to complement the design.
Report maker
Users can make all sorts of reports – from business and financial reports to research, school, and study reports, and more with readily available templates from DesignCap.
Pros of DesignCap
- Provides thousands of templates to create posters, logos, social media graphics, business cards, and more
- The paid plans are very affordable
- Both map editor and chart editor are available for better data visualization
- Create engaging presentations using templates and other features
Cons of DesignCap
- Despite its ease of use, among other qualities, it doesn’t have many functions one would love to use
- The maps offered are often inaccurate or not completed
- A free trial is not offered for the paid plans
DesignCap User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about DesignCap
“It is the best online Design templates for me and I have ever used for myself. There are lots of designs and with many more different font, icons, and templates for all kinds of users available. Thank you DesignCap for creating such beautiful templates.” –Pankaj Datta (BD)
“I absolutely love DesignCap! It was fun and easy to use, create, and share! Thank YOU.” –Shemika Perez (US)
“As an independent filmmaker, I absolutely love using DesignCap. It's easy, once you get the hang of it. I use it to create movie posters for my films, which I list on IMDb. Highly recommend!” –Will (US)
Overall Trustpilot Rating – 4.5 out of 5, based on 58 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating DesignCap
Capterra – 3.3 out of 5, based on 3 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.4 out of 5, based on 13 ratings and reviews.
DesignCap Pricing
DesignCap has one free option and two paid plans, Basic and Plus.
DesignCap Basic: $4.99/month billed annually (or $8.99/month)
Here are the benefits of DesignCap’s Basic plan:
- 100 image uploads
- High-res PNG & PDF exports
- Save up to 100 designs
- Unlimited modules
- Unlimited stock icons
- Unlimited templates
DesignCap Plus: $5.99/month billed annually (or $12.99/month)
Here are the benefits of DesignCap’s Plus plan:
- 1000 image uploads
- High-res PNG & PDF exports
- Save up to 1000 designs
- Unlimited modules
- Unlimited stock icons
- Unlimited templates
- Upload your own custom fonts
Best DesignCap Deal
Free: DesignCap has a forever-free version.
Trial: DesignCap uses the free version as the trial.
Guarantee: They offer a 7-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Sale or Discount: 50%-discount on annual subscriptions.
DesignCap Support
DesignCap’s support page, FAQ section, and learning center are good starting points for users to learn more about the platform. Unfortunately, they don't offer live chat support to their users, but you can reach out to them by submitting a ticket using their contact form.
Pixlr
Pixlr is a flash-based online picture editing software popular with freelancers, graphic designers, hobbyist photographers, and the like who want a platform where they upload images and edit to their preference.
As a mobile-friendly free website that does not require a sign-up by users to use the available tools, it is loved by users as its use-and-go style saves users from the hassle and time involved in creating a new account. Pixlr has many features worth mentioning, so keep reading to find out more.
Pixlr Features
Filters
Filters are essential in modern design and editing as they give photos a distinct look. Here, Pixlr gives users a wide variety of filters to work with – helping make their photographs look much different from the ordinary.
Frame tool
As its name suggests, the frame tool adds borders or a frame around images. The effect this has on images is that it gives them a bit of a professional and unique look.
Magic wand tool
This tool allows users to select parts of edited images based on color.
Object transformation tool
This tool allows minor changes and tweaks to the edited picture by cropping out objects.
Overlay
The overlay effect in graphic design helps give images a natural and realistic look. This is done by adding images on top of the edited graphic to give it that blurred effect of the overlay.
Photo collage
This feature allows users to combine multiple images using a collage maker to be exported as a single image bringing different stories or looks together.
Text
Text is vital in communicating messages. That’s why Pixlr has its basic text tools for adding… text easily and quickly.
Pros of Pixlr
- Offers a huge library of stock images, fonts, and templates
- Comes with a broad range of editing features
- It is easy to learn advanced editing with the intuitive user interface
- It is often compared to an online affordable version of Adobe Photoshop
- Easy to use for creating graphics for social media posts
Cons of Pixlr
- Doesn’t have tools such as clone and healing
- Does not support large and high-quality images
- Pixlr can only be used with Flash
- Pixlr does not support BMP and Tiff image formats
Pixlr User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about Pixlr
For basic picture, editing it's great. I like that they store every picture you ever edit and when you go to website again you can see all your photos and chose them again to edit or save again.” –Milos (RS)
“Good for compression and basic editing. Only really use it to add simple texts and to compress artworks for social media. It works well. Any complex editing is done better and more effective in adobe programs or free alternatives.” -John Pardon (NL)
“Was looking for a alternative to Photoshop and this was like the online version who had exactly everything I needed and was free, thank you so much!” -Bibo Charif (SE)
Overall Trustpilot Rating – 2.7 out of 5, based on 33 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating Pixlr
Capterra – 4.5 out of 5, based on 50 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.4 out of 5, based on 647 ratings and reviews.
Pixlr Pricing
Pixlr has two pricing plans and a free option: Premium and Creative Pack.
Pixlr Premium: $4.90/month (paid annually or $7.99/month)
The Premium package comes with the following benefits:
- 3,000 extra overlays
- 7,000 extra icons/stickers
- 5,000 decorative texts
- 18,000 assets
- AI CutOut (and future AI tools)
- Exclusive video tutorials
- Extensive editing tools
- Full access to Pixlr X and E
- Full access to Stories
- Supports a maximum of 8196 x 8196 image resolution
- Templates
Pixlr Creative Pack: $14.99/month (paid annually or $25.99/month)
The benefits of the Creative Pack include everything in the Premium package in addition to the following and more:
- Legal guarantee of $25,000
- Unlimited access to stock content
- 28,000 extra overlays
- 10 million graphics, templates, fonts, photos, videos & 3D files.
- 24/7 premium support
Best Pixlr Deal
Free: Pixlr has a forever-free version.
Trial: Pixlr has a 30-day trial for paid versions.
Guarantee: No money-back guarantee is available for paid plans.
Sale or Discount: 38% discount on Premium with an annual subscription and 50% discount on Creative Pack with an annual subscription.
Pixlr Support
Pixlr offers blogs, video tutorials, and other relevant links to users to learn more about using the platform. It is possible to contact different departments of Pixlr via different emails for support. You can also join their social media communities on Facebook and Reddit for additional information.
PicMonkey
PicMonkey offers photo editing and graphic design tools for individuals who desire the convenience of designing their artwork on demand without having to depend on the pace of a graphic designer.
From beginner designers to established bloggers and social media influencers, one can create and edit visually appealing images to be used in blogs and social media posts.
PicMonkey is equipped with editing tools and elements such as banners, shop icons, and thumbnails to help users create beautiful cover images.
PicMonkey Features
Creator and design tools
With a user-friendly interface and intuitive design, PicMonkey is designed to be easy to use. The creator tools were designed for smartphones and related mobile devices.
One does not need to restrict themselves to an office environment to work with the software. Design on the go as and when creative inspiration strikes.
Photo editor
PicMonkey’s online photo editor is designed to provide users with advanced photo editing features. Users can manipulate images using double exposure, lighting effects, and touch-ups to create looks that evoke certain ambiance or moods.
The editing tool in this software works well with landscape and portrait, as well as photos uploaded from Instagram and those taken on mobile devices.
Starting with PicMonkey is not as complicated as most regular design and editing software. Experimentation and basic editing is a good starting point. The autosave function in PC mode ensures the user doesn’t lose any progress.
The basic photo editing capabilities give individuals a feel for the software and slowly introduce them to all the program offers.
Photo retouch
The photo-perfecting tool ensures that users professionally retouch photos by making subtle edits to blemishes, red eyes, skin tone, and more. With this same tool, users can change hair and eye color, tame wind-blown hair, smooth out wrinkles, and even whiten slightly discolored teeth.
This touch-up feature makes it possible for users to create stunning portraits, which – when used across the web, help create a professional look and brand image. It’s up to the user to decide whether the changes should be noticeable or subtle.
Data syncing and visualization
PicMonkey users can sync their design between devices using the data syncing and visualization feature. It is convenient to start creating on one device and continue working on a different device without losing progress.
Design templates
Graphic design tools and templates are necessary to create a marketing campaign without investing too much time. Templates can be used for various projects, including business card designs, campaign banners, and event invites.
Professional templates will give a user the needed boost for professional-looking website banners and images. One can use premade infographic templates or data visualization templates to create infographics.
Pros of PicMonkey
- It is easy to use and comes with a user-friendly interface
- Modern designs and a large collection of templates to create professional graphic designs
- Useful and easy-to-apply editing features are offered
- The developers constantly keep updating new features and content to improve the user experience
- Cloud storage and easy sharing of designs to social media websites
Cons of PicMonkey
- 16 MP limit for image size is terrible
- Images cannot be added as backgrounds
- PicMonkey does not have an image size auto-fix, unlike most other related software
- Support is available, but not the fastest
- The trial period only lasts 7 days
PicMonkey User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about PicMonkey
“Great program and easy to use. The customer service is responsive and friendly. Highly recommended.” –Nassem (AU)
“I have been using this site for about 4 years! Love it! So user friendly and WORTH the small charge every month!!! Great for collages and blemish removal. There are so many options on this site you will be overloaded with creative juices. Editing one pic can lead to multiple versions of the same shot!!! LOVE PICMONKEY!!” –Lori (US)
“If you have any issues with PicMonkey, here is what you can expect based on my experience: they are honest, helpful, fair, and very prompt in their responses. You can understand the e-mail (aka it is written with good English), and feel that they really try to understand your situation. I highly recommend working with the company, for their great customer service!” –Elizabeth Lang (US)
Overall Trustpilot Rating – 1.6 out of 5, based on 111 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating PicMonkey
Capterra – 4.5 out of 5, based on 864 ratings and reviews.
G2 – 4.4 out of 5, based on 368 ratings and reviews.
PicMonkey Pricing
PicMonkey has three pricing plans: Basic, Pro, and Business.
PicMonkey Basic: $72/year ($7.99/month)
- 1GB in cloud storage
- Add and trim videos
- Expansive top-tier font library
- JPG/PNG image downloads
- Templates, touch-up tools, and Primo effects
PicMonkey Pro: $120/year ($12.99/month)
The user gets everything in Basic plus the following:
- Animate elements of design
- JPG/PNG/PDF image downloads
- One brand kit
- One-click background remover
- Premium stock photo library
- Priority email support
- Smart Resize to reformat to multiple sizes instantly
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Upload own fonts
PicMonkey Business: $228/year ($23/month)
The user gets everything in Pro and adds the following:
- Feedback in-editor with commenting
- Folders for sharing work
- Multiple brand kits
- Premium email support
- Real-time co-editing
- Searchable tags for file management
- Seat and permission management
Best PicMonkey Deal
Free: Free to use until one has to download a design.
Trial: Yes, a 7-day trial is offered.
Guarantee: There is a 14-day money-back guarantee offered.
Sale or Discount: Discount on annual subscriptions.
PicMonkey Support
Users who have questions can check the FAQ section, tips and tricks section, and their knowledge base for answers. The support team can also be contacted by filling out and submitting a ticket. There is priority email support but only for subscribers to the Pro and higher plans.
Colorcinch
Colorcinch Features
AI Background removal and text masking
Transparent backgrounds are an absolute necessity in tools used for designing. With Colorcinch, it becomes a lot easier as the software makes it possible to instantly remove backgrounds with precision – using the power of AI. Users can also push their creativity by filling any text with an image of their preference in a process known as text masking.
AI Special effects
Colorcinch advanced photo editing capabilities help transform regular photos by giving them a cartoon or painted look. Effects like Cartoonizer, Digital Art, Painting, and Sketcher can easily be applied by clicking the relevant button using the art photo maker. Parameters such as opacity and tint can be adjusted while using an effect. Once that’s done, the changes become visible in the edit.
Although some effects can be customized to create a unique look, Colorcinch cannot replace the quality work that an experienced digital artist would deliver.
Editing tools
There are lots of changes a user can make while image editing. Colorcinch has various sliders meant for adjusting various parameters of an image depending on what the user wants. For example, the exposure of an image can be changed using tools for brightness, contrast, and highlights, as well as shadows. The size and format of images can be changed before editing begins.
Each tool comes with on-screen prompts or tips that can be turned off once the user becomes familiar with the tools’ functions or considers their distractions.
Additionally, colors can be made livelier via hue, saturation, and temperature tools, with clarity, blur, and sharpness having their adjustment settings.
Frames and masks
Although most of the top options in this feature are restricted to premium subscribers, free users can still use a good number of the options and limited templates under this category.
The masking tool – for example – is great for creating social media graphics. Users can add frames, graphics text, vectors, and images with it.
Stock library
One feature to expect in image manipulation or graphic design software is a good collection of stock resources to facilitate one’s projects. With over 50,000 vector graphics and icons, in addition to more than 2.5 million high-resolution stock photos, Colorcinch gives users access to relevant pictures for use in commercial and personal purposes.
Pros of Colorcinch
- Overs over 50K vector icons and 2.5 million stock images
- It is very easy to use, with an intuitive user interface and basic editing features
- Comes with many filters and effects
- The paid plans are very inexpensive
- Good design features for non-designers
Cons of Colorcinch
- Editing tools are basic
- Effects take too long to apply
- UI is difficult to navigate for some users
Colorcinch User Reviews
Here’s what people on Trustpilot are saying about Colorcinch
“I recently purchased this product and think it is great value for money. Super simple to use and comes with so many functions. So happy with results and the customer service/tech help is excellent.” –Donna Sturrock (AU)
“This is a great affordable product with outstanding support! The issue was resolved on the first interaction and I was very satisfied with the result!” –Perry (US)
“Colorcinch is a powerful application that helps me visualize my work in various ways that I can use for interpretation of photographs into ideas for my natural artistic media (oil and acrylic paintings).” –Wayne McMahon (US)
Overall Trustpilot Rating – 4.3 out of 5, based on 47 ratings and reviews.
Here’s how software review sites are rating Colorcinch
Capterra – No ratings or reviews.
G2 – 4.5 out of 5, based on 1 rating and review.
Colorcinch Pricing
Colorcinch has two pricing options on a single paid plan called Plus: Annual and Monthly.
Colorcinch Annual: $59.88/year ($4.99/month)
- Over 50k graphics and icons
- AI background removal
- Text masking and editing
- Multiple layers
- Freehand drawing
- All Plus features
- Limitless projects
Colorcinch Monthly: $8.99/month
- Over 50k graphics and icons
- AI background removal
- Text masking and editing
- Multiple layers
- Freehand drawing
- All Plus features
- Limitless projects
Best Colorcinch Deal
Free Trial: WP Engine does not offer any free trials of its hosting services.
Free: Yes, Colorcinch has a free Basic account that requires no registration to use.
Trial: Colocinch does not offer a free trial.
Guarantee: No money-back guarantee is available for paid plans.
Sale or Discount: 45% discount on an annual subscription.
Colorcinch Support
Colorcinch offers introductory tutorials, blogs, and tutorials to help users get started on their platform. To contact their support team, email them or submit a ticket for a reply. Unfortunately, live chat support is not yet available on Colorcinch.
Best Canva Alternatives Wrap-Up
If you've decided you will not use Canva, some viable Canva alternatives suit your needs depending on your requirements. The best Canva alternatives listed here have low price points and learning curves while still delivering Canvalike features.
Canva is a great tool for creating designs, image editing, and much more. A Canva alternative is going to deliver many of the same features and nearly as many advanced features for those who are non-designers. Even with limited access to the free plan, you can create designs perfect for social media.
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