Canva vs Figma
They differ on 5 of the 13 things buyers in this category actually ask about. Here is where, and what each one asks you to give up.
Canva
$10/seatTemplate-driven design that non-designers can use without training.
Strongest argument
Anyone in the company can produce on-brand collateral
Biggest objection
Unsuited to product or UI design work
Not an interface design tool — no real component or handoff model.
Figma
$15/seatThe browser-based standard for interface design, systems and handoff.
Strongest argument
Real-time multiplayer editing that reset the whole category
Biggest objection
Costs escalate when non-designers occasionally need to edit
Seat maths bites — viewers are free but anyone who edits once needs a full seat.
The differences that matter
Where they actually diverge
Only the rows where the two disagree. Everything they both do is listed below.
Cost
What each costs at 50 people
List price only. It ignores add-ons, seat minimums and the cost of the move itself — all of which routinely dwarf the difference below.
Prices are unverified estimates — useful for comparing orders of magnitude, not for budgeting. Confirm the current figure with the vendor before you commit to anything.
Common ground
What both of them do
These will not help you choose — which is exactly why they are worth knowing about before a vendor pitches one as a differentiator.
- Runs onBrowser, macOS, Windows
- Real-time co-editingYes
- SAML single sign-onYes
- SOC 2Yes
- EU data residencyNo
- Self-hostableNo
- Open sourceNo
- Native mobile appsNo
In full
Every pro and con, both sides
Canva
- Anyone in the company can produce on-brand collateral
- Brand kits keep marketing output consistent without a designer in the loop
- Very generous free tier
- Unsuited to product or UI design work
- Template-heavy output starts to look generic
- Exports and asset handoff to engineers are awkward
Figma
- Real-time multiplayer editing that reset the whole category
- Components, variables and libraries that scale to a design system
- Dev Mode gives engineers specs without a separate tool
- Costs escalate when non-designers occasionally need to edit
- Heavy files slow down noticeably on modest laptops
- Browser-first means offline work is effectively not an option
Questions
Canva vs Figma, answered
Canva or Figma — which is better?
Neither, in the abstract. Canva suits you if anyone in the company can produce on-brand collateral matters most; Figma if real-time multiplayer editing that reset the whole category does. The honest trade-offs are: Canva — Not an interface design tool — no real component or handoff model. Figma — Seat maths bites — viewers are free but anyone who edits once needs a full seat.
Is Canva cheaper than Figma?
Canva is cheaper at 50 people — $10/seat/mo against $15/seat/mo, roughly $6,000 against $9,000 a year. That gap of about $3,000 is rarely the whole story though — add-ons, seat minimums and the cost of migrating routinely outweigh it.
Can we migrate from Canva to Figma?
Usually yes, and the difficulty depends on history, integrations and headcount far more than on the two products. Data export quality is the thing to check first: ask both vendors what you can take with you before you commit to either. Our questionnaire produces a scoped estimate for the move.
What else should we consider besides Canva and Figma?
In design & prototyping the other credible options are Framer, Penpot, Sketch. Narrowing to two before you have written down your requirements is the most common way to end up with the wrong one.