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Anyone working in the field of graphic design, blogging, marketing, photography, or even art will definitely be familiar with Canva and Photoshop.

They both have a large number of active users and their own strengths and weaknesses. Combined, nearly everyone is catered for with both these programs, but it can be difficult to know which is the right one for you.

In brief, when comparing Canva vs Photoshop:

• Canva is best for web designers and those who need to produce a large number of designs quickly, and for those less experienced with graphic design. It also has a free tier.
• Photoshop is ideal for those with more time to make their designs, or if you want the ultimate in functionality. It has a 7-day free trial.

With this article, I am going to go through both of the platforms to help you choose which one suits you better. Recent research shows that Canva has more than 30 million active users per month, and creators worldwide who are using the platform have made more than 8 billion designs on it.  

Photoshop, on the other hand, is still the leading platform for photo editing and graphic design, a position it has held for years now. To be precise, more than 90% of the creators around the world work with Photoshop regularly.

This article will compare these two well-known platforms, explaining everything you need to know about which design software is best for your needs, if you are not sure.

Is Canva or Photoshop better?

Let’s compare their differences and find out.

Canva vs Photoshop: How Do They Compare?

Canva is a web-based platform for non-designers to create quick designs in minutes,

Photoshop, on the other hand, is a software that is extremely powerful for professionals to edit and design literally anything, but it requires hours of practice to fully learn how to use it.

Consequently, Canva is better for beginners or social media marketing, while Photoshop is better for logo designs, branding campaigns, high-end retouching, etc.

Photoshop and Canva both continue to adapt to the changing environment. The user bases of both are growing steadily, and it seems likely they’ll both stick around for a while.

The most suitable platform depends on what you need as a user. You can use Canva if you need a simple editor that gets results quickly. It’s affordable, and it makes great stuff.

Photoshop is one of the finest platforms on the market if you want to use it more professionally.

However, before we draw any conclusions, let’s look in more detail at both Photoshop and Canva.

Ease of Use

In spite of the fact that both platforms are ideal for creating graphics and visuals, their user interfaces are very different. The feature that both platforms have in common is that you select the canvas size before starting to design.

Canva

Despite its simplicity, Canva has one of the biggest advantages for beginners: to get started with Canva, you don’t need any graphic design experience. Almost anyone can use it because it is so simple and well laid out, and has so many excellent templates.

If you play around with Canva, you’ll probably learn it pretty quickly. As Canva is so intuitive, there’s no need to spend hours learning complex functions like there are in Photoshop. As you can see below, everything is in one place, on one screen, and it is very easy to use.

Templates mean that you don’t have to start with a blank canvas, and can easily create a fantastic design in minutes.

Photoshop

As a beginner, Photoshop can seem intimidating. It comes with a wide range of tools, and its interface isn’t exactly straightforward. 

It takes some time to learn how to use Photoshop if you want to get started with it.

Although most tools are available on the same screen, there are far more menus that you have to wade through with Photoshop, and you essentially don’t have any access to templates, meaning that you are always starting with a blank canvas.

So, because of Canva’s drag-and-drop interface, the more intuitive interface, and library of resources, it is extremely easy to use compared to Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop, on the other hand, is difficult to understand for people who do not have good editing skills. If you already have enough knowledge and experience in photo editing or you are willing to invest time and effort in learning Photoshop, then this might be the right option for you.

However, Canva is the most user-friendly platform, and it is the winner for this part. 

User Interface

Canva

There isn’t much confusion about Canva’s interface, and you can get used to it within a few minutes without any support. 

Canva’s interface includes:

• Drag and Drop – you can drag and drop files instantly into Canva.
  
• Toolbar – clean and simple, with obvious buttons.
  
• Professional Templates and Layouts – you can use them to get your design immediately ready for print or sharing.
  
• Integrations and Apps – allow you to use more features by using third-party services directly into Canva.
  
• Easy Search Option – for anything you need. Be it a photo, text or sticker.
  
• Download, Instant Resize and Share options within Canva. 

There is one major advantage of Canva’s User Interface. That is that it will not overwhelm you with all the settings and menu items.

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Photoshop

There is a possibility that you might be overwhelmed by the complexity of Photoshop’s interface at times, especially if you are completely new to editing and design.

Photoshop has a huge amount of features such as advanced filter options, refinement options for photos, and many other things.

You’ll have to spend a lot of time familiarizing yourself with the interface, let alone mastering it because it is complicated. It has a wide range of tools on the left, numerous menus at the top, and additional panels on the right.

It goes without saying that Canva is the apparent winner when it comes to a simple and easy-to-use interface. Unlike Photoshop, whose interface can sometimes be confusing and overwhelming. 

On the other hand, if you require more advanced features to deal with photos, Photoshop is the ideal platform.

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Editing Features

We’ll start by taking a look at how the editing features of Canva are laid out, and how easy it is to create various projects in Canva, then we’ll compare this to Photoshop.

Canva Templates and Designing

Canva allows you to pick and choose from a wide selection of templates, fonts, colors, and images using a user-friendly drag-and-drop feature.

With the help of thousands of ready-made templates and millions of photos, videos, and audio files, Canva is an easy-to-use platform that allows non-designers to create quick designs.

You can create designs effortlessly, even for those who have never worked with a graphic design program before, using advanced features like one-click background remover, magic resize, brand kit, animation pro and more.

You can use Canva to create an Instagram or Facebook Post, a story for your social media, or make your resume look cool with the already given templates.

You won’t have to start from scratch, and you can also make posters, flyers, presentations, calendars and even desktop wallpapers. 

Canva gives you a lot of options when it comes to templates. There are a lot of free templates you can use, but you can have a lot more with the Canva Pro Subscription. You can choose from different topics such as business, simple, elegant, educational, minimal… and so on. Whichever meets your needs. 

So, basically you can do everything even if you are not a professional designer! 

For designing, in the Toolbar on the left side on the screen you have access to everything you might need, from text to stickers, already made templates and so on. Also, you can always use the search bar for a more precise search, and get access to the vast range of options that Canva offers!.

Or, if you can’t find anything you like, you can also upload a photo, video, or audio yourself. You can just drag and drop the file you want to use, and voila, you are good to go!

Let’s see how designing works and what tools you can use in Canva.

First, the good thing is that when you select what type of design you are making, Canva will make the canvas for you by default.  But, no worries! You can change the size if needed too, but note that this is a Canva Pro option.

Once you choose the settings you prefer, you will need a background/template for your design which you can find in the Template Section in the Toolbar or upload it yourself.  Canva then lets you edit and animate the image with just one click.

In the Edit Image option, you can change the brightness and contrast, add filters, effects, shadows, etc. Put your photo on a mockup and so on.

You can even remove the background with just one click with Canva Pro. Or, you can animate it for digital use.

From there, you can choose from the given animations as to what suits your design the most. There are a lot of combinations, so this is a really good area to explore.

Canva is a pretty simple platform where you can easily make both basic and more complex changes. It gives you the option to add more pages or duplicate the already existing ones. Also you have the  basics –  crop and flip the picture.

For text, you can change font, size and color. You can also animate the text and change its effects.

This is really easy to do with Canva since all you have to do is click on the text and choose the effects/animate option, with Canva itself handling all of the complex actions that you would have to do manually in Photoshop.  

In the effects field, you can change the style, shape and color of the text, with animation bringing more life to the text and making it more that a simple poster.

You can also choose a more suitable font from the Font Menu or use the search bar so you can find something that suits your design. Or, if you can not find anything, you can always add your own fonts, although this is a Canva Pro option.

Once you choose the font, you can easily reposition it using the Position option, and you can copy and paste the style too, or even change the transparency of the text if needed. 

You can easily add Headings, Subheadings, Titles, etc. There are really a huge number of choices here.

The cool thing is that as in Photoshop, you can manipulate the text in Canva, too, with grouping and ungrouping text, as well as having access to more complex editing tools.

How Easy is it to Create a Post for Social Media with Canva?

Now, you can also create posts for social media directly in Canva. You can do that the same as with posters, but first, you need to choose the desired option: Instagram or Facebook Post. 

Once you choose the template, Canva will calculate everything for you, make the canvas, and you can start from there. Just like before with the poster.

All you need to do is upload or choose your main photo. From there, make a poster, flyers, or whatever you need at the moment and everything will be per Instagram’s requirements.

You can modify it for your needs, using all the same tools that we saw before.

Once you are done, you can directly share it to your social media with the Share option at the top of the screen.

How Easy is it to Create a Logo With Canva?

Just as in Photoshop, you can also create a Logo for your business in Canva. With Canva, it’s easier because you can use the already given Logo options and templates to modify it to your needs. So, you won’t have to start drawing it from scratch.

There are thousands of logo templates available which you can choose from. You can get even more with Canva Pro.

Take a look at Canva’s massive collection of logo templates to customize for your business. You will find logo layouts for a wide variety of businesses, including gaming, food and drink, sports and more. Once you find the one you need, select it and start customizing it to your requirements. 

You can make your Logo reflect your brand by tweaking fonts, color schemes, and images within the logo.

Unlike Photoshop, designing a logo in Canva is easy and fun with the drag-and-drop option. There are millions of icons, images, stickers, and vectors to choose from. You can add more spice to the design by using tools such as image flipping, photo filters, and video animation.

You can save it as a JPEG, PNG, or even PDF file to print or to add to your marketing and branding materials, or, like before, you can post it anywhere on social media by using Canva.

How Easy is Video Editing for Social Media in Canva?

You can also make videos for social media with Canva.

Right after you select your project type, Canva will open a blank window. The timeline appears at the bottom of the window, and it allows you to select the length of each frame.

Templates are one of Canva’s best features for beginners. Creating an opening sequence or a presentation with them can be incredibly helpful. Same as before, you can find templates that fit your specific needs by using the Search Bar.

You can double-click a template to add it to your frame. Or, if you are unable to find the right template, you can always start from scratch.

Like before, you can edit the text, change the photos and videos, change the color, and rearrange things as needed. You can drag and drop images onto the screen, resize them, and move them around.

The stock videos, photos, and audio tabs are located on the left side of the screen in the Toolbar, as are elements (such as shapes and stickers) and text. Some of them are free, while others require payment or a Canva Pro subscription.

You can create something more structured without using the templates by selecting Elements. From there, by dragging them onto the screen, you can drop items into them to organize them more neatly.

Uploading your own content is also possible. Adding video, audio, and pictures can be done by clicking the Upload Button. Or you can simply drag the files into the frame, and Canva gives you the option to crop, trim and flip the video too.

You can also add transitions between frames using the timeline, and you can edit the audio if you need to.

Each frame contains editing options as well. If you click the video, you can change its length without impacting the entire frame. You can also use the animation button at the top of the screen to animate pictures and elements, making them fade, tumble, and more. 

Once you finish, you can download it in the desired format or share it directly on social media. 

Remember, there are also tutorials on Canva’s website that explain how to design using the program. In this case, if you need more support, that’s a great place to start.

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Photoshop Templates and Designing

You should know that Photoshop is primarily an image editing and manipulation platform. When it comes to editing capabilities, it is outstanding. You can design any creative vision that comes to your mind, but the thing is, it takes years to master.

Despite the time and effort it requires from you, once you begin to practice, you will uncover the exciting world of graphic design and all its possibilities.

t is more difficult than Canva, but for some stuff more efficient. If you want to use Photoshop as a main platform, you will need much more time and patience to get the most of Photoshop than you would for Canva.

Adobe with Adobe Stock allows you to use Templates in Photoshop as you did in Canva to ease the process. Bear in mind that most of the templates are not free in Photoshop as they are in Canva, and they are also a little harder to find.

So, let’s see what the main steps for designing in Photoshop are, so you can choose which platform suits you the best.

To use a template, you need to begin with a new document. 

Once you choose to create a new document, you will be greeted by the New Document dialog box, from where you can choose the template you need. Or you can use the search bar to look for some templates online.

Once you decide on the template, click the Open button. Or, if you do not have any templates, Photoshop will let you download them through Adobe Stock or Creative Cloud so you can use them after.

You can edit a template or a preset as you wish once you open it. Photoshop has various tools and options, which gives you more flexibility than Canva. But, it is harder to master. 

These layers are raw, live, and never rasterized in any way. You can edit all of the info here, and you can customize even the color scheme and the design. Sadly drag and drop here is not an option. 

Using the Move Tool with Auto-Select enabled, you can change anything you see. Unlike Canva, here you will have to change every layer separately. Once you are finished save it, so you can see the result in the template.

When you finish, save the file in the needed format. And from there, you can share it online, although you will have to do this manually. 

How Easy is it to Create a Post for Social Media with Photoshop?

To create a post in Photoshop, you also need to find a template in Adobe Stock, download it, and use the given template to create a post. Or you can start it from scratch.

The process is essentially the same regardless of the type of graphic you are creating. All of the images and fonts can be changed on-the-fly, without missing a beat.

Or you can create it yourself manually from scratch by first finding the right size and values for Instagram/Facebook or whichever application you need a post for. 

Once you choose the settings you will get a blank canvas, and from there, you can create the post manually. You can do it by adding photos, adding text, changing fonts, etc. 

How Easy is it to Create a Logo in Photoshop?

Photoshop also has much more advanced design and editing tools than Canva. Adding gradients, shadows, and outlines to fonts is easy with these tools. Plus, Photoshop continues to add new features all the time. 

In Photoshop, you can still work with vectors, and have a logo that you can resize as much as you want, but you will have to be careful and use vector-based tools like shapes. Brushes aren’t vectors, for example.

That is why most graphic designers use vector-based software like Adobe Illustrator, which is ideal for creating logos. That is because you can resize your logo to any size, and it will still look great. You will never experience blurry or pixelated logos when you use a vector design program.

You can use the templates for logos. Some of them are free, some are not. So, depending on your needs, you might need to pay for an Adobe Stock subscription so you can use most of their templates.

The same as searching for Instagram/Facebook templates in the New Document dialog, you can also search for Logo templates. You can download the template and edit it as needed.

Creating simple logos is certainly possible within both Canva or Photoshop. Canva allows you to make very basic logos, but customization is extremely limited outside of what is available with the templates.

In Photoshop, you can do it from scratch, like with everything else. Unlike Canva, here you have other tools with which you can work. Bear in mind that the font you use needs to be commercially available.

By using Photoshop’s tools, you can make edits and perfect your logo. There are different Pen tools, different brushes, different shapes, etc. The Photoshop Toolbar offers much more than Canva’s.

It may require more work depending on what you plan to do, but you can create a completely custom design.

Unlike Photoshop, Canva does not offer a Pen Tool or any brushes. As such, you cannot illustrate or draw freehand in Canva; it is better to use Photoshop instead. That is the reason why this time, Photoshop wins.

The following features make Adobe’s design software more advanced than Canva’s:

• Drawing Tools – a much wider variety than in Canva.
  
• Smart Objects – act as containers that protect all of the original attributes of source content. 
  
• A Lot Of Export Formats – Several file formats can be used to export and save layers, including PSD, BMP, JPG, PDF, Targa, and TIFF.
  
• Masks And Layer Panels – The actions you take in Photoshop take place on layers which makes the editing non-destructive. By using masks, you can selectively control how much of each layer/edit is visible.
  
• Top-Tier Color Management – With accurate color viewing throughout your workflow, from digital capture to final output, you will be able to make the best color choices. Photoshop has the best Color Management.
  
• Plugins And Extensions  – Photoshop has a lot of plugins and extensions you can use to enhance your photos.
  
• Mockups, Fonts, Photos, etc. Can Be Fully Manipulated  – You can create whatever comes to your mind if you understand Photoshop well. There are no real limitations. 

How Easy is Video editing for Social Media in Photoshop?

Just like with Canva, you can also use Photoshop to edit videos. You can do that by importing the video into Photoshop. You can modify the video here too, and you can also add audio, objects, text, transitions, etc.

There is an option to edit or trim the audio track too.

Once you are done you can render the video per your needs and share it.

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How Easy is it to Edit a Photo with Canva?

You should know that Canva is not primarily designed for editing or manipulation. It offers a very basic feature set to allow users to edit their photos, including the Adjustment feature, which allows you to adjust basic things like brightness, contrast, saturation, tint, blur, x-process, and vignette for your photographs.

Canva is a great platform for fast editing photos.

It has a lot of features, especially the Pro version. Canva allows you to crop photos and adjust the saturation, contrast, and brightness.  You can automatically correct and enhance your photos with the free effects, make your images outstanding with the striking photo filters, or make the perfect black and white photo with the ready-to-use B&W filters.

The Canva Toolbar includes a number of simple photo-editing tools, some of those are:

• Adjust: Use this option to adjust the color, brightness, and contrast of your photo.
  
• Filter: Use this option to apply some basic photo filters, such as Epic, Festive, and Summer.
  
• Background Remover: You can use the Background Remover option in Canva Pro to remove the background with just one click.
  
• Effects: You can use this option to apply premade effects such as mockups, pixelated images.
  

In Canva it is easier to make mockups, because you can do that by simply drag and dropping the photo, while in Photoshop you have to do it step by step.

Images and assets are positioned automatically in Canva, with a simple user interface, while in Photoshop you will have to do some of the positioning and the placement manually.

Moreover you will have to scrub through layers to find the right smart layer then open it, and then position your artwork inside. With mockups that take multiple photos or assets this can be a little tedious and time consuming, while in Canva you can have all of this with just one click.

So, you can put your design/photo on various mockups that Canva has, to get it ready for print or a presentation. Be it laptop wallpaper, business cards or even a shirt. You can find and do anything in Canva easily.

Canva offers multiple pre-made effects which you can use to edit the photo. Be it a film edit, newspaper look or even posterize it, including:

• Photogenic Effects – Allow you to change the color tone of the photo.
  
• Duotone – Will give a two-tone effect to highlights and shadows.
  
• Shadows – Lets you add a shadow around your image to help it stand out.
  
• Frames – It has various options you can use to decorate the edges of your images.
  
• Pixelate – The great way to get the lo-fi digital look.
  
• Face Retouch – In portrait photos, it will help you smooth out blemishes, whiten your teeth, and remove red eyes so you can look your best. 

These effects make awesome photos that you can use for your personal or business feeds. You can use them solo, or combine them for better effect and result.

So, Canva concentrates more on creating a finished, complete design quickly, which assumes that the photos are already edited.

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How Easy is it to Edit a Photo with Photostop?

It is widely known that Photoshop is one of the best photo editing programs.

Canva lets you crop photos and adjusts the saturation, contrast, and brightness, but the possibilities in Photoshop are much greater.

Unlike Canva, Photoshop allows you to edit RAW photos and any other format, be it JPEG, TIFF, PNG, etc. That is why photographers prefer it.

The platform also lets you merge multiple photo layers and apply various effects. Furthermore, Photoshop allows you to reduce noise and fine-tune your photos. You can use levels and curves to adjust the photo or even create multiple masks and combine the layers for better results.  

And for Background Removing, there are various options and tools. You can easily remove a background in Photoshop by using the Background Eraser Tool. But it is not always accurate.

Here are some of the key features that Photoshop offers for photo editing that Canva doesn’t:

• Raw File Processing – You can open a RAW file and process it, there is no limitation to JPEG.
   
• Noise Reduction – A noise reduction tool is provided through Camera Raw. Or, you can use third-party extensions too.
  
• You Can Remove Stuff From Photos – There are various tools that allow you to remove stuff you don’t need from already taken photos.
  
• Levels And Curves – You can use Levels and Curves for image Tone Control.
  
• Color Manipulation – It can be used to correct mistakes, change the mood and atmosphere of a shot, and even highlight particular elements.

So, in terms of photo-editing and design features, Photoshop wins hands down over Canva, which was the winner in many of the previous categories.

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Integrations

You can use both platforms with plugins and extensions, but they might be sometimes limited.

Photoshop

There are a lot of Photoshop Plugins available if you’re a Photoshop user. The plugins give you access to additional tools, features, and effects. Additionally, Photoshop brushes are available for free and for purchase. By using them, you can create original designs and illustrations.

You can find thousands of Photoshop Extensions, Plug-ins, and Apps to enhance your creativity and extend Photoshop’s functionality, including photo editing, graphic design, file hosting services, productive apps, and editing extensions.

There are thousands of extensions and integrations available for Photoshop, which are integrated with a few well-known platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack. To check out all of the extensions you might need to visit the Adobe Creative Cloud Marketplace, or download the Creative Cloud App. But bear in mind that not all of the apps in the Creative Cloud Marketplace are free. Some of them need to be paid.

Here are some of the most used plug-ins and extensions for Photoshop:

• Luminar AI – With the click of a button, you can enhance landscapes, retouch portraits, remove unwanted details, and even change the sky with complete scene relighting using AI.
  
• HR Hover Color Picker – Ideal for artists and designers who want more control over color.
  
• Shutterstock – If you work with Shutterstock on a regular basis, you can make your workflow more efficient with the Shutterstock Plug-In.
  
• Portraiture –  It is used if you want to smooth skin tone and remove imperfections without completely removing skin texture.
  
• Super PNG – Is useful for those who work with PNG files often but lack access to the latest Photoshop version. It eases the export process.

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Canva

For Canva, on the other hand, there are hundreds of extensions and third-party applications available. It is possible to import stock images and GIFs with Pexels and Giphy.

There is, however, an active effort by Canva to add more plugins (called APPS within Canva). More are likely to appear in the future.

Apps and extensions include:

• The Duotone app, creates a two-color palette with a single click, is quite convenient.
  
•  The Background Remover is pretty handy, it removes the background with just one click.
  
• Auto Enhance could be useful for newbies. Your images are enhanced with one click, so you have less work to do.
  
• Malichimp allows you to save designs straight to your Malichimp account inside Canva, so you can use them for your next campaign.
  
• You can use Pixabay and Pexels to add free photos and videos to your designs directly from Canva.
  
• You can find a lot of Editing Extensions to enhance your images.
  
• The Social Media Platforms allow you to post directly from Canva.
  
• There are File Hosting Services too, such as Dropbox and Google Drive to import or export your designs inside Canva. 

Canva has made it very easy for users to access and integrate with third-party apps and services. In order to integrate, you simply have to scroll down the left toolbar and click More. From there you can easily integrate other third-party services and applications.

It is no surprise that Photoshop wins the integration and extension round. Aside from the fact that it offers a vast selection of plugins and extensions, it also offers tons of integrations with all the major players in the field of photo editing or graphic design.

Canva, on the other hand, also has a solid system of integration with other platforms and helpful apps, however, in comparison with Photoshop, it does not offer the same volume of tool integrations.

The thing is, Canva makes it easier to access apps and integrations than Photoshop because you can access integrations and apps directly from the platform, while Photoshop is a stand-alone application that requires you to install the Creative Cloud application before any plugins or extensions can be installed. It is available for desktop, iOS and Android though.

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Collaboration

Unlike Photoshop, Canva offers Collaboration which allows designs to have consistency and quality control. Canva offers a few ways for your team to collaborate on designs. If you want to see all the sharing options available, just click the Collaborate Button at the top of your homepage and follow the instructions.

You can have shareable links, design folders, email, etc, including:

• Brand Kit: With Canva Pro, you can create a brand kit to save all of your key colors, fonts, and logos in one place.
  
• Team Templates: In this section you can create and save on-brand templates.
  
• Organizing into folders: Organizing your designs in folders will allow you to access existing templates, logos, and presentations.
  
• The ability to view and edit designs: The owner chooses who can edit and manage the designs. Which is a great ability, so everything stays in place.  

Photoshop, on the other hand, introduced the Invite to Edit feature recently. With it you can share files, but you will not be able to work together on the file live with the collaborator, as only one user can edit the file simultaneously.

So, communication and workflow are made easy with Canva and Photoshop Collaboration Tools.  But, I guess Photoshop and Canva are tied in this section. It all depends on your needs and how you want to collaborate. 

Canva vs Canva Pro

The library of photos, graphics, fonts, and other elements in Canva Pro is much larger than with the standard Canva free model.

There is a limited library of free Canva images, so it can be challenging to find what you need, although you do still have the option to use free stock sites for images, with some integration with Pexels and Pixabay.

The biggest loss of functionality with Canva Free is the lower number of templates available. These are where Canva really stands out from Photoshop, so being more limited in this area can be a big deal. That said, there are still many free templates available in Canva and these can be an excellent first step in learning how to design.

With Canva Pro, you can organize your designs in unlimited folders and have more storage space. Plus, you can save your fonts, logos, and colors with the Brand Kit Pro. You can save a lot of time that way.

Photoshop and Canva Online

Although it does have a desktop version for Windows and Mac, most people use Canva as a Web Platform. Canva will not require you to download it and install it on your device if you use it this way. Canva has also developed an app for Android and iOS, so you can use it from your phone or tablet as well.

Because of this, Canva is a better choice for those who need a flexible, online design app.

Since Photoshop is a desktop application, you must download and install it through Adobe Suite. Photoshop allows you to design even without an internet connection, but requires a more powerful computer to get the most out of it.

Performance and Technical Requirements

Photoshop is a rather demanding desktop platform, as mentioned above, and needs both a faster processor and more RAM than Canva.

Canva, on the other hand, is one of the lightest design apps available today. 

Whether you are using a computer or a laptop, all you need is an internet connection and a compatible browser (Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari). 

Both platforms offer great support for devices, which is why you can readily access applications for any device.  As a result, Canva doesn’t consume much resources, but it isn’t an offline app either. Photoshop, on the other hand, is an offline platform, and it requires a device that is at least midrange. 

Price Tags

Canva and Photoshop have a lot to offer. However, when it comes to selecting the most appropriate graphics and editing software, it should not be solely determined by the features and ease of use.

Canva Pricing

Truth be told, Canva’s free version has a lot of limitations, so it might be better to use the Canva Pro.

• Paying $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year for Canva Pro is the most affordable option.
• Or, there is an Enterprise price for a minimum of 25 people in the team for $30 each, although the per-person price is variable with team size.

There are 250,000+ free templates included in Canva’s Free plan, along with the ability to invite team members, hundreds of design styles, 5GB cloud storage, and more.

Canva Pro, on the other hand, offers all that Canva Free Plan has, along with a couple of features like resize, remove background, has 100 GB cloud storage and so on.

And there is the Canva Enterprise Plan too that offers everything the Free and Pro plan has, but there are things such as template locking, unlimited storage, etc.

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Photoshop Pricing

There are a couple of Photoshop pricing plans: the Single App plan and the Photography plan.

• Photoshop Single App plan is available for $20.99 monthly if you decide to pay it for a year without the option for cancellation, or $31.49 if you decide to pay it month by month – cancel anytime, no fee.
• The annual plan price is $239.88.
• It comes with 100GB cloud storage, fonts, libraries, tutorials and so on.

The Photography Plan, where Photoshop is included, has two sub-plans.

• One is $9.99 monthly, or $119.88 annually which has a 20GB cloud storage.
• The other one is $19.99 monthly, or $239.88 annually which includes 1TB cloud storage.
• Both plans include the same features, and both have Lightroom in addition to Photoshop.
• These plans are the most affordable option if you want to use Photoshop.

Also there is an option for All Adobe Apps that are available for $54.99 monthly if you pay annually without cancelation, or $82.49 monthly if you pay month-by-month – cancel anytime, no fee.  The annual plan price is $599.88.

Both Canva Pro and the Adobe Photography Plan (20GB) are similarly priced, with the only major difference the existence of a free tier with Canva, and only a 7-day free trial with Photoshop.

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Key Differences Between Photoshop vs Canva

Canva

• Beginner-Friendly – You can use Canva for making quick graphics on the go even without any experience in editing, as it offers 610.000+ templates for any dimensions.
  
• Limited file types support ( depending on which Canva Plan you use ) – You are limited to a couple of file types when downloading or processing the photos/designs. You can not use RAW. 
  
• Internet Connection – You need a stable internet connection so you can use Canva.
  
• Free to Use -It is up to you if you are going to use Canva for free or you are going to subscribe to one of the plans.
  
• User-Friendly interface – simple, clean and not confusing interface.
  
• Editing Capabilities – You can do basic edits in Canva, but nothing to complex.
  
• Performances and Supported Devices – Canva does not require much, you can use it on almost any laptop,smartphone or tablet.. The Web will do too. 

Try the Free Version of Canva!

Photoshop

• Not really Beginner-Friendly – Photoshop is a platform you need to master so you can use properly. You can not really use it on the go, even though it allows you to download and use templates.
  
• Supports any file type – In Photoshop, you can import and process RAW files and  there is no limitation in exporting the files also. You can export the files per your needs.
  
• Works Offline – Unlike Canva, you can use Photoshop offline. It does not require Internet Connection.
  
• Not free to Use – Photoshop is not a free to use platform. It comes with a couple of subscriptions you can use, depending on your needs.
  
• Complex User-Interface – Unlike Canva, Photoshop’s user interface can overwhelm you sometimes.
   
• Editing Capabilities – Photoshop’s editing capabilities are outstanding, and nothing can compare to it. When it comes to professional editing and designing, Photoshop is the right platform.
  
• Performances and Supported Devices – Photoshop, unlike Canva, has a minimum of requirements for it to work at least. So, you will need a mid-range computer for you to use Photoshop.

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Final Thoughts: Is Canva or Photoshop Better?

What is the best program for you? Is it Canva or Photoshop? It’s safe to say that both Canva and Photoshop are excellent platforms, and you won’t regret using either or both of them, but each one is designed with a specfic user in mind.

Photoshop is the obvious choice if you want raster-based software with higher-level editing tools. You have the most control over your design, thanks to hundreds of incredible features in the software.

Adobe Photoshop is a must-learn if you plan on entering the graphic design industry, or if you want unique designs for your brand.

Get a 7-Day Free Trial of Photoshop!

Get Canva if you want an easy-to-use editor that can get the job done fast and if you are new in the designing field. Within thirty minutes, you will have the finished product ready for social media sharing or for printing. The platform is simple to use and cheap to upgrade.

For new business owners looking for a good platform that does not require design skills, get Canva.

Get a 30-Day Free Trial of Canva Pro!

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