Canva Free Vs. Canva Pro: Which One Is The Best For You?

You may have found yourself at a crossroads where you are trying to figure out if you should stick to the free version of Canva or upgrade to Canva Pro?

I know the feeling all too well as I found myself in those very shoes just a few months ago.

However, the more I looked into what I could actually achieve with Canva Pro and how I was running my business, the more I realized I needed more.

So I upgraded to Canva Pro.

But that doesn’t mean that you should do the same.

Believe it or not, the free version of Canva can actually be more than enough for a lot of users.

So today, I am going to help you figure out which version of Canva is the best for you and your needs.

So keep reading!

What Is Canva?

canva dashboard

If you made it onto this blog post then I hope that you already know what Canva is. But just in case, let’s give you a brief intro.

Canva is the ultimate design platform and I am not even exaggerating.

If you are looking to create any form of digital content, Canva is the place to go.

The platform is completely cloud-based meaning it will save you a ton of space on your computer. You also have a lot of functions that can help you create and share your creations effortlessly from your Canva workspace.

With the free version, you get 5GB of storage space which is generally good for just a small content creator.

However, with the pro version, you get 100GB of storage space. This is massive but also much needed if you are running several platforms.

But what makes Canva so special?

It’s the fact that you can literally do anything on it! From creating Instagram posts to digital ads to youtube intros to professional presentations.

You want it, you get it on Canva.

What Do You Get With Free Canva Account?

The first thing you need to know is that you do need to sign up if you want to be a regular user on Canva.

But you do have the opportunity to play around with it a little before you sign up if you want to get a feel for the free version.

You can click here if you want to test things out before you sign up.

With that being said, once you do sign up, you will get access to a lot of amazing things with the free version.

Canva pro workflow

There are hundreds of design types that you can use for social media, Pinterest, presentations, CVs, and more.

You also get access to hundreds of thousands of free stock images, videos, and elements that you can use on your designs.

If you already have a brand, you can add one brand kit with your preferred colors and fonts so that your designs remain cohesive.

And like I mentioned earlier, those 5GB of storage space are really nice.

These features alone will be great if you have a smaller platform or if you only need a few designs per day.

What Features Does Canva Pro Have?

Moving on to Canva Pro, we can see a huge jump when comes to productivity and accessibility.

I will get into 6 of the major features that you should take into consideration in the next section.

But outside of those 6, there is still a lot more to Canva Pro.

You will have access to all of the templates that Canva has to offer. Which is currently at around over 600,000 templates.

CANVA pro TEMPLATES

That is an insane number and the possibilities are literally endless considering all of the templates are fully customizable.

Two of my favorite features that you will also get are the Background Remover as well as the Image Resize functions.

These make it easy to tweak your content, as well as to share them with different sizes throughout your other social media platforms.

You can even make designs with transparent backgrounds that you can use for things like video overlays or logos.

These are just some of the other things that you can get with a Canva Pro upgrade. I highly recommend you read my full Canva Pro review to learn more about all of the features.

Now let’s take a look at some of the more robust features you can access.

Canva Free Vs. Canva Pro: Side By Side Comparison

There are some major features in Canva Pro that can make your productivity a lot better.

In fact, most people who switch from the free version to the upgrade, do so because of only a few key things on the platform.

So instead of going into the minute details of how many templates you get or stock images, I am going to go a bit deeper.

We are going to compare 6 key features that will be vital for you to think about before you make your decision.

So take a look at what you can actually do with the features and how the free version will work versus how the pro version will work for you.

1-Stock Images and Videos

Free:

If you are looking for images of nature and flowers, you will get a plethora of images and videos that you can use for free.

Canva provides high-quality stock photos and videos that are suitable for a lot of niches.

But the images with lower CPC are more available on the free version.

Pro:

You get the full Canva stock library meaning access to millions of photos and videos.

Compared to the free version, you get access to images that are in the blogging, business, and marketing niches.

So the niches that have higher CPCs will be available to you in with the pro version.

2-Content Planning

Free:

Unfortunately with the free version on Canva, you will not be able to use the content planner.

This means that you will not be able to schedule your posts ahead of time.

However, you will still be able to post to social media from the workspace but it will be uploaded automatically.

Pro:

With the upgrade, you can schedule as many posts as you like and you can do this for weeks ahead of time.

This is a major productivity booster because you can batch your content and schedule everything as well.

You can publish up to 24 posts in one day on the planner.

3-Organization and Sharing

Free:

With the free version of Canva, you get access to two folders that you can create.

You can separate your design into these folders and rename them however you like.

However, you are not able to make any subfolders to further organize your designs.

Pro:

With the upgrade, you can make as many folders as you like and as many subfolders as you need.

You can also add team members to help with your design.

Or you can share the designs via links.

4-Animations and Effects

Free:

If you have the free version, you get access to some great animations that you can use in your designs.

You also get some text and images effects that you can use on your designs.

However, you won’t get access to the most popular ones that are available.

Pro:

With the upgrade, you get full access to all of the effects and animations. You can use these for presentations, youtube intros, or even Instagram stories.

You also get one of the most popular tools which is the background remover. This tool completely changes the game letting you remove the background of any file you want.

5-Video Editing

Free:

You will be able to edit videos on Canva and use the library to make your videos pop.

Of course, the same goes for the free library. Not everything will be accessible to you.

But you will have a lot that you can work with.

Pro:

With the Canva pro editor, you will be able to access all of the elements in the Canva library as well as the animations and effects.

You can also export in different file formats.

Plus, with the latest upgrade, you can now add video transitions as well.

6-Design Templates

Free:

Canva templates are true lifesavers.

You get access to a lot of templates in all of the different categories so there is no limit on that front.

However, there are far more premium templates than there are free ones so you are still very limited.

Pro:

With the Canva pro, you get access to all of the templates that Canva has to offer.

You will also get access to any new templates that are added without any extra payment.

The premium templates are made to perform and visually please your audience.

Not to mention you customize all of them to fit your brand.

Which Canva Plan Is Best For You?

canva pricing

I am going to lay it out as plain and simple as possible.

If you are someone who only needs to create a few digital creations every now and then, you will get more than you need with the free version of Canva.

For example, if you are running one social media platform where you maybe post once or twice a day.

Or if you use Canva to make presentations for work or other projects.

However, if you are someone like me who has a youtube channel, social media platforms, as well as a blog, then upgrading to Canva pro will be the best decision for you.

The more you have on your plate, the more productive you will need to be. So things like batching your content and scheduling are just so much easier with the upgrade.

Plus you get access to high-quality features that will make your content look more professional.

Can You Get Canva Pro For Free?

Yes, you can get Canva Pro completely for free for 30 days with their free trial.

This is truly the best option if you want to test out the upgrade before you purchase. This is exactly what I did and once I saw how much more content I was able to create, I knew that I needed to upgrade.

You can click the image below or click this link right here to get the 30-day trial.

canva pro free

Final Thoughts on Canva

Making the upgrade to Canva Pro is hands down one of the best investments that I have made for my business thus far.

Next to self-hosting my website of course.

When I say that I do EVERYTHING on Canva, I am not kidding.

Here is a list of some of the things that I create on the platform:

  • Digital checklists
  • sign-up form templates
  • youtube text animations
  • greenscreen overlays
  • youtube thumbnails
  • b-rolls
  • CVs
  • blog banners
  • youtube channel banners
  • blog featured images
  • Pinterest pins
  • Instagram posts
  • Digital ads
  • Instagram Reels

If you want to check any of these out, feel free to watch any of my youtube videos, look at my Pinterest pins, or watch my Instagram reels.

I keep getting questions from my viewers about how I make my animations and where I get my stock images from.

Every time I tell them that it is from Canva they are completely surprised.

That is how great Canva Pro really is.

Not to mention that it has saved me tons of time when it comes to planning and batching my content for my different platforms.

The quality of content that I am able to produce now because of Canva Pro has really changed the game for me.

It really is a great fit for anyone in any niche.