Canva is a graphic design tool with a free and a paid version. Is a Canva Pro membership really worth it? Read my Canva Pro review to see what I discovered.
Canva Pro is a great tool for design. It’s not just for bloggers and social media managers, but also graphic designers and even full-time artists. The pro version of this site offers more features than the free version, such as access to premium fonts, unlimited projects and increased upload file size. So is a Canva Pro membership really worth it? Read on for my detailed review.
The Good
- Thousands of extra designs and features with the Pro version
- All image sizes will be optimized at the highest resolution possible without any loss in quality
- Huge time saver, especially if you’re not a natural at graphic design, like myself.
- You can take advantage of the Canva Pro trial (free for 30 days).
- You can create your own designs with their suite of design tools. You get access to fonts, colours and effects that are all fully customizable.
- Unlimited access to stock photos, videos, graphics and high quality images
The Bad
- Additional cost. This is either monthly or annually, with monthly being slightly more expensive.
- It doesn’t seem possible to change the dimensions of an image once you start designing.
- You don’t get access to ALL Canva features with the Pro membership. Some designs are still at an additional cost.
- If you’re wanting something completely original for your business, Canva Pro might not be for you.
- Alignment of images, logos and other features can sometimes be difficult through Canva
Verdict: The cost of the Canva Pro is more than worth it for me, for the access to all the extra graphics, photos, designs and videos. I will continue to pay for the Pro version to create designs across all of my websites and social media profiles that I use to make money online.
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Introduction – What is Canva Pro and what does it offer?
Canva is a graphic design software that offers users the ability to create graphics or other designs for free. You can use Canva on your computer or mobile device, but if you want access to more designs and fonts, you’ll need a Pro membership.
Canva Pro offers access to over one million design assets. Canva Pro users can also save their work in the cloud, create animated GIFs and edit images professionally with advanced image editing tools. The other benefit of having a Pro account is that it will allow you to download high-resolution graphics for print projects. This means you won’t have any trouble printing your designs on canvas or using them as large format posters. You can also download high quality free images for social media channels, as well as short videos, such as ones designed for Instagram reels or TikTok.
Canva Pro is a great tool if you’re looking to take your graphic design skills to the next level. Canva offers users a ton of tutorials and guides on how to get started with creating professional graphics, which should help any new user feel comfortable using the platform. If you need more than what’s included in their free membership, getting access to all these features will be worth it when compared with other similar software programs that offer the same things such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. While it’s not a complete substitute for these programs, Canva has the free version and is easy to use.
Is Canva Pro worth the money?
The answer depends on how much you value your time and if you’re looking to make more advanced graphics from scratch, make videos, have access to additional fonts or a larger variety of templates. If so, then yes! It might be worth it because of all the features that are included in this membership plan. However, if you don’t intend on using many design assets and only want access to basic image editing tools such as cropping or resizing an image, getting a free account might be good enough for you.
A Canva Pro membership includes the following features:
● Access to over five million images, icons, premium photos and graphics that are all royalty-free (no attribution required).
● Canva’s library of fonts allows you access to thousands of font options for text blocks with a single click. You can also upload your own fonts if desired; however, these cannot be used in any designs unless they’re available through Google Webfonts or Adobe Typekit Fonts.
● More than one hundred additional templates outside of Canva’s standard range which include business cards, flyers, resumes, videos & cover letters among others. There is also an “Explore” section where you can find even more template options that aren’t included in the main menu.
● The ability to sort and find Canva photos by colour, size, shape or design style (e.g., minimalistic).
● Canva now automatically resizes images as you upload them which saves time when making designs such as posters or slideshows with multiple images. It also means you don’t have to worry about sizing your image correctly beforehand because it will be done for you instead; although this cannot replace a graphic designer’s attention to detail if they’re creating more advanced graphics from scratch.
Canva Pro pricing
Canva Pro membership costs $17.99 per month or $164.99AUD for the year. They also have different plans based on how many team members you have. You can look at their pricing page here.
Canva pro is a paid premium version of Canva that has more features and allows you to upload your own photos, fonts, logos and colours (this alone makes it worth spending the extra money in my opinion). You can also try before you buy with their Canva Pro 30 day free trial.
Is there a free version?
Yes! Canva offers both a free and a paid version of their software. The paid version has an annual subscription price of $164.99AUD, or if you prefer to pay monthly, you can do that too but paying annually is slightly cheaper. You can trial the Canva Pro version for free for 30 days, or you can stick with the free Canva version, with less templates and options. So no matter how much content you or your business creates, there should be some option to fit within your budget.
How does Canva make money?
Canva makes money through its Canva Pro membership. The basic version of Canva is free for all users, but Canva Pro gives you access to more features at a cost. There are many users who are happy with the free version and the many free templates, but after discovering how many features are possible through the paid version, many people also decide to upgrade their membership to take advantage of the huge array of extra features.
As Canva continue to add extra features, more templates and better designs, they advertise these on the free version, with the little yellow crown symbol indicating that that particular template or design is only available through the Canva Pro paid membership, hence enticing free users to upgrade, which obviously happens often enough for Canva to be experiencing the huge success they do.
Are Canva Pro images copyright free?
Yes! All images created in Canva are copyright free as long as they don’t feature any third party brands or logos that aren’t owned by the brand owner who purchased them. One thing to note, however, is that you cannot use trademarked names and slogans for commercial purposes without permission from the trademark holder within your country’s laws according to their terms.
Canvas Pro images can be used for commercial purposes?
Yes! You are allowed to use Canva-created images in your business. This includes, but is not limited to using them on websites and social media posts, infographics, ebooks or even printed material like flyers. However you should read the terms of service before doing this just to make sure that there aren’t any restrictions that might apply specifically under certain circumstances. For example if an image features a third party brand name within it then you cannot use it without permission from the company who owns said brand’s rights (if applicable). But otherwise no other limitations exist when it comes to what you can do with these images. They’re totally free for commercial usage as long as you don’t use them in ways that violate Canva’s terms of service which you can read here.
Can I download images from Canva?
Yes! When you create an account at Canva, they give their users the ability to download up to 100 designs per day without having to pay or subscribe for any premium membership tiers. They also have a feature called “Design Sets” which allow members make collections of thumbnails and choose between different design styles when making new projects. This is great because it saves time when wanting to reuse certain assets created in the past instead of starting over again with what appears like a blank slate each time you want something new made. You won’t need this if all your graphics are custom-made but it can be a great time-saving feature for when you need to reuse your work in the future without having to start over each time.
The pros of using a Canva Pro account
- Layouts are easy to use and there is a huge collection of stock images and other designs with the Pro version. You can easily add text, shapes or buttons to customize your design even more.
- You can create your own designs with their suite of design tools. You get access to fonts, colours and effects that are all fully customizable.
- There is an option for adding images or icons into the template you chose.
- The backgrounds in Canva Pro also look good if you want something with more colour than just white space on your blog post image.
- Unlimited access to stock photos, videos, graphics and high quality images – you can use our library of over one million royalty-free photos, vector graphics and illustrations on every design project in Canva—no need to upload or create new files yourself.
- All image sizes will be optimized at the highest resolution possible without any loss in quality – meaning they won’t lose their sharpness when uploaded onto other websites such as Facebook.
- Fonts make it easy for anyone to upgrade their designs by adding a touch of personality through text without having an eye like DaVinci -select from hundreds of beautiful fonts built right into Canva.
- With a Canva Pro account, you have access to premium features that are perfect for small business owners; it will help grow your business, including uploading custom branding, creating brand colours and creating unlimited designs with no watermarking or ads, in just a few clicks.
- Huge time saver, especially if you’re not a natural at graphic design, like myself.
- You can take advantage of the Canva Pro trial (free for 30 days).
The cons of using a Canva Pro account
- Additional cost. This is either monthly or annually, with monthly being slightly more expensive.
- You only get access to certain design features when paying for Canva Pro, not all the templates. For example, premium fonts and images have an extra cost attached, or require an upgraded subscription in order to use them within your designs (as seen in pic).
- It doesn’t seem possible to change the dimensions of an image once you start designing.
- If you’re wanting something completely original for your business, Canva Pro might not be for you, as so many individuals and businesses are using the Canva templates and they have the potential to look like stock designs, unless you make several changes.
- Alignment of images, logos and other features can sometimes be difficult through Canva, more so than on other design software, such as Adobe photoshop.
FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) about Canva Pro Review
Does Canva own my designs?
A: You own all of your designs, so you can download them anytime, even after your Canva Pro membership expires.
Canva Pro has no impact on your existing Canva account. For example, if you create a design with the free version of Canva and then upgrade to Canva Pro, that original design is still available for use in your account and will not be replaced.
Is Canva limited in the number of designs I can create?
A: No, you have unlimited access to all features and design assets within Canva.
Do I have to pay for the designs I make?
A: No, all of our original images and layouts are free. There is only the option to upgrade to Canva Pro to give you access to more designs and features but whether you’re using the free version or the paid version, you can create and download as many designs as you wish.
Is Canva only available on desktop?
A: No, you can use it across all mobile devices. You can also edit images directly from your phone.
Is there an online course that teaches how to use the software?
A: The Canva website includes access to the user guide, tutorials, courses, the blog and live webinars. All these resources are designed to help users master their skills in no time. The professional memberships also include access to online courses where you will learn how to use different features of the software like customizing templates or using shapes for creating infographics. Canva also provides training for businesses to learn how they can use the platform for designing presentations, marketing materials or other projects.
Summary of Canva Pro review
Canva Pro is a must have tool for anyone who creates visuals. It’s not just for bloggers and social media managers, but also individuals, school and uni students, graphic designers and even full-time artists. The pro version of this site offers more features than the free version, such as access to premium fonts, unlimited projects and increased upload file size. For those looking to create professional quality designs without investing in costly software or buying expensive stock photo libraries, it may be worth considering Canva Pro membership.
As I build my portfolio of websites, part of making money online is increasing your exposure across various platforms. These platforms incorporate the websites themselves, the linked social media profiles and various connections I have made, and networking. This is where a Canva Pro membership is invaluable as it helps me to create graphics and other content in an attractive and professional way, therefore improving engagement across all of my profiles.
You can check out some of the Canva designs I have used in my social media profiles here: I am on Instagram, as well as on Facebook as well as Twitter, and even YouTube and finally Pinterest.
Ultimately, the decision to invest in a Canva Pro membership is up to you. I recommend taking some time to explore both versions of this software, by taking advantage of the Canva Pro free trial, and determine which one will suit your needs best.
Verdict: The cost of the Canva Pro is more than worth it for me, for the access to all the extra graphics, photos, designs and videos. I will continue to pay for the Pro version to create designs across all of my websites and social media profiles that I use to make money online.
Captain FI is a Retired Pilot who lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He is passionate about Financial Independence and writes about Personal Finance and his journey to reach FI at 29, allowing him to retire at 30.