When you’re designing online, it can feel overwhelming to decide which program(s) to use.
Even when you know it’s a good investment for your business or side hustle, it’s hard to want to pay money for something if you don’t know it’s worth it. Especially when the programs feel expensive and difficult to learn.
The good news, or the bad depending on how you feel about making decisions, is that there are many great programs to choose from. Two of the most popular design programs are Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud.
If you’ve been wondering which one would be best for you, this should help you decide.
What is Canva?
Canva is an online program specializing in design. Since its launch in 2013, it has been focused on its mission to “empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere.”
Being a design program, functionality is incredibly important. Designers beginning to look into the program can use the site for free and get many great features such as:
- Properly licensed stock photos
- Design elements & graphics
- Pre-built templates that make design work more accessible to beginners and busy professionals who need graphics but aren’t Graphic Designers
The site is intentionally easy-to-use with a simple user interface and people-friendly functions that are quick to learn. When you’ve got the basics down, there are tips and more advanced functions that can make designing quicker and more efficient.
All tiers of subscription, including Pro, Enterprise, and Education tiers are affordable for individuals and teams. Nonprofit organizations can use the program for free—all they have to do is apply.
What are the Primary Adobe Graphic Design Products?
The Adobe Creative Cloud has a vast number of programs (almost 30) plus an array of non-software benefits. To say the subscription is packed with value is an understatement.
To do a realistic and honest comparison between Adobe and other programs, it’s important to narrow down which Adobe software would be comparable. In graphic design, the primary Adobe programs are Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard of photo editing software.
Photoshop users who know how to use the software can edit digital photos, combine multiple images, and even create digital paintings. More advanced users can create GIFs—the brief, looped moving images you often see on social media—or even edit simple videos.
The most common use for Photoshop is digital image correction. Photoshop allows you to do anything from correcting color to changing the background to adding or removing people from images. It’s become such a common practice, there’s even an action named after it: “So-and-so Photoshopped that image.” If you can dream it, you can probably do it in Photoshop.
Professionals across almost every industry use the software, and the key components are:
- Retouching tools
- Adjustment tools
- Compositing images
- Masking & special effects
- Layers
- Creating animated GIFs
Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is the industry-leading vector graphics and illustration app. This versatile program is great for creating many kinds of artwork, most notably logos, icons, patterns, and product packaging.
The most common uses for Illustrator are to create company branding and intricate or patterned designs. Its biggest strength and what sets it apart from other design software, is the fact that it’s vector-based, which means that the designs are completely scalable. It also does extraordinarily well with pattern creation and minute details.
Professionals from many industries use Illustrator to create branding assets, web graphics, and even fashion designs. If you want your design to be beautiful no matter what size, Illustrator is the perfect tool to design with.
The most essential features are:
- Vector-based
- Image scalability
- Artboards (up to 1,000 in a single file)
- Patterns
- Detailed illustrations (almost 90 tools specifically for creating illustrations)
InDesign
Adobe InDesign is the industry-leading software for page layout and design in both print and digital media. The publishing program is versatile, and users can design a number of different types of media such as posters, books & eBooks, digital magazines, interactive PDFs, catalogs, and even resumes.
InDesign is essentially the meeting place for type and graphics, and excels in print design. The most common uses are multi-page documents with text and images (like brochures) and longer projects such as books and digital catalogs.
Its biggest strengths are in typography and long documents. InDesign dominates the industry in typography because of the customization you can do with creating exquisite type and placing it on the page within the design.
Creative professionals in several industries use the software. If you need a gorgeous document with text and images, InDesign is an ideal tool to use.
The most essential features are:
- Publishing
- PDFs
- Integration with other programs
- Layout
- Collaboration & Feedback
Major Differences between Canva & Adobe Graphic Design Products
Canva is often used in lieu of the Adobe programs, or vice versa. Canva has functions found in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, although the people using the programs are different. Both “sides” of the comparison have their own merits.
There are five major areas to compare when considering Canva or Adobe.
Cost
One of the first aspects anyone looks at when thinking about using new software is the cost— especially for those starting out or on a tight budget.
Without question, Canva is the cheaper option. You can use the program for free and get quite a bit of functionality before you make the commitment to a paid subscription. When you’re ready to access more features, the Pro plan is a mere $12.99 per month. The Pro plan is really all any freelancer or small business owner needs unless they’re working with extremely advanced designs and need specific features.
On the other hand, the Adobe all apps subscription comes in at $52.99 per month. This price includes all three programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign), plus a ton of other softwares and non-software features. You can buy each app separately for about $21 per month, but if you want the functionality of all three, it’s cheapest to go with the all apps plan. The Adobe subscription is worth the cost if you’re looking to do advanced design and complete projects that use other subscription features. For many Graphic Designers, it’s a must-have despite the cost.
Ease of Use
Designers can do some pretty exceptional tasks. They create beautiful artwork, eye-catching social media posts, and striking images for websites. Not to mention business branding elements and all the other designs you often look past but are an essential part of the full picture. It makes sense, then, that these professionals need to be able to navigate their programs with ease from wherever they’re creating.
Canva is known for being user-friendly and easy to use. One of their values is to “make complex things simple,” which is why even for someone who’s never looked at the program before, they can go in and create a rudimentary design almost immediately. There are plenty of tutorials, and the user interface is clearly labeled which makes it easy to tell what buttons perform what tasks.
Adobe is perhaps less user-friendly. If you’ve used Adobe programs before, all of the interfaces are based on the same or similar tools, which means it’s easy to catch on once it becomes familiar; however, the learning curve is steep. That’s not to say it’s “hard” per se, but because there are incredibly intricate functionalities and the program is packed with features, there’s more to get used to than there is with Canva.
Templates
Many people love the idea of tasks being easy and efficient. What better way to maximize your design time than to find patterns that look beautiful, are highly functional, and are quick to complete? Whether you create your own project templates, or you trust the expertise of others, these guides can come in handy when you’re doing creative work.
One of the biggest draws to Canva is that they provide plenty of templates for all kinds of designs. From social media posts to lesson plans to flyers and even invoices, Canva has basic templates you can use for free within the program. You get access to even more with the Pro subscription. These drag and drop guides are simple to customize and often need little technical know-how to make them on-brand and aesthetically pleasing.
Likewise, Adobe provides templates within each program, too. Through the Adobe website, you can download and use templates for projects such as flyers, postcards, and banners. Whether you’re designing graphics, as you would in Photoshop or Illustrator, or putting together a more text-heavy document like you would in InDesign, there are templates for each. They’re fairly simple to use and customize after downloading—a difference from Canva where the templates are already hosted in the program. Adobe’s templates are ultra-creative, as you might expect, and showcase the high level of artwork you can produce in the programs.
Sharing & Publishing
Once you have the graphics or other projects completed, where will they be displayed? Do they need to be published to social media? Shared with other Designers for feedback and approval? Shared with Designers to be implemented into a larger project?
One neat Canva perk is that you have the option to save a file from any design in multiple formats including: PNG & JPG (images), PDF Standard & PDF Print, SVG (vector graphics), MP4 (video), and GIF (short clip, no sound).
Canva enables you to publish designs straight to major social media networks, present to a group, send via URL, and a whole slew of other options that make connecting the completed designs super easy. There are more than 50 publishing and sharing options, one being to create a brand new template out of your design.
Adobe has great options for publishing and sharing, too. The graphic design programs publish in all types of file formats, including the program specific files PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator), and INDD (InDesign). They can also publish photo files and PDFs.
In terms of sharing capabilities, Adobe programs work seamlessly together. Almost any file from an Adobe program can easily translate to another, which makes putting together complex projects convenient. The programs connect to Adobe Portfolio, which is Adobe’s online portfolio hosting program, Adobe Bridge, a creative & visual file management system, and Behance, the social media platform for Designers.
Who’s Using the Programs
Both programs have large followings. Although Canva is relatively new, it boasted 75 million users per month at the end of 2021. Adobe Creative Cloud has an incredible 26 million subscribers as of December 2021 and 90% of creative professionals use Photoshop. The Creative Cloud first launched in Fall 2011, replacing the Adobe Creative Suite.
Millions of people are using both programs, but the Canva numbers are staggering and continue to grow each day. Part of the reason is because of who’s using the program. It’s affordable and accessible, which means there are many people who are: beginning their business journeys, dabbling in design work, doing personal projects, and busy professionals who need something but don’t have time (or possibly desire) to learn a complicated design program.
On the other hand, Adobe has been established for quite some time, and leads the industry in design tools. Professional Designers and other creatives who work with complex designs and design for a living use these tools regularly. The programs are more robust, and have more complexity than Canva, which means the people who are using the programs are often more specialized and working in careers that have a specific use for the programs. They’re designing professionally, and/or they work with people who do, which makes the more expensive subscription worth it. The work they create more than makes the subscription cost back each month.
Which Program to Use
Which program to use (or set of programs, in the case of Adobe) depends on where you’re at in your creative journey and what you want or need to do with your projects.
Here are some questions to help you decide which program might be a better choice.
- I’m new to design and I want to start practicing right away. Which program should I choose? Canva is probably the best choice right now because it’s more user-friendly, easier to learn, and you can figure out what you like designing for free or at a low cost before you make a decision on what to do down the road.
- Which program is best for a modest or small budget?Canva.
- I have experience with graphic design. Which program is best for taking my skills to the next level?Adobe.
- I’m not a Designer yet, but when I learn, what program would be best for me if I want to have a graphic design business or work in the field professionally?Adobe.
- I’m starting a new business, but I know graphics are key. I want to be able to design jaw-dropping graphics that are high quality. What should I use? It depends. If your business is based on graphic design, probably Adobe. If it’s based on printables & digital products, Canva may work really well depending on your industry
How to Purchase Canva
One of the best perks of Canva is that you can begin using the program for free. All you have to do is sign up for an account and begin using the program.
If you decide that you want to upgrade to the Pro subscription, you can do so any time in the settings on your account. It’s $12.99 per month, billed monthly. If you pay on an annual basis, you get a discount and the price drops to $9.99 per month for up to five users. Down the road, if you want or need to add team members to your subscription, it costs $7 per month per additional user on the Pro plan.
If you teach K-12, you and your students can use Canva for free. If you’re part of a registered non-profit, you can also use Canva Pro for free by applying on the website.
How to Purchase the Adobe Graphic Design Programs
The Adobe Creative Cloud pricing is higher, but you get more with your subscription. There is a free Adobe membership, although that doesn’t grant you access to the graphic design programs. You can do a 7-day free trial of any of the programs before making your decision.
If you want to buy one Adobe program on its own, for instance Photoshop, it costs about $21 per month; however, if you’re using multiple Adobe programs on a regular basis, it may make more sense to purchase the all apps subscription at $52.99 per month for one set of licenses.
If/when you decide to grow your team, the prices for business licenses begin at $79.99 per month for an all apps license or $34 per month per program license.
There is a discount for students and teachers. For the first year, it’s $19.99 per month. After that it’s $29.99 per month.
Where to Learn Graphic Design Skills
If you’re excited about digging in to learn graphic design skills, there are some great places to start.
Canva
To begin learning about graphic design in Canva, you can take free tutorials from Canva Design School. There are plenty of lessons about getting started, videos, designing, presenting, and how to use Pro features if you decide to go that route.
You can also learn quite a bit about designing from scratch in the program with their free step-by-step guide.
Adobe
You can begin learning Adobe programs for free from Adobe. They have excellent quality tutorials and projects to complete as you go.
Noble Desktop, which has been specializing in graphic design training since 1990, has an informative Get Started in Graphic Design seminar and helpful Youtube channel if you like to learn at your own pace—both free of charge.
Ready to get a deeper understanding of Adobe? Noble has a variety of Photoshop courses, Illustrator courses, InDesign courses, and design certificates. You can take the classes in-person at their campus in New York City or live online with instructor-led class sessions.