Canva vs Figma: A Direct Comparison for Business Users

Here's the short version: Canva and Figma are both design tools, but they're built for completely different people doing completely different work. Canva is for non-designers who need to create marketing materials quickly. Figma is for professional UI/UX designers building digital products. There's very little overlap in who should actually use each tool.

If you're here because someone told you "just use Canva" or "just use Figma" without context, let me break down exactly when each tool makes sense.

The Quick Answer: Who Should Use What

Use Canva if:

Use Figma if:

Still not sure? Keep reading for the details.

Pricing Comparison: What You'll Actually Pay

Let's get into the numbers, because this is usually the first question.

Canva Pricing

Canva has three main tiers:

Note: Canva raised their Teams pricing significantly in late 2024, jumping from around $180/year to $500/year for a 3-person team. This caused some backlash, so keep an eye on their pricing page for current rates.

For a deeper dive, check out our Canva pricing breakdown or see if there's a Canva discount available.

Figma Pricing

Figma's pricing is seat-based and structured for professional teams:

Important: Figma updated their pricing and seat structure in early 2025, introducing new seat types (Full, Dev, Collab, View) to give admins more control over billing. The old "surprise charges" problem where viewers could accidentally upgrade themselves has been addressed.

Feature Comparison: What Each Tool Actually Does

Canva's Strengths

Canva excels at making design accessible to people who aren't designers:

Learn more in our full Canva review or Canva tutorial.

Figma's Strengths

Figma is built for professional product design:

Where They Overlap (Sort Of)

Both platforms have added features that blur the lines:

But here's the reality: Canva's prototyping is basic compared to Figma. And Figma's template-based design workflow can't match Canva's speed for marketing materials. They've expanded into each other's territory, but neither has displaced the other in their core use case.

Ease of Use: The Learning Curve Reality

This is where the difference is stark.

Canva requires essentially no training. The interface is designed for absolute beginners. You're guided to choose a design type, shown relevant templates, and can produce something decent in minutes. Software Advice gives Canva a 4.7/5 for ease of use.

Figma has a steeper learning curve. While it's more intuitive than older tools like Adobe Illustrator, you still need to understand concepts like frames, components, constraints, and auto-layout to use it effectively. Software Advice rates Figma at 4.5/5 for ease of use - close, but the gap matters for non-designers.

If you've never used design software and need to create an Instagram post in 20 minutes, Canva wins. If you're willing to invest time learning a professional tool, Figma's power becomes accessible.

Collaboration Features

Both tools allow real-time collaboration, but they approach it differently.

Figma was built from the ground up for team collaboration. Multiple people can edit the same file simultaneously, see each other's cursors, and leave contextual comments. Version history is robust, and the new admin controls give organizations tight control over who can do what. It integrates with tools like Slack, Jira, and Asana.

Canva also supports team collaboration with commenting and shared editing. It works well for basic reviews and feedback. But it's not as fluid as Figma's live editing, and the workflow management features are more basic.

For design teams building products together, Figma's collaboration is significantly stronger. For marketing teams reviewing social posts, Canva's collaboration is perfectly adequate.

The Real Decision: What Are You Building?

Forget features for a second. Here's the practical breakdown:

Choose Canva For:

Try Canva Free →

Choose Figma For:

Can You Use Both?

Absolutely. Many teams do. A common setup:

The "Canva vs Figma" framing implies you must choose one. In practice, they complement each other well because they barely compete.

What About Alternatives?

If neither tool fits your needs:

For more Canva alternatives, check our full alternatives roundup.

Bottom Line

Don't overthink this:

If you're still unsure, start with Canva's free plan if you're creating content, or Figma's Starter plan if you're designing interfaces. Both free tiers are generous enough to make an informed decision before paying anything.