Canva vs. Adobe Express: Which Is the Better Free Graphic Design Tool?
Reading Time: 4 minutesDeciding between Canva and Adobe Express will come down to your graphic design skills and need for free elements.
Traditional graphic design and illustration software, like Photoshop, Illustrator, and CorelDRAW, come with a hefty price tag and a steep learning curve. Those are not your only options, though. There are some great free graphic design tools that you can use in your PC browser or even on your smartphone.
Two such tools are Canva and Adobe Express. These apps are used by graphic designers, illustrators, and other professionals in the creative field. But more importantly, individual users can use them for personal projects like social media designs without spending a dime on basic features.
So, let’s compare Canva and Adobe Express to see which of these design tools offers more for free. The features offered in the web, desktop, and smartphone apps are pretty similar, with only platform-based differences. So, we’ll discuss them as one.
Where to Get Canva and Adobe Express
If you haven’t tried these graphic design tools yet and would like to give them a shot, you can download the Canva and Adobe Express apps below. You can also use the Canva and Adobe Express browser apps.
Download: Canva for Windows | Mac | Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Download: Adobe Express for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
1. Templates
Canva offers a massive library of templates for various uses, such as social media posts, brochures, presentations, and tons more. Just to give you an idea, there are more than 250,000 templates available for free.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express, on the other hand, offers a limited selection of templates in similar categories. However, it makes up for it with its robust set of design tools.
Due to the sheer number of templates, Canva is the winner here. But do note that the quality of templates offered by Adobe Express is not bad by any means.
2. Effects and Filters
Canva has a lot of useful effects and filters like blur, paint effects, pixelate, and much more. It also lets you adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of any image.
Adobe Express also provides effects and filters, but the options are limited compared to Canva. You can manually adjust image brightness, contrast, and other aspects, along with the amount of blur.
Again, Canva takes the lead in this category because it offers more for free. Adobe Express offers solid effects and filters too, but you have to tinker with them manually to get something special.
3. Interface and Ease of Use
In terms of user-friendliness, Canva generally seems a lot easier to use. The web interface is clean and intuitive, with a drag-and-drop layout that makes it easy to create designs quickly. The app’s interface is also pretty beginner-friendly.
Adobe Express has slight resemblances to Photoshop and Illustrator and is more geared toward intermediate and advanced designers. The interface is a bit more complex but offers a wider range of tools. Though, if you’re familiar with the Adobe Creative Cloud programs, you’ll find your way around the app pretty easily.
If you’re a beginner, you’ll likely prefer the layout and interface of Canva. But experienced designers won’t have a problem navigating Adobe Express. Still, for ease of use alone, Canva scores higher.
4. Video Editing
Canva has a dedicated video section that allows you to create videos using templates. It lets you add text and design elements to the videos. Once you’re done, you can export your finished videos in different formats.
Adobe Express offers a lot in its video section as well. You’ll find useful tools like trim, resize, merge, and crop. In addition to the editing tools, you can also create videos using its free but limited number of templates.
Canva is more geared toward creating videos from scratch or through its huge template library. Its tools are better suited for this purpose. In comparison, Adobe Express lets you edit videos along with creating them.
If we combine the editing and creation tools, Adobe Express is the winner. However, if you just want to create a video, you’ll find Canva’s free templates more useful.
5. Stock Photos
Photos are probably one of the most integral parts of graphic design. Canva and Adobe Express both provide tons of stock images for free, so you don’t have to pay for them or leave the web or app to find images.
Canva provides more than one million photos and graphics for free. In contrast, Adobe Express provides access to tons of Adobe Stock images.
Stock photos on both of these platforms are unique, and as it is more of a subjective matter, we’d let this one be a tie between the two. Adobe Stock has more photos in total, but a lot of them are paid.
6. Fonts
Canva provides tons of fonts for free. Its Font Combinations allow you to mix up your text and fonts to generate cool designs. You can search for any font, such as Calibri, Times New Roman, and much more. The fonts are not categorized, though.
Adobe Express also provides plenty of fonts. They are categorized so that you can search for them easily. In addition to standard fonts, Adobe Express also provides language-based fonts and some official Adobe fonts for free.
Like stock photos, this can be a subjective preference too. You’ll have to go through the sets of fonts offered by each of these design tools to figure out which one you like better.
7. Mockups
Canva’s mockup templates are easy to use and customizable, with a wide variety of options for different types of mockups, such as phone, laptop, and book covers—you can also create a mockup of your website using Canva. You have the ability to add text, change colors, and upload custom images.
Adobe Express offers limited mockup templates, but you can remix these templates to make a custom one for you. You can change the layout, theme, animation, and colors.
If you’re a beginner, you’ll find creating mockups on Canva easier. For a more professional experience, go for Adobe Express. But you definitely get more from Canva for free.
Which Design Tool Should You Use?
Canva and Adobe Express are both popular graphic design tools, but they have different features and target audiences. Canva is a more user-friendly and affordable option for beginners and small businesses, while Adobe Express is a more powerful and professional tool for advanced designers and larger organizations.
In terms of offering more for free, Canva definitely provides more features. However, it’s like Canva gives you more fish on the plate, but Adobe Express gives you more fishing tools to catch some yourself. So, don’t count out Adobe Express without giving it a shot.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/canva-vs-adobe-express-best-graphic-design-tool/
Ref: makeuseof
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