Why I Still Haven’t Used Canva (And What Would Change My Mind)

Canva is undoubtedly one of the most popular design tools out there today. However, it lacks a few key features that I consider essential, so I prefer to use an alternative tool that offers better functionality; Figma. Let’s explore these features that keep me from switching to Canva.

1 Canva’s UI is too cluttered

Figma has been my favorite design tool for quite some time. Opening it up is like revealing a fresh canvas with all your art supplies neatly organized and ready to go – accessible when needed, yet tucked away out of the way. It’s sleek, minimal and allows for focus. In contrast, Canva feels more crowded, full of distractions.

The reason for this difference lies in the purpose these tools serve. Figma is a tool that is built with professional designers in mind, so its interface is highly customized for an unlimited workflow for creating web designs, prototypes, and even posters and brochures. Even for someone like me who is not a professional designer, I can still enjoy the focused interface in Figma.

On the other hand, Canva is built for quick and easy creations with a focus on a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to a wider audience—even those who only need to design once in a while. This is great for someone who doesn’t design often, but for someone who does, it quickly becomes limiting.

For example, when you open Figma, you’ll find that it has a clean, uncluttered workspace and emphasizes design over tools. The interface has a lot of open space, minimal toolbars, and tools only open when needed. I find that it reduces a lot of visual noise and helps me stay focused.

Canva’s interface looks clean at first glance – but it has hidden complications. There are more decorative elements that make the interface feel cramped, such as fonts and template designs. These pre-made fonts and graphics are great for a last-minute design, but serve as a distraction while creating something unique. And there’s no option to temporarily hide these assets, so they remain visible every time you use the app.

Additionally, these assets can be tempting to try out, but finding something suitable for a proposal is often a challenge. When I tried to use Canva, I often wasted time comparing pre-made fonts only to realize that I didn’t like any of them.

2 Figma plugins and assets are game changers

For me, one of the most interesting features about Figma is its plugins and asset libraries – they’re just a joy to use. Not only do they add features to the app, but many of these plugins are free. It’s like having a one-stop toolbox with all the right nuts and bolts for all your everyday tasks.

For example, I often use the background remover tool, so I don’t need to use any other application, just click on it. Canva does offer a tool to remove the background, but I would have to buy Canva Pro for that.

With Figma, you get access to several plugins to add illustrations or even free images, all inside the app. It helps me save time and focus solely on creating my own design.

Additionally, I was pleasantly shocked when I visited the Figma Asset Community, a platform within Figma where users can share and use assets created by other users. Not only are there thousands of assets available, but you’ll find that these assets are of high quality and most are free. It is truly a community that has assets created by professionals for anyone to use.

On the other hand, whenever I looked for illustrations or icons on Canva, I was left frustrated. The ones that are available for free are downright boring and generic, and to get to something interesting, there is no other option but to pay extra.

3 Figma makes workflow smoother and more efficient

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By its very nature, design is an iterative process that involves several minor and major adjustments before the final version is completed. In Figma, this process is smooth and efficient with minimal redundancy. Although Canva offers some of these features, they are very limited in terms of flexibility.

This is best explained by the version history feature, which saves snapshots of my progress as my design evolves. In Figma, just by going to the version history, I can scroll and see what changes I made at different times and understand how the design is progressing. And if I made changes I didn’t like, I could easily go back to the previous version and start over.

This feature was extremely helpful when I was on an internship where I had to create a board game design as well as present my design process. I had to share the file with Figma and it contained a history of all the changes I made to the design.

Canva also offers a version history, but this is only available if you purchase Canva Pro.

Auto Layout is another feature in Figma that makes the workflow easier. It allows you to create responsive designs that adapt to changes in content, saving you from manually resizing elements when content changes.

Suppose you need to adjust the spacing between elements (text, images, icons) or change the size of elements; the Auto Layout feature ensures that everything adjusts automatically when resized without having to manually reposition each element. For example, if you have a headline, subtitle, and image that need to stay evenly spaced, AutoLayout will keep the spacing consistent no matter how you edit the content.

4 Canva’s free tier has too many limitations

Using Canva often means opting for Canva Pro, as the free version can be downright frustrating. While it makes grand promises of free templates and designs, it rarely delivers. To make matters worse, most of the graphics and illustrations are gold-stamped, limiting access to many of the options you want to use.

Figma also offers a paid plan, but this is only necessary when working in a collaborative environment, and most of its basic features are available for free. With Figma, you know exactly what you’re getting and have room to customize the experience to your liking with plugins and asset libraries.

Most people might see Figma as a professional tool designed for large, serious design projects. However, I have a different view. For me, Figma is versatile, equally suitable for creative and simple projects. I say this because I once made a silly comic for a group presentation in minutes using Figma.

On the other hand, with Canva I spent days working on a simple brochure for a class project, dealing with frustrating errors and clashing with my partner. It felt like no matter what we tried, we couldn’t create the design we had in mind. In my experience, Canva shines when it comes to last-minute social media posts and brochures, and that’s about it.