Canva vs Adobe Illustrator

Canva9.3Visit Adobe Illustrator8.8Visit

Higher score Canva #2 in Graphic Design Software 9.3/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 7 of 7 features Visit Canva

vs

Adobe Illustrator #6 in Graphic Design Software 8.8/10 7-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 7 features Visit site

• Canva fits best

  Teams and individuals making varied visual content

• Adobe Illustrator fits best

  Professional vector design and illustration

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Side by side

Feature	Canva 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Adobe Illustrator 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Graphic Design Software	#6 in Graphic Design Software
Best for	Teams and individuals making varied visual content	Professional vector design and illustration
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	30 days	7 days
Free trial length	30 days	7 days · card required
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Canva 7/7 · Adobe Illustrator 4/7
Template library	✓	✓
Presentation design	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Illustration tools	✓	✓
Brand kit	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Real-time collaboration	✓ (best)	—
Desktop app	✓	✓
Mobile app	✓	✓
Our review
Pros	Templates span presentations, documents, video, websites and print designs Brand tools and real-time collaboration support shared design work Works on web, desktop and mobile, with a free plan	Advanced vector, typography, artboard, effects, and illustration tools Generative AI features for shape fills, recoloring, and vector graphics Creative Cloud integrations with cloud documents and review workflows
Cons	The Free plan offers only basic collaboration and exports Brand management and administration controls are on higher tiers Its broad range may not suit buyers focused on a single design format	No free plan Collaboration supports invited editing, not simultaneous real-time editing The individual plan includes 100GB of cloud storage
Our verdict	Canva is a template-based design platform for individuals, teams, educators and organizations creating visual content. Its editor supports social graphics, presentations, documents, video, websites, print designs and other formats, with… Read the review →	Adobe Illustrator is vector graphics software for creating logos, icons, illustrations, packaging, typography, and other scalable artwork for print and digital use. It is suited to professional designers, illustrators, brand teams, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Canva — where it wins

  • Templates span presentations, documents, video, websites and print designs
  • Brand tools and real-time collaboration support shared design work
  • Works on web, desktop and mobile, with a free plan

  Where it doesn't

  • The Free plan offers only basic collaboration and exports
  • Brand management and administration controls are on higher tiers
  • Its broad range may not suit buyers focused on a single design format

• Adobe Illustrator — where it wins

  • Advanced vector, typography, artboard, effects, and illustration tools
  • Generative AI features for shape fills, recoloring, and vector graphics
  • Creative Cloud integrations with cloud documents and review workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan
  • Collaboration supports invited editing, not simultaneous real-time editing
  • The individual plan includes 100GB of cloud storage

• Canva9.3/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad template-based editor for creating and sharing varied visual content.

  Visit CanvaFull verdict →
• Adobe Illustrator8.8/10 · 7-day trial

  A deep vector design suite for professional artwork across desktop, iPad, and web.

  Visit siteFull verdict →