Paid★
Adobe Photoshop
The industry-standard layered image editor, now with generative AI built in.
AdvancedWebWindows
Canva
Design platform with a capable photo editor: fix a photo, then drop it straight into a post, poster or thumbnail.
FreemiumBeginnerWebWindowsMaciOSAndroid
Overview
Canva is a design platform with a full photo editor built in. You can crop, apply filters, and auto-adjust lighting and color. Its Magic Studio AI tools remove backgrounds, erase objects, replace things with a text prompt, or extend a photo beyond its edges. After the edit, you can place the photo into a social post, poster or presentation and finish the design with Canva's templates and stock library.
Canva runs in the browser, as desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and as iOS and Android apps. An account is required. The free plan covers core editing, many templates and standard exports. A Pro subscription adds the premium template and stock library, background removal in the editor, and larger AI allowances.
Key features
✓Crop, resize, filters & one-tap auto adjust
✓Background remover: free on its own page, Pro in the editor
✓Magic Eraser removes unwanted objects (Pro)
✓Magic Edit replaces objects from a text prompt
✓Magic Expand extends a photo beyond its frame (Pro)
✓AI image generation from text
✓Huge template & stock library, premium parts need Pro
✓Text, graphics & brand kits for finished designs
✓Real-time collaboration & comments
When to use
Canva fits best when edited photos end up inside something you are making. Use it if:
- You edit photos for social posts, video thumbnails, flyers or presentations, and want editing and layout in one place.
- You need quick everyday fixes: crop, straighten, brighten, filter, without learning an editor.
- You want AI conveniences like erasing a photobomber or extending a photo's background, inside the same tool you design in.
- You work with a team and need people commenting and editing the same design at once.
- You switch between computer, tablet and phone, and want your work synced everywhere.
When NOT to use
Skip Canva if any of these describe you:
- You need serious photo retouching: layers, masks, precise selections or RAW files from a camera. That is work for Adobe Photoshop or another dedicated photo editor.
- You mainly want AI to transform photos from text prompts. An AI-first photo editor is built around that.
- You do not want an account. Canva requires signing in before you can edit anything.
Frequently asked questions
There is a real free plan: the design and photo editor, a large subset of templates and stock images, cloud storage and standard exports all cost nothing. Canva Pro is a subscription that adds the premium template and stock library, background removal in the editor, brand kits, more storage, and bigger allowances for the AI tools.
Partly. The background remover has its own page on Canva's site. A free account can use that page and download the result. Inside the Canva editor, the same tool is a Pro feature and asks you to upgrade.
Canva groups its AI tools under Magic Studio: erase objects, replace things via text prompt, expand a photo beyond its frame, and generate images from text. Some tools are free to use a limited number of times, others are Pro only, and Pro accounts get larger monthly allowances. Canva lists the current per-tool limits in its help pages.
The browser version is the core product. There are desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and phone and tablet apps for iOS and Android, with one account syncing designs across all of them. There is no official Linux app, but the browser version works on Linux. Offline editing works in the desktop and Android apps and in Chrome, Edge and Safari. Canva's help pages say you must turn it on while still online. It covers only the designs you mark in advance. Offline access lasts 14 days, and leaves out the AI tools and stock search.
Designs made from free elements export clean, with no watermark. Premium stock photos, graphics and templates show watermarks on a free account until you pay for that element or subscribe to Pro.
For layouts, social graphics and everyday photo fixes, many people never need anything else. It does not do deep retouching, precise pixel-level selections or RAW processing. If your work is heavy photo manipulation, you still need a dedicated editor alongside Canva.
Alternatives to Canva
Paid
Adobe Lightroom (Web)
Cloud-first photo editor and organizer: every shot backed up, searchable and editable on any device.
BeginnerWebWindows
Free★
Freemium
