Numerous graphic designing tools are released on the market these days, but none of them can match up with Canva or Piktochart especially when it comes to ease of use. Both also have a variety of tools and templates, which make them perfect for anyone without previous design knowledge who wants to create designs that seem professional. These are the main reasons why they remain to be the most popular and go-to editing platforms for students, freelancers, entrepreneurs, bloggers, or even agencies. However, how do you know which tool will benefit and suit you better?
In this blog, we will compare and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these two market-leading editing platforms based on five key points: ease of use, flexibility, pricing, steps, and users and support. To quickly get the gist per category, in hope of helping you decide, we have prepared a comparison chart below.
What is Canva?
Established in 2012, Canva is an Australian-based online graphic designing tool used to create social media posts, posters, presentations, brochures,
videos, logos, and more. It comes with ready-to-use templates, is cost-free, and offers paid subscriptions like Canva Pro and Canva for Enterprise to
unlock more features.
What is Piktochart
Piktochart, was launched in 2011 to initially create amazing infographics. Nevertheless, users also utilize it to develop presentations, reports, charts, and prints. Here, you can quickly transform any text- or data-heavy content into a captivating visual tale for your audiences.
Ease of Use
There’s no denying that these two graphic designing tools can help you create stunning outputs in a matter of minutes. However, which of them really screams “easy?” Well, here’s a quick comparison regarding their interface. In Canva, you don’t need to look anywhere since it creates an incredibly simple, direct, and resourceful interface. All of your options are available to you on the screen, and you have everything in your power to filter however you choose. You may also design in any niche using the 420,000+ templates available and the best way to utilize it is just with the drag and drop function.
Even so, there’s one major downfall – the Canva app. Its interface in the mobile application is not only difficult to access but also lags when there are
too many graphics or when you are trying to do multiple tasks at once. Finally, it is critical to understand that this platform is web-based. This implies that, in order to use the platform, users must be connected to the internet.
Just like Canva, Piktochart demands a steady internet connection in order for adjustments and graphical data to be safely preserved in its system. Likewise, even if you have little to no design knowledge, Piktochart’s block-based approach makes it easy to drag and drop objects into your design.
Additionally, it is clear and well-organized, and the design components are carefully grouped so locating what you need will not be a problem. Instead of getting bombarded with multiple options like in Canva, Piktochart only provides a limited selection of well thought of templates, which can make it simpler for you to rapidly and effectively construct a design. Since Piktochart is primarily utilized for infographics and reports, it offers free use of advanced charts, graphs, and maps as well. Basically, Piktochart helps you convert data into an understandable visual that conveys your point, and you’re all set. This makes Piktochart a better tool to use for producing good quality designs that contain a lot of data. Not to mention, Piktochart also has a so-called “chart wizard” which guides users step-by-step through the creative process. First, the wizard asks users to choose a template based on their data set and then offers practical hints and recommendations for modifying the design. I believe this unique feature especially created for beginners in the field of graphic design is what sets Piktochart apart from other editing platforms. Overall, it is a tough fight between both tools, but I think Piktochart has this in the bag.
Flexibility
Templates
Canva makes it easy to design virtually any kind of document, including cards, flyers, social media graphics, brochures, calendars, invitations, labels, letterheads, logos, photo collages, planners, presentations, resumes, menus, and more, unlike Piktochart which provides limited design templates like infographics, presentations, resumes, flyers, posters, newsletters, brochures, and proposals. Furthermore, Piktochart only offers 518+ templates, whereas Canva has over 420,000+ pre-designed layouts with fresh designs added every day. At this stage, it may seem that Piktochart has no match with Canva but you’re wrong.
True, Canva offers a wide range of templates, but not all of them are free, most layouts with astonishing and much better designs come with a price. So before getting frustrated with finding the perfect yet locked template after hours of browsing, why don’t you check Piktochart.
Sometimes, less is more. With Piktochart, there is no need to sign up for a paid membership to test out all templates available.
Text, Images, Charts and Other Elements
With Canva, you can add professional typography to any design using a variety of text tools and fonts. It allows you to alter the text’s font, size, color, and alignment as well as apply effects like outlines, shadows, and glows. Additionally, Canva provides a number of elements that you may utilize in your projects. Shapes, lines, frames, icons, digital stickers, and speech bubbles are a few examples of these. Even your elements can be uploaded for use in plans. Canva not only offers more than 1 million free photos but also a huge selection of premium images. You’re likely to locate the ideal image for your design from the more than 8 million options available.
As for Piktochart, did you know that its free version gives you access to premium resources like icons, pictures, and graphics? Yes, you heard it right! Here, you can choose from a variety of high-quality, royalty-free photos and icons in its extensive library with ease, but you can also upload your own. Even the color schemes have switches so you may experiment with different looks to fit your brand or campaign. The most significant aspect of it is that it contains a powerful data visualization function that lets you make interactive charts and maps that tell compelling data-driven narratives and bring various types of information to life, from basic pie charts or bar charts to complex icon matrixes.
Effects and Tools
Along with the features already discussed, Canva includes textures and backdrops that highlight photos via transparency or photo effects. Moreover, it has a photo straightener and rotator; a photo cropper for precise, trim compositions; a background remover to leave only the portion of the image to be used; photo and design grids for keeping the photos and layouts crisp; a photo blur slider for enhancing the depth of field or style; and a video editor to instantly create engaging short videos.
Piktochart, on the other hand, makes it simple for search engines to locate and comprehend visual content. Not to mention, it has the ability to convey visual stories as a slideshow using sleek transitions, show time, and the built-in presentation mode for prompt presentations. Last but definitely not the least, Piktochart also has a video editor, but unlike Canva, it automatically transcribes your recordings and generates subtitles in more than 60 languages. Isn’t that great? It just makes your work so much easier!
Importing Data to Canva and Piktochart
Data can be rapidly and easily incorporated into your designs by importing data from multiple sources. Luckily, Canva and Piktochart both let users import data from Google Sheets and other file formats including CSV and XLSX for Excel. These two editing platforms also provide the ability to link to real-time data sources. Such feature is useful for developing designs that continuously reflect the most recent information. While Canva supports connections to Airtable, Hubspot, and Google Sheets, Piktochart allows connections to live data sources like Google Analytics, Excel, and Google Sheets as well.
Pricing for Canva and Piktochart
There are three distinct packages available from both Piktochart and Canva, one of which is a free plan.
Most of Canva’s features are available without a paid membership, with the exception of certain premium elements such as unlimited photos, fonts, graphics, stickers, backgrounds, and templates. It also provides Pro plans for $12.99/month wherein subscribers get access to an infinite number of designs, a sizable collection of royalty-free pictures, use of interactive media, and team collaboration. For companies that require access to more complex services like branding kits and collaboration tools, Canva has an enterprise membership which charges you for $30.00/month per user. Like Canva, Piktochart’s free plan provides the majority of the platform’s functionality, but the fact that it offers unrestricted access to all templates and
assets (photos, illustrations, icons, charts, and maps) across all plans, including the free one, makes it superior to the previous platform. As good as it seems, Piktochart unfortunately allows users to export only five designs and add five “team members” to their accounts. Furthermore, personalized branding, multiple exports and team members, as well as live chat support are available for Pro-users with a $29.00 monthly fee while Team plan offers single sign-on (SSO), customized onboarding projects, and specialized creative services for $99.00/month for 5 seats.
Overall, Canva is the clear victor in terms of paid price range. Not only is it significantly less expensive but it also offers a 30-day free trial for both subscriptions with the option to cancel at any time. Plus, its Pro plan includes all features from the Piktochart Team plan. In short, Canva costs less but offers more than Piktochart.
Steps
For beginners out there, keep in mind that it is extremely important to understand the design process of each platform in order to fully maximize its features. So, let me walk you through the basic steps of designing your first ever Canva or Piktochart creation.
Steps for Creating Infographics in Canva
Register for a Canva account
Visit Canva.com, click “Sign up,” fill out the form, and you’re done creating your Canva account. Though, it is technically possible to use the platform without registering for an account, but we advise doing so since it will save all your designs and enable you to log in from various browsers or the Canva app to finish what you started.
Decide on a design format and select your template
With templates pre-sized for a variety of social media networks, Canva makes it simple to start your project. You may select from a variety of conventional sizes or “custom proportions.” Making sure you choose a free template is important if you’re using Canva’s free edition. You can also start from scratch if none of the templates available suit your needs.
Edit or add visual elements
You can alter an element by clicking on it and choosing the modification you wish to make. Alternatively, you can scroll through the suggested element selections or search for the element you want to add.
Change or add text
You should click into the text box and enter new content if you want to edit current text in a design. You can either type manually or copy and paste. Also, you can alter the font, size, and color as well as use any of the existing styles.
Export your finished work
Once you’re happy with the layout, you can either download your work in the format you prefer or share it with others. That’s about it, your design is now complete and ready for use!
Steps for Creating Infographics in Piktochart
Sign up for a Piktochart account
Just like Canva, you can create your Piktochart account by filling in the required information in the “Sign Up” form. However, Piktochart only
operates on a free account, meaning it does not allow users to access the platform without an account.
Choose a template
Select the ideal template for your project. You have two options: either visit the template library or pick the desired visual format from your
dashboard.
Create your visual
Now, modify the template to reflect your details and information. All the tools you need to easily design your graphic are located in the editor’s
left side bar. Among them are diagrams, tables, maps, images, pictures, icons, color schemes, text frames, and picture frames. In this step, it is
crucial to edit and modify the graphics to bring your pictures to life. Project and emphasize your data as well to demonstrate a pattern and
offer insight.
Download or share your output
Lastly, you may access and download your asset as an image, SVG file, or PDF once you’re through with your customized graphic and pleased
with your work. You can also publish your asset online, print it, or share it.
Now that you are aware of the basic steps in creating graphic designs using both tools, you may be curious as to which of them will help you create an output faster.
Well, apart from “practice makes perfect,” I am also a firm believer in “practice is the key to speed.” Based on most user reviews, Piktochart is much easier to navigate and only requires a few minutes or about an hour to familiarize yourself with the platform. Thus, after some practice, you’ll quickly become an expert in Piktochart!
Due to numerous features as well as content types in Canva, the learning curve here is a tad bit steeper compared to Piktochart’s. Hence, trial and error is the most effective learning method. Start with a basic design and progressively increase its complexity as you get more accustomed to the tool.
User Community and Support
As of October 2022, over 100 million people are using Canva in more than 190 countries. The user population has then grown from 60 million in 2021
wherein nearly 500,000 of the 100 million users purchase premium plans. Piktochart, on another note, has currently earned the trust of 11 million people with more than 20,000 paid subscriptions in January 2015. Moreover, Canva has a rating of 4.72 out of 5 stars from 10,965 user evaluations on Capterra, while Piktochart yields a 4.74 rating from just 167 users on the same website.
Regardless, both Canva and Piktochart provide their users with many forms of support and training via email/help desk, FAQs/forum, knowledge base, chat, webinars, and video tutorials. The only major distinction is that Piktochart offers instruction in a more personal approach – either in person, live online, or documentation which I love, while Canva provides help for its users through educational resources, a blog, and even a design school.
FINAL THOUGHTS: CANVA VS PIKTOCHART
Which tool is preferable now, you ask?
Well, that completely depends on you. Just remember that your visual content goals as well as the graphic assets you need to develop ultimately determine which option is best for you.
And I think Canva is a fantastic option if you’re searching for a simple-to-use, user-friendly, and resourceful interface with a large selection of templates for various content types, elements, effects, tools, and instructions, all with improved collaborative functionality. I recommend it to people who do not have any designing experience and want to create either an invitation for your son’s birthday or just a simple flyer for a community event. Above all, take note of its premium plan, which is far less expensive than Picktochart’s.
Personally, I lean towards using Canva more just because I choose to focus on delivering visually appealing outputs and definitely am more accustomed to the tool. Although, Piktochart is a better candidate if you place higher importance on effective communication rather than creating an appealing visual. Since it is geared toward business communication and education, you are actually communicating with the majority of employees, clients, managers, students, and professors. Hence, it is ideal for internal communication, crafting social media posts, reporting, and visualizing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Plus, less is more – less templates; less time browsing; more time getting the actual work done; better visualization using free charts, icons, or illustrations; and creation of data-driven graphics in as little time as possible. Lastly, let’s not forget about its most unique attributes – (1) the automatic video transcription supported by over 60 languages and (2) its amazing chart wizard!
Unfortunately, with so much to offer, I may be just as confused as you are! Then again, it is okay to feel overwhelmed, but please do take your time to
learn each platform and always stand firm with your objective. I hope this article has helped you choose between the two. Goodluck!
Justine Jewel is a freelance graphic designer who creates flyers, posters, infographics, brochures, and any other advertising outputs in Canva; edits video for Tiktok, Instagram, and Youtube; and designs and creates content for Powerpoint presentations. Also, she is a writer for blogs, articles, and journals. Here is Justine’s Upwork profile.
