Canva vs Microsoft Sway
We give Canva a 3.8 GPA and Microsoft Sway a 3.0, out of 4.0. Canva grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Canva
Template-based design platform for slides, graphics and video
Microsoft Sway
Web app for interactive reports, newsletters and presentations
How we grade them
| 3.8GPACanvaExcellent | 3.0GPAMicrosoft SwayVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $14.99 to $18.00 a month on the US App Store, or $119.99 to $143.99 for a year. Fair for slides, photos, video and print in one app. Steep if slides are all you make, because Google Slides is free. | BYou can't buy Sway on its own. The extras come inside Microsoft 365, from $7.00 a user a month paid yearly for Business Basic, or $9.99 a month for Personal. About typical here, but that's a whole office suite if all you wanted was a password on a Sway. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree forever, with templates, photo and video editing, live collaboration and 5 GB of storage. Background Remover, Magic Resize, Brand Hub and the Scheduler are Pro, and plenty of people will never miss them. | AFree with a personal Microsoft account, and most people could stay there. You get up to 200 content items per Sway, including 150 images and 150 paragraphs, with sharing by link and export. Password protection needs Microsoft 365. |
| Features | ASlides, social posts, docs, whiteboards, video, websites and print from one editor. AI drafts a design from a prompt and translates it into 100+ languages. Video editing is the weak bit, going by reviews. | BCards for text, images and videos, a design engine that lays them out, Remix for a new look in a click, and export to Word or PDF. Solid for reports and newsletters. But video and audio files can't be uploaded any more, only embedded. |
| Ease of use | A4.9 from about 3.6 million App Store ratings, and Apple made it an Editors' Choice. Pick a template, change the words, done. An 11-year-old reviewer makes flyers and invitations on it. | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as we go. Sway handles the formatting and layout itself, and you can start from a topic or a document instead of a blank canvas. |
| Platforms and integrations | ABrowser, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook, though no Linux desktop app is listed. Developers get REST APIs, apps that run inside the editor and an MCP server for AI assistants. | CA web browser is the only place it runs, and it needs a connection. Support for the Windows app ended on June 1, 2026. You can embed a Sway in a web page, but that's about it for hooking into anything else. |
| Best for | good-looking slides when you're no designer | newsletters and reports shared as a link |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Canva and Microsoft Sway. How we grade
Where they differ
- Canva starts at $14.99 to $18.00 / month for Canva Pro, as listed on the US App Store. Microsoft Sway starts at $7.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic).
- Only Canva lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Canva also covers video editing.
- Microsoft Sway also covers documents.
At a glance
| Canva | Microsoft Sway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 to $18.00 / month for Canva Pro, as listed on the US App Store | $7.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic) |
| Free plan | Free account with templates, photo and video editing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Scheduler, Brand Hub, Background Remover and Magic Resize are marked as Canva Pro features. | Free with a personal Microsoft account: up to 200 content items per Sway, including 20 headings, 150 paragraphs, 150 images and 10 embeds. Password protection needs Microsoft 365. |
| Free trial | None listed | 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal and the business plans; business trials need a credit card |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Canva Pty Ltd | Microsoft |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Canva
- People without design training who build slides from templates
- Teams that make presentations, social posts and video in one tool
- Teachers and students: Canva for Education is free for eligible K-12 users
Microsoft Sway
- Newsletters, reports and visual stories shared as a web link
- People who want the layout handled for them rather than designing slides
- Organizations that already pay for Microsoft 365
Worth knowing
Canva
- Prices here are in-app purchase amounts from the US App Store listing, which shows several for Canva Pro; prices on Canva's own website may differ.
- Scheduler, Brand Hub, one-click Background Remover and Magic Resize are listed as Canva Pro features, not part of the free account.
- Cloud storage on the free account is 5 GB.
- The download page lists apps for Mac, Windows 10 and later, iOS, Android and Chromebook; no Linux desktop app is listed.
Microsoft Sway
- Sway runs only in a web browser and needs an internet connection; support for the Windows app ended on June 1, 2026.
- Free accounts are limited to 200 content items per Sway, against 1,500 with Microsoft 365; password protection and autoplay also need a subscription.
- Video and audio files can no longer be uploaded: since June 2024 they can only be embedded.
- Sway is not sold on its own. Its paid features come with Microsoft 365 subscriptions that cover the whole suite.
Key features
Canva
- Presentation templates
- Presentations and slideshows start from professionally designed templates, each of which can be adapted to a brand and style.
- Presenter notes
- Presenter notes can be written with custom AI prompts and track speaking time for each slide.
- Magic design tools
- Magic Design builds designs from an uploaded image, Magic Edit swaps or adds objects in a picture, Magic Eraser removes them, and Translate converts a design into more than 100 languages.
- AI image and video generation
- A text-to-image generator creates pictures from a prompt, and Veo 3 generates video clips with sound from a text description.
- Real-time collaboration
- Team members can work on the same design at once, share it and collect feedback from wherever they are.
- Developer platform
- The Canva Developers SDK covers apps that run inside the editor, REST APIs for connecting other platforms, and an MCP server that lets AI assistants create, edit and export designs.
Microsoft Sway
- Storyline of cards
- Content is typed or dropped into a sequence of cards, each holding text, images, videos or Office documents. Cards can be reordered at any time.
- Built-in design engine
- Sway handles formatting and layout itself. A different design can be applied in a click through Remix, or the layout can be customized by hand.
- Start from a topic or document
- A new Sway can be started from a topic or an existing document rather than a blank canvas, and featured templates are offered on the My Sways page.
- Sharing by link and embed
- View or edit links are sent to others, and viewers need no account or download. A Sway can be embedded in a web page, and work accounts can limit access to the organization or named people.
- Export and accessibility
- A Sway can be exported to Word or PDF and printed. An accessibility view, an accessibility checker and closed captioning support are available on every plan.
- Microsoft 365 extras
- A Microsoft 365 subscription adds password protection, removal of the Sway branding overlay, logo support, autoplay, reader analytics and higher content limits.
Plans
Canva
Canva Free$0
Templates, a free library of images, video and audio, photo and video editing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage.
Canva Pro$14.99 to $18.00
per month on the US App Store; $119.99 to $143.99 per year
Premium templates and stock media, one-click Background Remover, Magic Resize, Brand Hub and post scheduling. The store lists several amounts for this plan.
Canva Business$25.00
per month on the US App Store; seat basis not shown
Canva's site lists Business alongside its Pro and Enterprise plans. The App Store listing gives a monthly price but not what the plan adds over Pro.
Microsoft Sway
Free$0
Sway with a personal Microsoft account: up to 200 content items per Sway, with sharing by link, export and the accessibility tools.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Suite plan with web and mobile Office apps that includes Sway, as the Business Standard and Premium plans do, with sharing limited to specific people or groups.
Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
Suite plan for 1 person. In Sway it adds password protection, removal of Sway branding, autoplay, analytics and up to 1,500 items per Sway.
Ways to pay less
Canva
- Annual discount
Yearly Canva Pro costs less than paying monthly
The US App Store lists Canva Pro at $119.99 to $143.99 per year against $14.99 to $18.00 per month, so a year paid up front is cheaper than 12 monthly payments at any of the listed amounts.
- Education
Canva for Education free for K-12
Canva's App Store listing describes Canva for Education, a school- and district-managed version, as free for eligible K-12 teachers and students.
Microsoft Sway
- Annual discount
Save $19.89 a year on Microsoft 365 Personal
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, which Microsoft's plan page shows as a $19.89 saving with a yearly plan.
