Canva vs Piktochart (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Canva: it is third in our ranking of presentation tools, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Canva grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. Piktochart grades higher on value for money.
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
Piktochart
Online design tool for infographics, reports and slide decks
Which one is for you
Pick Canva if
- Fits if you need slides or a flyer and you've never opened a design app
- Works for schools, because Canva for Education is free for eligible K-12 teachers and students
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you edit a lot of video, because reviewers report lag, fuzzy playback and sound out of sync
- Not for you if you work only on a phone or iPad, where reviews from 2021 to 2025 report freezes and crashes
- Pricey if you only make slides, since Google Slides does that for nothing
- Tight if you're staying free and want Background Remover, Magic Resize, Brand Hub or scheduling, which are Pro
- Watch out: the App Store lists several Pro prices, Business doesn't say what it adds, and there's no Linux app
Pick Piktochart if
- Fits if you make infographics and reports more than slide decks
- Makes sense if your team shares one brand kit on Business
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with 2 PNG downloads and free templates only
- Watch out: PDF and PowerPoint downloads are not on Pro
- Watch out: AI credits are capped at 60 on Free, 500 on Pro and 1,000 on Business
- Pricey if you buy for a team, as each paid price is per member
- Watch out: its pricing page returned an error when we checked, so the figures are from the listing
How we grade them
| 3.2GPACanvaVery good | 2.0GPAPiktochartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DThe only price on record for Pro is $14.99 to $18.00 a month on the US App Store, and $14.99 is exactly where this category's dearest tenth starts, against a $9.99 middle. Several amounts for one plan, with no word on why. Google Slides, in the same category, does slides for nothing. | CPro is $10 per member a month billed annually, on the $10 middle for presentation tools. Business at $17 adds PDF and PowerPoint downloads. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree forever, with templates, photo and video editing, live collaboration and 5 GB of storage, which one person can work within. The caps: 5 GB in all, and Background Remover, Magic Resize, Brand Hub and the Scheduler are all Pro. | CThe free plan gives unlimited projects, but only free templates, 2 PNG downloads and 1 GB. |
| Features | ASlides with presenter notes that track speaking time and live collaboration, plus social posts, docs, whiteboards, video, websites and print from one editor, which no other slide tool here does. AI drafts from a typed line and translates into 100-plus languages. Video is where reviewers report lag. | CTemplates, an AI generator, brand kit, video editor and collaboration. It is a visuals tool more than a slide tool, and PDF and PowerPoint export are not on Pro. |
| Ease of use | A4.9 from about 3.6 million App Store ratings and an Editors' Choice from Apple, the top rating in this category. You pick a template and change the words. The written reviews still report freezes and crashes on iPhone and iPad. | CNo store rating on record. You build the design yourself from a template. |
| Platforms and integrations | ABrowser, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook, so everything bar a Linux desktop app. Developers get REST APIs, apps that run inside the editor and an MCP server so AI assistants can create and export designs. | CWeb only, with no desktop app or integrations list. |
| Best for | slides from templates when you're no designer | infographics and visual reports in a browser |
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 Piktochart. How we grade
Price against what you get
Canva starts at $14.99 a month and scores 4.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Piktochart starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Canva scores higher, and starts $4.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, none scores higher than Canva for less, and 19 score higher than Piktochart for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Canva also covers video editing.
At a glance
| Canva | Piktochart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 to $18.00 / month for Canva Pro, as listed on the US App Store | $10 per member / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| 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. | Unlimited visual projects, 60 AI credits, free templates only, 2 PNG downloads and 1GB of storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Canva Pty Ltd | Piktochart LLC |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | piktochart.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Piktochart
- The free plan allows 2 PNG downloads and only free templates.
- PDF and PowerPoint downloads are not on Pro.
- AI credits are capped each plan: 60 on Free, 500 on Pro and 1,000 on Business.
- The page shows each paid price per member, and Enterprise is aimed at 101 or more members.
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.
Piktochart
- Templates for many formats
- Start from templates for infographics, presentations, reports, brochures and social graphics.
- AI design generator
- Turns text or data into a first draft; every plan has a monthly allowance of AI credits.
- Brand kit
- The Business plan adds unlimited brand color schemes, custom fonts and logos.
- Export formats
- Free plans download PNG only; PDF and PowerPoint downloads start on Business, Education and Nonprofit.
- Team collaboration
- Workspaces let members share visuals, set permissions and comment on designs.
- Video editor
- A separate video editor is listed in the product menu next to the visual editor.
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.
Piktochart
Free$0
Unlimited projects, free templates only, 60 AI credits, 2 PNG downloads and 1GB storage.
Pro$10
per member / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Premium templates and icons, unlimited PNG downloads, 500 AI credits and 100GB storage.
Business$17
per member / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Adds PDF and PPT downloads, brand kit, branded templates, 1,000 AI credits, 250GB.
Education$39
per member, billed annually
For students and teachers with an educational email; 250 AI credits and PDF and PPT downloads.
Nonprofit$60
per member, billed annually
For nonprofit organizations; 250 AI credits, limited brand kit and PDF and PPT downloads.
EnterpriseCustom
For teams of 101 or more, with SSO/SAML, security review and a dedicated account manager.
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.
Piktochart
- Annual discount
Save up to 33% with annual billing
The pricing page lists annual billing as up to 33% cheaper than monthly, for example Pro at $10 versus $15 a month.
- Education
Education plan for students and teachers
A discounted plan at $39 per member per year; a valid educational email address is required.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit plan
Registered nonprofits can take a $60 per member, yearly plan that includes PDF and PPT downloads.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Canva or Piktochart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Canva starts at $14.99 to $18.00 / month for Canva Pro, as listed on the US App Store, and Piktochart starts at $10 per member / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Canva or Piktochart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Canva and Piktochart have a free plan.
Which platforms do Canva and Piktochart run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Canva lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.