The Microsoft Designer Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Microsoft Designer in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Microsoft Designer
The Insider’s Guide
Microsoft's AI image generator and graphic design app
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI image and video generators, read from Microsoft Designer’s own pages.
Made by Microsoft · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Microsoft Designer’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Microsoft Designer’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 106 of the 168 other AI image and video generators we grade
Microsoft Designer creates images, social posts, invitations, cards, wallpapers and other graphics from a text prompt, and edits images with tools such as background removal and generative erase. It runs in the browser at designer.microsoft.com after signing in with a Microsoft account. Microsoft's support pages say AI usage across Designer and other apps is tied to Microsoft 365 plans for individuals.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Microsoft Designer, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It lives inside a Microsoft account many people already have.
- 1
Best for quick graphics if you already use Microsoft 365
Microsoft Designer makes images, posts and cards from a prompt and edits photos in the browser after a Microsoft sign-in.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Prompt-based images
Generates images, icons, wallpapers, stickers, clip art and avatars from a written description.
- 4
Design from templates and sizes
Starts designs at set sizes for social posts, ads, flyers, brochures, invitations, postcards and Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint headers.
- 5
Image editing
Edit image, remove background, frame images and generative erase are listed on the home screen.
- 6
A 2.4 GPA, above 106 of 168
That is against the other AI image and video generators we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Microsoft Designer you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Microsoft Designer at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Category
- AI Image & Video Generators
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for quick graphics if you already use Microsoft 365
Microsoft Designer makes images, posts and cards from a prompt and edits photos in the browser after a Microsoft sign-in. Its AI use is tied to Microsoft 365 plans, and the free allowance and prices weren't readable.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published for Designer alone, as AI use is tied to Microsoft 365 plans. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Listed as free to start, but the free allowance wasn't confirmed on the pages we could read. |
| Features | C | Prompt images, templates, background removal and generative erase. Image generation is capped, with standard use on Personal and Family and more on Premium and Pro. |
| Ease of use | B | It lives inside a Microsoft account many people already have. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with links into Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Word and SharePoint. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Microsoft Designer is for
- Fits if you already pay for Microsoft 365 and want quick graphics
- Works for people who make posts, cards and invitations from templates
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you don't want a Microsoft account, because sign-in is required
- Tight if you rely on the free tier, since the allowance isn't stated
- Watch out: Microsoft says AI benefits are for the subscription owner only
- Watch out: usage is capped by plan, with standard use on Personal and Family
Good to know
Good for
- Making social posts, cards and invitations without design software
- People who already have a Microsoft 365 plan
- Quick background removal and simple image edits
Worth knowing
- The pricing and free allowance could not be confirmed from pages readable here, so no plans are listed.
- Microsoft says AI benefits are for the subscription owner only and cannot be shared with others.
- Image generation usage is capped by plan: Microsoft's table lists standard usage on Personal and Family and extensive usage on Premium and Pro.
- A Microsoft account sign-in is required to use it.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Microsoft Designer's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
Listed as free to start, but the free allowance wasn't confirmed on the pages we could read.
We could not confirm Microsoft Designer’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. designer.microsoft.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Microsoft's AI image generator and graphic design app. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, templates, image generation.
Prompt images, templates, background removal and generative erase.
- Prompt-based images
- Generates images, icons, wallpapers, stickers, clip art and avatars from a written description.
- Design from templates and sizes
- Starts designs at set sizes for social posts, ads, flyers, brochures, invitations, postcards and Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint headers.
- Image editing
- Edit image, remove background, frame images and generative erase are listed on the home screen.
- Create from prompts
- Suggestion prompts show how to fill in subject, setting and style slots to steer a result.
- Microsoft 365 link
- Microsoft's support page names Designer among the apps whose AI usage is tracked against a Microsoft 365 plan.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Outlook
- Teams
- PowerPoint
- Word
- SharePoint
Microsoft Designer is made by Microsoft.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
106/168
Other AI image and video generators it is graded above
Microsoft Designer's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 106 of the 168 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 25.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 119 of 168) and worst on features (C, above 6).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 169 AI image and video generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. Microsoft Designer’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 16 of 168
- CFree plan and trialAbove 53 of 168
- CFeaturesAbove 6 of 168
- BEase of useAbove 119 of 168
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 75 of 168
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Microsoft Designer you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
What you could make
- Templates: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- It plugs into other products, Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Microsoft Designer’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Adobe Firefly, Magnific, Fotor, Picsart and Pixlr
The 5 tools Microsoft Designer is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Adobe Firefly
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Adobe's image, video and audio generator, with partner models.
- Adobe Firefly has a free plan. Microsoft Designer does not.
- Only Adobe Firefly lists iOS and Android apps.
- Microsoft Designer also covers templates.
- 3.0GPA
Magnific
Free plan · from $14.50/mo
Formerly Freepik: AI image, video and audio tools plus stock library.
- Magnific has a free plan. Microsoft Designer does not.
- Only Magnific lists iOS and Android apps.
- Magnific also covers video editing and video generation.
- 3.0GPA
Fotor
Free plan · from $39.99/yr
Photo editor and AI image and video generator with credit plans.
- Fotor has a free plan. Microsoft Designer does not.
- Only Fotor lists iOS, Android, Windows and macOS apps.
- Fotor also covers video generation.
- 2.0GPA
Picsart
Paid
Photo and video editor with AI generation and design tools.
- Only Picsart lists iOS and macOS apps.
- Picsart also covers video editing and video generation.
- 3.2GPA
Pixlr
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
Browser photo editors with AI image, video and audio tools.
- Pixlr has a free plan. Microsoft Designer does not.
- Only Pixlr lists iOS and Android apps.
- Microsoft Designer also covers templates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Microsoft Designer free?
Microsoft Designer has a free plan.
What platforms does Microsoft Designer work on?
Microsoft Designer is available on Web.
Does Microsoft Designer have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Microsoft Designer is listed for Web.
Does Microsoft Designer have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Microsoft Designer is listed for Web.
Is Microsoft Designer open source?
Microsoft Designer is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
What does Microsoft Designer integrate with?
Microsoft Designer's listing names Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Word and SharePoint.
Who makes Microsoft Designer?
Microsoft Designer is made by Microsoft.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft Designer?
The closest alternatives to Microsoft Designer in our directory are Adobe Firefly, Magnific, Fotor, Picsart and Pixlr.
How does Microsoft Designer compare with other AI image and video generators?
Microsoft Designer's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 106 of the 168 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 25.
Could I make my own version of Microsoft Designer?
To replace Microsoft Designer you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Microsoft Designer’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Microsoft's own pages on 12 November 2026. Its home page returned little text here, so the grades follow the listing. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices change, so check designer.microsoft.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Microsoft Designer, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-designer
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Microsoft Designer: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-designer
Know someone choosing between AI image and video generators?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-designer/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI image and video generators after Microsoft Designer, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Image & Video Generators Insider's GuideEvery one of the 169 AI image and video generators we grade, compared
- Pixlr Insider's GuideBrowser photo editors with AI image, video and audio tools3.2 GPA
- Adobe Firefly Insider's GuideAdobe's image, video and audio generator, with partner models3.0 GPA
- ComfyUI Insider's GuideOpen-source node editor for image and video AI workflows, plus a cloud3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Microsoft Designer’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Microsoft Designer is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices and plans change: check designer.microsoft.com before you buy.