Compare Canva and iStock Photo Comparison
Canva Canva makes it easy to create professional designs and to share or print them. Find out more Try Canva	iStock Photo Find the perfect royalty-free image for your next project from the world's best photo library of creative stock photos, vector art illustrations and stock images. Find out more Try iStock Photo
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Canva

Canva makes it easy to create professional designs and to share or print them.

Canva is a graphic design platform that enables users to create professional-quality designs and visual content for a wide range of purposes.

It offers a range of tools and features that make it easy for users to create designs even if they have no prior design experience.

Canva is suitable for a wide range of users, including individuals, small businesses, and organisations.

If you need to create visual content such as marketing materials, social media posts, or presentations, Canva can help you do so quickly and easily.

There are several reasons why you might want to use Canva:

1. Canva is designed to be user-friendly, with an intuitive interface and a wide range of templates and design elements that make it easy to create professional-quality designs.
2. Canva offers a wide range of features and tools for creating various types of visual content, including graphics, presentations, social media posts, and more.
3. Canva offers a free version as well as paid subscription plans, so you can choose the option that best fits your needs and budget.
4. Canva allows you to collaborate on projects in real-time, making it easy for teams to work together on designs.

Canva is an online graphic design platform that enables users to create stunning visuals for web and print. It is a great tool for businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals who want to create professional-looking designs without the need for expensive software or design skills. Canva offers a wide range of features and tools, including templates, drag-and-drop editing, and a library of stock photos, illustrations, and icons. It also offers a range of pricing plans to suit different budgets.

Who Should Use Canva?

Canva is suitable for anyone who wants to create professional-looking visuals without the need for expensive software or design skills. It is particularly useful for businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals who need to create visuals for web and print.

Key Benefits and Features

• Drag-and-drop editing
• Wide range of templates
• Library of stock photos, illustrations, and icons
• Integration with other apps
• Collaboration tools
• Range of pricing plans

How Does Canva Compare to Its Competitors?

Canva is a great option for anyone who wants to create professional-looking visuals without the need for expensive software or design skills. It offers a wide range of features and tools, including templates, drag-and-drop editing, and a library of stock photos, illustrations, and icons. It also offers a range of pricing plans to suit different budgets. Compared to its competitors, Canva is a great value for money and offers a more comprehensive set of features.

Things to consider

However, there may be some situations where Canva might not be the best fit - it’s designed for everyday professionals but if you’re a graphic designer or need more powerful visual editors, it may not be for you.

Here are a few potential reasons why you might not want to use Canva:

1. While Canva offers a wide range of templates and design elements, you may not have full control over the customisation of your designs. If you need more flexibility and control over the look and feel of your designs, you might want to consider other design platforms that offer more advanced customization options.
2. Some users may feel that the templates and design elements offered by Canva are not original or unique enough for their needs. If you are looking for more original or customised designs, you might want to consider other platforms.
3. While Canva offers a free version as well as paid subscription plans, the cost of using the platform for large projects or multiple projects over time can add up. If you have a limited budget or are only working on a small number of projects, Canva may not be the most cost-effective option.

Ready-made designs With thousands of professional templates, images, and quality content to choose from, get a headstart on bringing your best ideas and work to life.
Built for teamwork Invite people to edit with you or set your whole team up to manage brand assets, leave feedback, get approvals, and scale your visual content.
Too good not to share Whatever you make in Canva, let it shine in the real world. Present, download, schedule, share, or print your designs.
Templates for absolutely anything Customise an office template, or design something more personal, like an invitation.

Help & Support

What is Canva?

Canva is a free online platform that allows you to create beautiful designs with its drag-and-drop feature and professional layouts.

What types of designs can I create with Canva?

You can create a wide range of designs with Canva, including posters, flyers, invitations, business cards, logos, presentations, and more.

How do I get started with Canva?

Getting started with Canva is easy. Just sign up for a free account and you can start creating designs right away.

Do I need to be a designer to use Canva?

No, you don't need to be a designer to use Canva. Canva's drag-and-drop feature and professional layouts make it easy for anyone to create beautiful designs.

Is Canva free to use?

Yes, Canva is free to use. You can upgrade to Canva Pro for additional features and access to premium content.

What features does Canva Pro offer?

Canva Pro offers a range of features, including unlimited storage, access to premium content, and advanced design tools.

How do I access Canva Pro?

You can access Canva Pro by signing up for a free trial or subscribing to a monthly or annual plan.

Do I need to download anything to use Canva?

No, you don't need to download anything to use Canva. Canva is a web-based platform, so you can access it from any device with an internet connection.

What is Canva?

Canva is a free online platform that allows you to create beautiful designs with its drag-and-drop feature and professional layouts.

What types of designs can I create with Canva?

Canva allows you to create a wide range of designs, including posters, flyers, invitations, social media graphics, logos, presentations, and more.

How do I get started with Canva?

Getting started with Canva is easy. Simply create an account and start creating your designs. You can also explore the Canva library for inspiration and ideas.

What features does Canva offer?

Canva offers a wide range of features, including drag-and-drop design, professional layouts, photo editing, text editing, and more.

How do I access my designs?

Your designs are stored in your Canva account, so you can access them anytime, anywhere. You can also share your designs with others or download them for printing.

Is Canva free to use?

Yes, Canva is free to use. You can create and share designs without any cost.

iStock Photo

• High-quality, royalty-free images: iStock offers a wide selection of high-quality, royalty-free images that can be used for any purpose.
• Affordable pricing: iStock offers competitive pricing for its images, making it an affordable option for businesses and individuals.
• Easy to use: iStock's website is easy to navigate and makes it easy to find the perfect image for any project.
• Wide selection: iStock offers a wide selection of images, from stock photos to illustrations and vectors.
• Exclusive content: iStock offers exclusive content that can't be found anywhere else.
• Search filters: iStock's search filters make it easy to find the perfect image for any project.
• Downloadable files: iStock offers downloadable files in a variety of formats, making it easy to use the images in any project.
• Customer support: iStock offers customer support to help customers find the perfect image for their project.

Your project deserves the perfect stock photo. Your budget deserves straightforward royalty-free pricing that lets you use an image just about anywhere, as often as you want.

Help & Support

Should I get credits or a subscription?

If you have one-off or hard-to-predict image needs, credits are a great option. Buy just enough for the images and video clips you need or stock up and save on future downloads. The more you buy, the less they cost. 

If you download as few as four images (photos, illustrations, and vectors) or two videos in a month, you'll get the best value with an iStock subscription. With monthly and annual plans available and download limits ranging from 10 to 750 assets a month, you can enjoy huge savings without making a huge commitment.

If I change my mind, can I get a refund for my purchase?

Credit pack refunds

iStock will gladly refund credit pack purchases made within 14 days of your invoice date, provided you haven't used any credits from the credit pack.

Subscription refunds

You can request a refund for a subscription within 14 days from your initial purchase, as long as you haven't downloaded more than five files and haven't made use of any downloaded content.

Can I share my subscription with my teammates?

The standard subscriptions are built for a single user, which means the same person has to sign in, download and use the files licensed with their subscription.

If I upgrade my subscription, will I have to pay for the full plan value upfront?

If you're upgrading to a Premium + Video subscription from an existing plan, your payment method and billing schedule will reflect the choices you made when you first subscribed:• If you're currently billed monthly or quarterly, your payments will continue on that schedule.
* If you made a single payment, you'll be charged upfront for the total cost of the upgrade.

Pricing will be determined by how much time is remaining on your current subscription.

If I choose an annual subscription, will I be charged monthly or for the total amount?

At checkout, you'll be able to choose between three billing schedule options:

• Monthly (12 payments)
• Quarterly (4 payments)
• Single payment

The total amount will be the same, regardless of the billing schedule you choose.

I have an existing iStock subscription. Can I upgrade to a different plan?

If you have an existing Basic or Premium annual plan, you can upgrade to the Premium + Video subscription online. Sign in to your account and go to your profile page, then simply click or tap the "Upgrade to Premium + Video" button. Pricing will be determined by how much time is remaining on your current subscription.

Do my licensed image and video downloads ever expire?

There is no expiration date on your rights to use files downloaded during your subscription period.

Files licensed with credits can also be used in as many projects you like for as long as you want. Credits never expire as long as you sign into your account at least once a year.

How can I download files not available with my subscription?

If you need a file that isn't available for download with your subscription, you can always download it with credits. 

This is a great way to supplement a Basic subscription with premium Signature collection content or video clips.

What happens if I don't use all of my subscription downloads each month?

Your subscription gives you access to a set number of downloads each month. You can rollover up to 250 unused downloads month to month if you've got an annual subscription or a subscription with auto-renew enabled. If auto-renew is disabled when your subscription term ends, you will lose all rollover downloads that you've accrued.

How do I know if I need a standard or extended license?

Every file downloaded on iStock comes with a standard license that lets you use it in a wide variety of ways. From social media ads to billboards, PowerPoint presentations to feature films, you're free to modify, resize and customize every asset on iStock to fit your projects. With the exception of "Editorial use only" photos (which can only be used in editorial projects and can't be modified), the possibilities are limitless. Just make sure your modifications don't violate the content license agreement. 

If, however, you require over 500,000 prints, create products for resale, or share files with multiple users, you'll need to add an extended license to your credit purchase. The cost of an extended license is 18 credits for images and 21 credits for videos, in addition to your standard license. 

Learn more

How long are my credits valid for?

Credits never expire as long as you sign into your account at least once a year.

What’s the difference between the Essentials and Signature collections?

Every file on iStock falls into one of two collections. The Essentials collection gives you the everyday content you need, while the Signature collection features millions of premium handpicked stock files that you can only get from us. All content can be purchased with credits, or with a subscription. 

The credit cost to download a file with our standard license depends on the file type and collection it belongs to:

• Essentials photo, vector or illustration – 1 credit (view sample images)
• Signature photo, vector or illustration – 3 credits (view sample images)
• Essentials video clip – 6 credits (view sample clips)
• Signature video clip – 18 credits (view sample clips)

Why do I need to pay for stock images and videos if they are royalty-free?

The word "free" in royalty-free doesn't mean that images and videos are free to use, but rather that after you pay for a license once, you can use the content as often as you want, without paying the copyright holder a royalty each time you use it.

You get the right to use the file—with a legal guarantee that protects you for up to $10,000—and contributors get paid for the great work they do. It's a win-win, and it's why everything on iStock is only available royalty-free.