Things To Do With A Canvas

Our Verdict

Canva is available to use for free (although many features are locked), and it's simple to make great looking cards fast with this app. It isn't as powerful as some rivals, but is well worth looking at.

For

Loads of stylish templates
Great for all kinds of cards
Simple to use

Against

Not a powerful photo editor
Loads hidden behind premium paywall

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

Pros

+ Loads of stylish templates
+ Great for all kinds of cards
+ Simple to use

Cons

- Not a powerful photo editor
- Loads hidden behind premium paywall

Canva is a big name in online design. While it isn't quite as powerful as specialized design apps or photo editors, it offers a great range of tools that are easy enough for anyone to use. While there is a free version available to try out, its features are hugely limited, and you'll need to upgrade to premium to get the most out of it. On average, greeting card software costs about $40, so using Canva's free option or carefully managing your $9.95 monthly subscription for a single project can save you money. It's one of our best greeting card software picks, as you can create modern, stylish cards with ease.

A big benefit of using Canva is you don't have to worry about downloading updated versions or new images to your current software. It also makes it simple to share projects through email or social media, and the service directly connects you to a print shop, which makes getting your creations in hand that much easier.

Like other greeting card programs, including Print Artist Platinum and Hallmark Card Studio Deluxe, Canva has templates to create a variety of projects. With 50,000 templates and 300,000+ graphics available with its subscription, Canva has more options than any other program we tested. It's worth mentioning that not all the graphics unlock with the monthly subscription, and there are some templates and clip art you have to pay an additional fee for.

However, more traditional greeting card software doesn't always let you pick and choose which clip art to buy – sometimes you can only purchase new images in large packs. Canva lets you be selective and buy individual graphics, or you can use the ones included in your subscription package.

Canva is also missing a few tools you might find in a traditional greeting card program. For instance, while you can upload your photos to the system, there's a limited number of editing tools to use. If you want to make major changes to your images, you most likely need to edit them in one of the best photo editing software apps before sharing them to Canva. You also can't add sound, music or animations to your designs, which might be a deal breaker if you like to create eCards. Still, there's value to be found in the service's simple drag-and-drop editing tools, especially if you've never used a graphic design program before.

When we tried Canva, we liked that all the graphics and templates were up to date and stylish. It made searching for designs easy – it only took us few minutes to find one that suited our needs. We created invitations and greeting cards that we would have been happy to send to friends or family, and were done in about 15 minutes.

The site's tutorials and searchable help center offer plenty of advice and direction. While you can't speak to a representative over the phone, you can visit Canva's Facebook page to live chat with support.

Should you use Canva?

Canva has an easy-to-use online platform, and its subscription plan come with tons of content. It is one of the most stylish and up-to-date greeting card sites we tested, and we can recommend it if you want to quickly make your own custom designs for large projects. Both its low-cost subscription and free trial provide access to a lot of content.

It's a little more fully-featured than Adobe Spark, but doesn't offer the same range of editing options, and isn't quite as simple to use. We think it out-performs most of the downloadable software packages too, which can save you serious money.

Rebecca is a writer who has covered everything from photo books to graphic design and small kitchen appliances for Top Ten Reviews. Now a gaming writer for Future Labs, she's also contributed to big publications like TechRadar, Windows Central, Android Central, Reuters Legal Solutions Blog, iMore, and more.