Best Graphic Design Programs – Canva Vs Adobe InDesign

Among the great number of graphic design programs available in the market, there are two that stand out from the rest right now:

Adobe InDesign is one of the most popular professional applications in the market, and it has the support of the renowned Adobe brand.

On the other hand, Canva is an online tool that allows you to create a wide variety of graphics for free.

Each software has its pros and cons, that’s why we’ve decided to compare Canva Vs Adobe InDesign to see which one is the BEST GRAPHICS DESIGN SOFTWARE, so you can decide which one is the right choice for you. Let’s see.

What is Canva?

Canva is a graphic design and image composition website — there is also a mobile app — that offers online tools to create your own designs, whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional. You can use it for free, but it also has advanced options you can pay for.

Canva offers a collection of 8,000 free templates for 100 types of multi-purpose designs. It also allows you to make your own designs from scratch, adding images, texts and other elements.

With Canva you can create:

  • Logos
  • Posters
  • Flyers
  • Covers
  • Calendars
  • Schedules
  • Headers for emails
  • A variety of cards
  • Posts for social media and more…

However, it’s important to remember that Canva is not a photo retouching program; it’s more like a tool for images composition.

What is Adobe InDesign?

Adobe InDesign is a computer program that you can use to design documents you can eventually print in a standard way or view online.

InDesign is commonly used in the design process of newspapers, magazines, posters, books, etc. So you can imagine this graphic design software is widely used by professionals.

The main advantage of Adobe InDesign is its versatility; it’s a very powerful program that you can use to create impressive designs that might not be possible with other free programs.

But at the same time, InDesign can be quite expensive and that might be and obstacle for many users to get the software.

Canva Vs Adobe InDesign: Face to Face

Let’s see now what each program offers with a little more detail.

Interface

Canva has a very clear and easy to use interface once you get used to the basic controls:

You can use the drag and drop functionality to easily create whatever you’ve in your mind; you can upload images, add forms, text, modify your design here and there, etc.

With Adobe InDesign you have more versatility, but its interface is harder to use.

You won’t learn how to use the software with only the tutorials, you’ll need a lot more practice.

Fortunately, there are also many tutorials available on the web.

Templates

As I mentioned before, Canva offers a lot of templates, about 8,000!

This is because Canva relies so much in the use of templates to make the design process easier, and it offers a great catalog to help you to speed things up.

Yeah, Adobe InDesign also includes templates and you can download additional templates from third parties, but pre-made templates aren’t the main focus of the software; it encourages you to design everything from scratch.

Resources Banks

Canva actually offers many pre-installed fonts, and with Canva Pro you get access to over 1000 fonts — enough for the purpose of the program.

However, both options aren’t as extensive as in Adobe InDesign, which gives you access to Adobe’s font collection. You can also install many additional fonts.

Regarding pics, Canva gives you access to stock photos directly from the interface — and a lot are free. You can insert these pics into your designs, but make sure to check out the license first.

In the case of InDesign, you can access the Adobe Stock Photos bank or course, however, these photos can be quite expensive because they come typically from professional designers.

Price

Well you know, you can get Canva for free, and there is also a paid version available, thought this is really optional.

The other part of the story: Adobe InDesign has a price of $20.99/month — just for the “basic plan” — as a single app subscription. Yeah, you can try the free trial of Adobe InDesign, but you’ll have to pay later if you want to continue using the software.

Final Verdict

There is no perfect graphic design software. The usefulness of any good tool will depend essentially on your needs as designer.

If you are a professional that want to create exactly what you’ve in your mind from scratch, specially for certain types of industries — and if you have the money — the best option is InDesing.

But if you’re looking for a faster and easier way to create designs for social media or small businesses for example, or you don’t have the money to pay for a pro software, the best option might be Canva.

In any case, both programs are really powerful tools that will satisfy your creative needs for sure.