Canva raises its prices, and it hurts 🤑

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Canva, the graphic design tool popular among professionals and individuals alike, is set to significantly increase the price of some of its subscriptions. This decision could prompt many users to reconsider their choice and look for alternative solutions.

A Once Affordable Tool😓

Canva has long been presented as an accessible alternative to more expensive solutions like those offered by Adobe. The tool allows users to easily create graphic materials from customizable templates without requiring any technical skills. However, over the years, Canva has enriched its platform with new features. Recently, generative AI tools have been introduced, gradually transforming its economic model.

According to information reported by The Verge, some users have received an email informing them of a price increase of up to 300% for their professional subscription. For example, the Teams plan, which allows for team usage, would increase from $119 to $500 per year for some customers. Although a 40% discount is offered for the first year, bringing the price down to $300, this increase remains substantial.

Source : Canva

Generative AI at the Core of the Strategy ✨

Louisa Green, Canva’s Head of Communications, justifies this increase by the significant evolution of their product range in recent years.

“Our suite of products has grown significantly over the last couple of years with the launch of new offerings like the Visual Suite and Magic Studio” she explains.

Indeed, Canva has recently introduced many features based on generative artificial intelligence. These include generating images from text or automatically removing backgrounds. These new options aim to broaden Canva’s target audience and meet more diverse expectations.

Mixed reactions and the future of Canva in question 😡

With this increase, Canva seems to be moving away from its image as an affordable tool to position itself as a more premium player. The platform then directly competes with giants like Adobe. This decision also comes in a context of growth for the company, which recently acquired Affinity. Affinity is another design software suite considered a solid alternative to Adobe.

For users, this increase might signal that it’s time to look elsewhere. While some are already considering returning to Adobe or exploring other options, it remains to be seen how Canva will manage this transition to a more premium offering and whether the new features will justify this substantial price hike for customers.

In the meantime, it seems that the era where Canva was the go-to affordable option for graphic design is coming to an end. It remains to be seen if the company will be able to retain its users in the face of this new pricing structure.

Do you use Canva? If so, have you received the email with the new pricing? What are your thoughts? Share your opinions in the comments.