Canva vs PicMonkey: Online Design Tool Comparison

Not sure what online design software is better – Canva or PicMonkey? Or simply curious about the differences between the two tools?

Canva and PicMonkey are two popular online tools that offer users the ability to create visually stunning designs and also edit photos all within their browser and with no design experience needed.

Below we’ve covered the top level differences between PicMonkey and Canva to help you make an informed decision on which tool is best for you.

Let’s get into it.

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Jump to a specific section:

• Overview
• Templates

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Overview

Here’s a top level comparison of the two products:

Which is the best tool?

We’ll update this article with a full breakdown and comparison of the various aspects of the two online design tools, but for now based factors such as overall value for money, ease of use, template range, and more we’d recommend investing your time and money into Canva.

As a complete online graphic design software Canva is way ahead of PicMonkey. At the moment, it simply offers so much more from their template range and library, to video creation, and integrations that allow users to easily create stunning designs and edit photos.

That being said, if you’re looking for a user-friendly and browser-based Photoshop alternative then PicMonkey could be a great option for you. PicMonkey’s suite of tools when it comes to photo editing is a bit more expansive than Canva’s (there are some useful photo editing tools though) and it’s one of the best online tools for photo manipulation and editing.

What are Canva and PicMonkey?

Canva and PicMonkey are both online graphic design tools that allow you to create designs, videos, and edit photos with ease. No matter what your design experience it’s a total breeze to jump onto to either tool and get creating immediately.

Both tools allow you to create designs from a blank canvas or utilize their huge libraries of predesigned templates that cover a broad range of categories (although Canva’s is substantially larger).

PicMonkey started life off as an online photo editing tool and this remain their strongest area (although they’re always improving in other areas too) whilst Canva is an all round design tool suitable for hobbyist designers all the way up to business users.

Both products are extremely user-friendly and have simple and intuitive user interfaces that most people will be able to learn very quickly.

They also a range of additional tools that make creating designs even quicker such as background remover, design resize, filters, effects, animations, and so much more.

Templates

Here are some of the main template categories available on both tools:

Canva and PicMonkey both offer plenty of great-looking predesigned templates in similar categories. However, as you can see Canva has plenty more templates to offer in almost every single category. If you want more options when it comes to templates, Canva is the obvious choice.

Canva also has plenty of template categories that aren’t currently covered on PicMonkey:

Templates unique to Canva

Here are a few examples of template options unique to Canva:

• Magazines & magazine covers
• eBooks & covers
• Catalogs
• Portfolios
• Album covers
• Whiteboards
• Websites
• Animated logos
• TikTok videos
• Podcast covers
• T-shirt designs
• Mug designs
• Mockups
• Video collages
• And even more!

Templates unique to PicMonkey

We couldn’t find any unique template categories on PicMonkey that aren’t currently available on Canva too.

However, as mentioned previously, when it comes to photo editing PicMonkey does offer some unique tools and photo effects that can’t be found on Canva at the moment such as:

• Multi exposure
• Gradient shadows
• Photo outline
• Texture filters
• More photo effects options
• More touch up options (e.g. for skin, eyes, and more)
• More fade and blend options

Related articles

• Canva alternatives
• PicMonkey alternatives
• Canva Pro review

Related comparisons

• Adobe Express vs Canva
• Visme vs Canva
• Postermywall vs Canva
• Snappa vs Canva
• Flipsnack vs Canva
• Placeit vs Canva
• Crello vs Canva
• GoDaddy Studio (Over) vs Canva
• Piktochart vs Canva
• Venngage vs Canva

Wrapping things up

This article will be expanded into a full review of how PicMonkey and Canva compare, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, we hope this comparison article helped you!

PicMonkey is a fantastic tool, particularly for users looking for an online tool to edit photos, but at the moment Canva is a little bit ahead as a fully fledged online design software.

Why not try both out for yourself to see which one suits your needs.

Enjoy getting creative, and let us know in the comments which tool you prefer and why!