Designly
Start free
Designly · Comparison

Designly, the AI alternative to Canva

For pros who don't want to spend 30 minutes aligning text and fixing apostrophes. You describe, we compose. No graphics editor, no layers, no learning curve.

Designly and Canva, in two sentences

Canva is a graphics editor with over a million templates to customize with a mouse. Designly is an AI-based visual generator — you describe what you want ("announce Sunday brunch, terracotta vibe"), we compose the full visual with proper typography and apostrophes baked in. Two products, two promises: Canva gives you pixel-level control, Designly gives you speed and zero friction.

Designly vs Canva — head-to-head

CriterionDesignlyCanvaEdge
WorkflowDescribe in plain language → visual generatedDrag-and-drop in a graphics editorTie
Average time per visual30 seconds10-30 minutes (depending on your familiarity with the tool)Designly
Typography quality (curly apostrophes, accents)Native, handled automaticallyManual — to fix on every visualDesignly
Template libraryA few hundred, all suited to AI generationOver a millionCompetitor
Pixel-level controlLimited — we optimize the layout for youTotal — every element is editableCompetitor
PricingFree (1 visual included) then from €9/monthFree (limited) then €12/month (Canva Pro)Designly
Brand kitSaved once, applied automaticallyBrand Kit available on the Pro plan onlyTie
Learning curveNone — if you can write a sentence, you can use it30 minutes to 2 hours to get comfortableDesignly
Pick Designly if…
  • You want a clean visual fast, no learning curve.
  • You publish often (1+ times a week) and your time is expensive.
  • You want flawless typography (curly apostrophes, accents) without thinking about it.
  • You don't have an in-house designer but want a professional output.
  • You ship in multiple languages and want native typographic correctness in each.
Stay on Canva if…
  • You already have a designer who's fluent in Canva — don't disrupt their workflow.
  • You need to tweak each element pixel by pixel (mockups, complex layouts).
  • You want a massive library of pre-made templates — Canva has a million, we have a few hundred.
  • You work on highly specific projects (CVs, infographics, 30-slide presentations) — Canva is more mature for these.
  • Your existing brand assets are deeply tied to the Canva editor and migration would cost more than it saves.

Try Designly with no commitment — 1 free visual.

No credit card at signup. Keep Canva alongside if you want to compare in real conditions.

Start now

Frequently asked questions

Does Designly fully replace Canva?

For recurring social-post and simple marketing-visual production, yes — most Pro users stop reopening Canva. For very specific creations (CVs, product mockups, long presentations), Canva remains better suited.

Can I import my Canva templates into Designly?

Not directly — Canva files aren't portable. But you can upload a reference image to Designly and ask it to generate a visual in the same style, which covers 90% of real-world use cases.

Is Designly really cheaper than Canva?

In practice, yes. Designly Pro is €9/month vs €12/month for Canva Pro. And the hidden cost of Canva — time spent in the editor — disappears with Designly. If you publish 4 visuals a week, the time savings stack up to several hours a month.

How can I test Designly risk-free?

Designly offers 1 free visual at signup, no credit card required. Enough to verify the generation quality matches your expectations before committing.

Where are the visuals I generate stored?

On servers in France and the EU (Supabase Paris region). GDPR compliance built-in, no data transfer outside the EU.