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Both cover design & graphics. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Blender | Canva | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | From $14.99 |
| Pricing model | Free | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | macOS, Windows, Linux | Not stated |
| Covers | Motion Graphics & Animation, Design & Graphics, Video Editing | Design & Graphics, Short-Form & Clipping |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
3D, motion and compositing, free forever
Blender models, animates, simulates, renders, composites and cuts video, and the Blender Foundation gives all of it away under the GPL with no tier above it. For motion graphics it is the free answer to a monthly subscription, and the ceiling is the artist rather than the licence. The learning curve is what it costs instead, and that is a real price.
Our note
The honest comparison is not against a cheaper subscription but against time: Blender costs nothing and asks for weeks. If motion graphics is a recurring part of the work that trade is worth making, and if it comes up twice a year it is not.
Only on this side
Thumbnails, covers and posts without a designer
Canva covers thumbnails, channel art, carousels and short video with templates that look fine and are quick to change. Brand kits keep a team consistent. Anyone with real design skill will outgrow it, and that is fine.
Our note
Nearly everyone should be on the free plan until a brand kit is the thing they keep wanting. Pro earns its money for teams and for anybody publishing daily; for one person making a thumbnail a week it does not.
Only on this side
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.