12 Design Alternatives for Canva 2025

Canva has become the design platform of choice for many—from freelancers in Brighton to small businesses in Birmingham. But while it’s powerful and easy to use, it isn’t the perfect fit for everyone.

Maybe you’ve outgrown Canva’s templates. Maybe you want something UK-hosted, GDPR-compliant, or more specialised. Or maybe you’re just ready for a change.

Whatever your reason, here are 12 of the best Canva alternatives for British creatives and businesses in 2025—with a focus on local relevance, performance, and affordability.

1. VistaCreate (Formerly Crello)

Originally developed by Crello and now under the Vistaprint brand, VistaCreate is a serious Canva competitor with a strong UK presence.

Why it’s great:

• Offers 75,000+ design templates
• Includes animations and video designs
• Seamless connection with Vistaprint UK for printing posters, brochures, and business cards
• Templates aligned with British seasonal events (e.g. Bonfire Night, Mothering Sunday)

Ideal for:
Independent shops, Etsy sellers, and high-street businesses wanting both digital and physical marketing tools.

2. Adobe Express

Previously known as Adobe Spark, Adobe Express is backed by Adobe’s design legacy. It’s excellent for those who want more control but without the steep learning curve of Photoshop.

Why it’s great:

• Connects directly with Adobe Stock
• Includes brand kits and team collaboration
• UK teams using Creative Cloud benefit from seamless asset sharing
• Suitable for designing both print and digital in one place

Ideal for:
SMEs, charities, and in-house marketing departments looking to elevate their brand image.

3. Affinity Designer (Made in the UK!)

A true British-built alternative by Serif (Nottingham-based), Affinity Designer is a one-time-purchase, professional vector design software with no subscription.

Why it’s great:

• Full desktop app—no internet needed
• Excellent for print materials and logo design
• Compatible with Mac, Windows, and iPad
• Supported by a vibrant UK user community

Ideal for:
Graphic designers, illustrators, and freelancers who prefer owning software outright.

4. Stencil

If Canva feels overwhelming, Stencil strips design back to the basics. It’s quick, minimal, and built for speed.

Why it’s great:

• Focus on social media visuals
• Pre-sized templates for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
• Works well with UK scheduling tools like Buffer
• Simple pricing, with a generous free tier

Ideal for:
UK social media managers, bloggers, and content creators who need fast output with little fuss.

5. Design Wizard

This Ireland-based platform is very similar to Canva but has a stronger focus on affordability and video integration.

Why it’s great:

• Competitive pricing in GBP
• Wide selection of stock images and templates
• Allows resizing designs even on the free plan
• Business templates ideal for UK service sectors (estate agents, trades, tutors)

Ideal for:
Local businesses and freelancers wanting branded content on a budget.

6. Snappa

Snappa is focused on marketers who want clean, on-brand graphics for campaigns. It’s quick, collaborative, and cloud-based.

Why it’s great:

• Drag-and-drop simplicity
• Library of copyright-free images
• Create & schedule posts from the same dashboard
• Good integration with Buffer for UK scheduling

Ideal for:
UK-based digital agencies, solopreneurs, and start-ups.

7. RelayThat

Built around brand consistency, RelayThat is a unique tool that auto-generates designs across different platforms using your brand assets.

Why it’s great:

• Keeps all designs on-brand without effort
• Create hundreds of variations in seconds
• Collaborate with UK-based marketing teams
• Upload your own brand fonts, colours, and logos

Ideal for:
Franchises, marketing departments, or companies with multiple campaigns running across channels.

8. Pixlr X & Pixlr E

Pixlr offers two web-based editors: one for beginners (X) and one for advanced users (E). Both are free, powerful, and run entirely in your browser.

Why it’s great:

• No downloads—works on any device
• More advanced image editing than Canva
• Features like background removal and layers
• Free plan is generous; Pro is priced fairly in GBP

Ideal for:
Creators and marketers who need quick image editing with flexibility.

9. Fotor

Fotor blends photo editing with design, making it ideal for UK-based photographers, bloggers, and small business owners.

Why it’s great:

• AI-based tools (retouching, background blur)
• Instagram, Facebook, and flyer templates
• Option to design and print locally via export formats
• Handy for those creating both artistic and business visuals

Ideal for:
Creatives, photo-based businesses, and influencers.

10. easil

Think of Easil as Canva’s boutique cousin. It’s sleek, stylish, and puts a heavy focus on brand kits, templates, and collaboration.

Why it’s great:

• Drag-and-drop editor with layer control
• “Team controls” to stop designs going off-brand
• Modern UK-style templates for hospitality, beauty, and events
• Great print output options for UK vendors

Ideal for:
Hospitality businesses, design-conscious brands, and marketing teams.

11. Venngage

If you're in the business of reports, infographics, and presentations, Venngage is a great alternative to Canva’s more general design approach.

Why it’s great:

• Professional templates for data-rich content
• Trusted by many UK universities and public sector bodies
• GDPR-compliant with transparency in EU/UK data handling
• Export to PDF, PPT, and more

Ideal for:
Non-profits, teachers, researchers, and B2B marketers in the UK.

12. visme

Visme is a full-scale content creation platform—great if you do more than just social posts. Think presentations, charts, and proposals.

Why it’s great:

• All-in-one platform for interactive content
• Slide decks, lead magnets, infographics
• Growing popularity among UK agencies and consultants
• Security & compliance features attractive to UK public sector

Ideal for:
Marketing teams, consultants, and anyone needing business-first visuals.

Canva still has its place—but if you need something UK-based, more affordable, more brand-focused, or more powerful, there’s an entire ecosystem of tools available.

Whether you’re running a flower shop in Norfolk, launching a startup in Suffolk, or presenting to a council in Cambridgeshire, there’s possibly a better tool for your workflow in 2025.

Software comparisons table June 2025