Understanding the Choice
You need both compelling designs and engaging videos to stand out online today. Choosing between Canva and InVideo as your main creative tool isn't simple, especially since each platform started with different strengths. While Canva began as a graphic design tool and InVideo as an online video maker, both have grown beyond their original purposes.
These platforms now share many similar features. Canva has added video editing capabilities to its design toolkit, while InVideo includes graphic design elements in its video creation platform. This overlap might make your choice seem more complicated, but it actually gives you more flexibility in how you create your content.
We'll help you understand exactly what each platform does best, so you can pick the right tool for your specific needs. Our comparison will look at everything from basic features to advanced capabilities, giving you a clear picture of which platform will work better for your projects.
Platform Overview
Looking for Canva alternatives? Both Canva and InVideo offer creative tools for your marketing needs, but they serve different primary purposes. Canva helps you create static designs like social media posts and presentations, while InVideo focuses on video creation and editing.
These platforms have grown into powerful creative tools over the years. Canva started as a simple design tool and now includes features for creating everything from business cards to websites. InVideo built its foundation on video creation, offering templates and tools to help you make professional videos without complex editing software.
Here's how they compare:
| Feature | Canva | InVideo |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Static design and basic video | Video creation and editing |
| Established | 2013 | 2017 |
| Main Features | Design templates, photo editing, brand kit, basic video editing | Video templates, text to video, voice over, media library |
| Target Users | Marketers, small businesses, social media managers | Video creators, marketers, content producers |
User Interface Experience
Canva welcomes you with a clean, visual interface that puts everything you need right in front of you. Your design options appear as clear categories on the left, while your workspace takes center stage. The drag and drop system lets you move elements around freely, and the top menu gives you quick access to your files and sharing options.
InVideo organizes its interface around video creation workflow. You'll find your timeline at the bottom of the screen, with media assets and editing tools arranged in panels on both sides. The preview window stays prominent in the middle, giving you a real-time look at your video as you work on it.
Getting started with Canva feels natural, like arranging stickers on paper. You can jump right in and start creating without watching tutorials. The platform guides you through your first project with subtle hints and tips that pop up when you might need them. InVideo requires a bit more time to understand, especially if you're new to video editing. The platform offers an interactive tutorial that walks you through basic features, but you'll want to spend some time exploring the timeline and transition tools.
Both platforms work well for team collaboration, but they handle it differently. Canva lets team members work on the same design at once, showing who's editing what in real time. You can leave comments directly on design elements and organize projects into shared folders. InVideo focuses on sequential collaboration, where team members can work on different parts of a video project and share versions back and forth. The platform keeps track of changes and lets you restore previous versions if needed.
Design Capabilities
Canva gives you powerful design tools right at your fingertips. You'll find templates for social media posts, presentations, logos, and marketing materials. The platform includes a drag-and-drop editor that makes it simple to customize colors, fonts, and layouts. You can upload your brand assets and save them in a brand kit for quick access.
InVideo focuses on video creation but includes basic design features. While its template collection centers on video content, you'll still get access to text overlays, transitions, and visual effects. The platform shines in motion graphics and animated elements, though it offers fewer static design options compared to Canva.
Here's how they compare:
| Feature | Canva | InVideo |
|---|---|---|
| Template variety | Wide range of both static and animated designs | Primarily video-focused templates |
| Customization options | Full control over colors, fonts, elements, and layouts | Limited to video-specific design elements |
| Brand kit features | Save colors, logos, fonts, and templates | Basic brand color and logo storage |
| Design tools | Complete suite of editing tools for images and graphics | Video-specific editing tools with basic graphic design features |
Video Creation Features
InVideo gives you professional video editing tools without requiring deep technical knowledge. You can create videos using ready-made templates, add custom animations, and include voice-overs. The platform includes features like text-to-speech conversion, a media library with millions of assets, and smart video resizing for different social platforms.
Canva offers video creation as part of its broader design toolkit. You'll find basic video editing features that work well for simple marketing content and social media posts. The platform shines in its user-friendly interface and integration with other design elements, though it has some limitations for complex video projects.
Here's how their video features compare:
| Feature | InVideo | Canva |
|---|---|---|
| Video editing tools | Advanced timeline editor, scene transitions, multiple layers | Basic trimming, splitting, transitions |
| Animation options | Custom animations, motion presets, keyframe control | Simple text animations, element movements |
| Audio features | Voice-over recording, text-to-speech, music library | Background music, basic audio trimming |
| Export quality | Up to 4K resolution, multiple format options | Up to 1080p resolution, limited format options |
Collaboration Features
Working with your team on visual content gets easier when you have the right tools. Canva offers real-time collaboration where multiple team members can work on the same design simultaneously. You'll see who's currently editing and what changes they're making right on your screen. The platform lets you organize your brand assets into shared folders, making it simple for everyone to access approved logos, colors, and templates.
Sharing your work and getting feedback flows differently on each platform. InVideo provides a straightforward review system where you can share preview links with clients or team members. They can leave time-stamped comments on specific parts of your video, helping you pinpoint exactly what needs changing. Canva takes this further with live commenting features that work across all design types, plus the ability to set different permission levels for viewers, editors, and admins.
Project management capabilities set these platforms apart in unique ways. Canva includes a content planner where you can schedule social media posts and organize your design projects by team or campaign. InVideo focuses on video project organization, letting you save elements like music and clips for future use. Both platforms keep track of your revision history, but Canva gives you more flexibility in managing different versions and restoring previous designs. You'll find it helpful that both tools automatically save your work as you go, preventing any accidental loss of progress.
Asset Library and Resources
Both Canva and InVideo offer extensive libraries of creative assets. Canva shines with its vast collection of photos, templates, and design elements. You'll find millions of stock photos and illustrations, plus hundreds of thousands of templates for various projects. InVideo focuses more on video assets, providing a rich selection of video clips and motion graphics that work well for video creation.
The quality of assets varies between platforms. Canva partners with major stock providers to deliver professional-grade photos and illustrations. Their elements are mostly vector-based, letting you resize without losing quality. InVideo's video clips come from premium providers, ensuring broadcast-ready footage. Their audio library includes both music tracks and sound effects that you can use in your videos.
Here's how their asset libraries compare:
| Feature | Canva | InVideo |
|---|---|---|
| Stock photos | Millions of photos from premium providers | Basic photo library focused on video thumbnails |
| Stock videos | Limited selection of short clips | Large library of HD and 4K clips |
| Audio library | Music tracks with limited sound effects | Extensive collection of music and sound effects |
| Icons/elements | Huge variety of graphics and illustrations | Video-focused elements and transitions |
Output Quality and Formats
Canva delivers professional quality for static designs like social media posts, presentations, and basic animations. Your graphics will look crisp and polished, with special attention to text clarity and image resolution. For videos, while Canva offers good quality, you might notice some limitations with complex animations and transitions.
As an online video editor, InVideo stands out with its video-first approach. You'll get access to advanced features like motion tracking, green screen effects, and professional transitions. The platform handles 4K resolution exports smoothly, giving your videos a more professional look. However, when creating static designs, InVideo's output quality doesn't match Canva's precision.
Each platform shines in its specialty. Canva excels in creating visually appealing graphics with consistent quality across web and print formats. You can export your work in multiple formats including PNG, JPG, PDF, and MP4. InVideo focuses on delivering broadcast-quality videos with support for various aspect ratios and resolutions. Your exports will work perfectly on social media platforms, from YouTube to Instagram Stories.
Integration Capabilities
You'll find significant differences in how Canva and InVideo connect with other tools and platforms. Canva offers integration with popular storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, letting you import assets directly into your projects. InVideo focuses more on stock media integrations, giving you access to millions of footage clips and images from providers like Shutterstock.
Publishing your content straight to social media works differently on each platform. Canva lets you schedule and post directly to Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn from the editor. InVideo keeps things simpler with quick export options for various social media formats, but you'll need to handle the actual posting separately through your preferred social media management tool.
The workflow automation options show clear differences too. Canva's Brand Kit feature automatically applies your brand colors and fonts across projects, saving time on repetitive formatting tasks. InVideo shines with its text-to-speech capabilities and automatic subtitle generation, which streamlines video production. While both platforms offer team collaboration features, Canva provides more extensive options for creating automated workflows through its integration with Zapier.
Cost Structure
Both Canva and InVideo offer flexible subscription options to suit your business needs. InVideo pricing follows a tiered structure with a free plan for basic use and premium plans for advanced features. You'll get access to standard templates and basic editing tools in the free versions, while premium subscriptions unlock professional features like brand kit integration and advanced export options.
The feature availability varies significantly between the platforms' paid plans. Canva's paid tiers give you access to their extensive premium template library, custom fonts, and team collaboration tools. InVideo's premium plans focus on providing higher resolution exports, removal of watermarks, and access to premium music tracks. You'll find more design-focused tools in Canva's premium plans, while InVideo emphasizes video creation capabilities.
Your business size and content needs should guide your choice between these platforms. Smaller startups might find the free plans sufficient for basic content creation. However, growing businesses will benefit from premium features like team workflows and advanced branding options. Consider how often you'll create content and what type of media your marketing strategy requires. If you primarily need static designs, Canva's structure might offer better value. For businesses focusing on video content, InVideo's premium features could prove more beneficial for your marketing goals.
Best Use Cases
Canva shines brightest when you need to create static visual content quickly. Your social media posts, presentations, and marketing materials will benefit from its extensive template library and intuitive design tools. If you regularly create branded content like Instagram posts, Pinterest graphics, or PDF documents, Canva's collaborative features and brand kit options make it your go-to choice.
InVideo stands out for video-first content creation. You'll get the most value when you need to produce professional-looking video content regularly, such as product demonstrations, social media ads, or educational content. Its text-to-speech features and extensive media library make it particularly useful for creating engaging video content without professional editing experience.
Your choice between these platforms should align with your primary content needs. If most of your marketing focuses on static visuals and occasional simple animations, Canva will serve you well. However, if video content is central to your strategy and you need features like voice-overs and advanced transitions, InVideo offers more specialized tools. For businesses looking to create engaging video content quickly and affordably, check out autougc.com for AI-powered video creation.
FAQs
Can I use both Canva and InVideo together effectively?
Yes, you can combine Canva and InVideo to create better content. Use Canva to make your static graphics and InVideo to turn them into engaging videos. Many creators start with Canva designs for thumbnails, logos, or social media posts, then import these into InVideo for animation and video editing.
Which platform is better for social media content?
Your social media goals will determine the best choice. Canva shines with quick static posts, offering thousands of templates for every social platform. InVideo specializes in video creation, making it ideal for platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube. Consider Canva if you mainly post images and graphics, but choose InVideo if video content is your priority.
Do I need design experience to use either platform?
No design experience needed for either platform. Both Canva and InVideo use simple drag and drop interfaces with pre made templates. Canva offers a slightly gentler learning curve for complete beginners, while InVideo includes helpful tutorials to guide you through video creation basics.
How do the enterprise features compare?
Both platforms offer strong enterprise solutions with different focuses. Canva's enterprise features center on brand control, team collaboration, and content libraries. InVideo's enterprise package focuses on video production tools, multiple brand profiles, and advanced editing capabilities. Both include priority support, but their specific features align with their core strengths in static or video content.
Which platform offers better value for small teams?
The value depends on your content needs. Canva provides more versatility for general design tasks and basic animations. InVideo delivers more value if your team focuses on video marketing. Both offer free plans to test their features, but paid plans give you access to more templates and features. Consider starting with free versions to determine which platform better suits your team's workflow.