Design

Adobe Express’s free plan removed backgrounds and exported full-resolution video and PDFs without asking me to pay, though it won’t apply the brand kit you build there. Pick it for most client work, or VistaCreate if one brand on every design is the job.

Adobe’s free plan cuts out backgrounds and exports transparent PNGs, two jobs Canva charges for, while Canva’s free plan applies three brand colors that Adobe locks until you pay. Neither free plan will resize a finished design.

A free Adobe Express account exported 4K video, cut a background cleanly on the first try, and made AI images licensed for client work. Then it stopped me at the brand: I could build one, but not apply it to a design.

Canva Pro cut out flowing hair without a single brush stroke and swapped my logo across every design at once. Its AI suite falls short of its own marketing, and Free still covers anyone who makes a few graphics a month.