Canva vs Adobe Express vs Figma: Best Social Media Design Tools Compared

Let’s face it. Creating stand-out social media content in 2025 isn’t just about having a good eye for design anymore. You need the right tools that not only make content creation easier, but also help your team collaborate smoothly, scale output, and stay consistent across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and the rest of the ever-growing social jungle.

Over the past year, I’ve worked with over a dozen brands to help them streamline their social content strategy. That meant diving deep into today’s top design tools: Canva, Adobe Express, and Figma. Each of these platforms has its own charm, strengths, and let’s be honest. Quirks. If you’re wondering which one fits your workflow, goals, or budget best, you’re in the right place.

Here’s an honest, experience-based breakdown of how these three contenders stack up when it comes to social media design.

Let me start by saying: Canva has come a long way.

When I first used it back in 2017, it was basically a glorified PowerPoint alternative. Fast forward to 2025. It’s a powerful beast of a tool, especially for content creators and marketers without formal design training.

• Intuitive interface: Canva’s drag-and-drop UI is clean, friendly, and still one of the best for beginners.
• Massive template library: We’re talking millions of pre-made designs for Instagram Stories, Reels, TikTok posts, LinkedIn banners. You name it.
• Brand Kit features: Perfect for maintaining brand consistency across different platforms and team members.
• Collaboration baked in: Real-time editing, comments, and approval flows make it easy for teams to work together.

• Customization can feel limited: For advanced designers, Canva’s locked-down templates can sometimes feel like painting-by-numbers.
• Performance lags with large files: Complex animations or multi-page presentations can slow down, even on newer devices.

• Social media managers
• Content creators
• Small marketing teams or solopreneurs trying to DIY social graphics quickly

I’ve personally used Canva Pro with multiple client teams because it’s fast and easy enough for interns and marketing assistants to jump in without training. The “Magic Resize” feature alone has saved hours of resizing for different social platforms.

Formerly Adobe Spark, Adobe Express is Adobe’s answer to quick and easy design for social. And honestly, it deserves more props than it gets.

While it leans on the familiarity of Adobe’s ecosystem, Express is designed with simplicity in mind. Not unlike Canva.

• Adobe Firefly AI integration: Generate custom text effects, background replacements, or reimagined images. All with prompts. Wildly helpful for ideating fast.
• Access to Adobe Stock and fonts: Thousands of premium assets at your fingertips if you’re on a paid plan.
• Seamless integration with tools like Photoshop and Illustrator. Ideal if you’re jumping across apps.

• Still a bit clunky compared to Canva, especially for newer users.
• Template variety is narrower at the moment, especially for niche social formats like TikTok transitions or carousel post sets.

• Creators or marketers who already use other Adobe tools
• Teams wanting a bridge between simple drag-and-drop and pro-level polish
• Designers who want more control over brand guidelines

I recently worked with a brand that used Adobe Express exclusively for campaign launch graphics. Their creative director was already in Photoshop and Premiere daily, so pass-offs were smooth. The Firefly-generated visuals actually helped when we were brainstorming ad creative. Fast and fresh.

Okay, deep breath: Figma is in a different league.

At its core, Figma is a professional-grade UI/UX design tool. But in the right hands, it’s also a staggeringly powerful platform for social design. Especially if your team values consistency and structured workflows.

• Live collaboration that crushes Google Docs: Multiple users can edit at once, with powerful version control and feedback tools.
• Component design system: Create and reuse layouts, typography styles, and brand elements across your entire team.
• Integration power: Connects with tools like Slack, Notion, Zapier. You name it.

• Steeper learning curve: If you’re not a UX designer, the interface can feel overwhelming at first.
• No built-in templates for social content: You’ll either need to bring your own or use third-party kits.

• Design-forward teams
• Agencies working across multiple brands
• Creators who want pixel-perfect control and scalable social systems

I helped one midsize creative agency migrate their entire social design process to Figma in 2024. It was a game-changer. They built a reusable library of branded templates with components, so their junior designers could drag in assets and the design remained consistent every time. It scaled beautifully.

If you’re working with a team, this can make or break your tool choice.

• Figma dominates with live commenting, real-time editing, and version history. It’s built for simultaneous collaboration.
• Canva does a solid job too, especially with comment threads and locking certain layers or elements to prevent accidental edits.
• Adobe Express has fewer collaboration tools, but works fine for smaller teams or solo workflows. You’ll often need to rely more on Adobe’s Creative Cloud sharing system.

Quick breakdown:

• Canva: Made for this. Templates are literally labeled by platform. Schedule posts right from the tool (Pro version).
• Adobe Express: Strong template support for Instagram and stories, but TikTok-specific assets lag behind a bit.
• Figma: No native social media scheduling or platform templates, but its flexibility means you can build what you want from scratch. Or use downloadable kits from Figma Community.

Real talk: If you’re a solo TikTok creator? Canva’s probably your best friend. If you’re running a digital agency? Figma rules the roost.

• Canva:
• Free: Plenty of functionality
• Pro: $14.99/month per user (includes Brand Kit, templates, social media scheduler)
• Adobe Express:
• Free: Basic features + Firefly included
• Premium: $9.99/month (bonus: includes Adobe Stock and fonts)
• Figma:
• Starter: Free for individuals
• Professional: $12/month per editor
• Organization: $45/month per editor (meant for full-scale teams)

Worth noting. Adobe Express is arguably the most affordable for solo creators wanting access to high-end assets, while Figma’s value multiplies the more complex your workflow becomes.

Trick question. The “best” tool depends entirely on your needs.

Here’s a quick cheat for picking:

• ✅ New to design? Canva.
• ✅ Love Adobe and want AI tools? Adobe Express.
• ✅ Need design systems and team workflows? Figma.

Don’t just pick a platform based on features. Think about your team’s skills, your daily routine, and how you plan to grow. The right tool won’t just make your content look good. It’ll make your life easier.

Yes. Especially if you’re producing frequent content. The scheduling tool, Magic Resize, and Brand Kit features alone justify the cost if you routinely design for multiple platforms.

It’s possible, but expect a learning curve. There are tons of tutorials out there, and plenty of community-made templates. Still, if speed is a priority, Canva might be a better starting point.

Quite a bit. Adobe Firefly is now integrated across Express, letting you use text prompts for image effects, content planning, and moodboards. It genuinely speeds up brainstorming and visual experimentation.

Canva has native scheduling and publishing features. Adobe Express allows exporting assets easily, but publishing is manual unless paired with other Adobe products. Figma has no built-in publishing. You’ll need an external scheduler.

Figma, hands down. Its live-collaboration features, shared component systems, and seamless version tracking are built precisely for distributed teams.

Still not sure where to start? Don’t sweat it. Pick one, try a few test projects, and see what feels right. You might find yourself blending tools. And that’s totally okay. Great content comes from great systems, and sometimes, that just means finding the combo that works for you.

Now go create something scroll-stopping.