Canva users brace yourselves. The popular design software company is hiking up prices for its Canva Teams subscriptions by over 300%, thanks to new generative AI features that they argue justify the steep increase.
Existing subscribers have been taken aback by this sudden surge, with individual accounts transitioning to a pricier model beginning next year. In the US, some users have reported their yearly subscriptions for up to five users skyrocketing from $120 to $500. A temporary 40% discount reduces it to $300 for the initial 12 months, but after that, it’s back up.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the change is even more dramatic – from $39.99 AUS per month for five users to a staggering $40.50 AUS per user. This means a yearly cost for a five-member team leaps from $480 AUS to an eye-watering $2,430 AUS.
Previously, some teams enjoyed locked-in prices that Canva no longer offers to new users. In April, the price structure changed quietly, setting a minimum of three users at $10 per user per month. Now, long-time users are also being nudged into this pricier bracket to match the “expanded product experience.”
Louisa Green, Canva’s communications lead, justified the soaring prices, pointing to their substantial growth over the past few years. The new offerings include the Visual Suite and Magic Studio, both aimed at making Canva more than just a design tool but a comprehensive workspace.
The price bump is thanks to Canva’s new suite of AI features, like the Magic Media text-to-image generator and Magic Expand background extension tool. These updates are part of a broader redesign initiative, pushing Canva from a niche software for designers into a more extensive business tool. The company has previously hinted at price changes, but this abrupt increase was mostly revealed via customer emails. Notably, other subscription tiers like Pro and Enterprise haven’t been affected.
The move marks a significant shift for Canva, which built its reputation as an affordable alternative to Adobe’s costly software suite. Unsurprisingly, many users have taken to social media to voice their displeasure, threatening to cancel subscriptions and revert to Adobe’s offerings.
This price hike also comes on the heels of Canva’s acquisition of Affinity’s creative software suite and ahead of a possible public listing in the US scheduled for 2026. As of now, there’s no word on whether these pricing changes will extend to the Middle East. Users in the region may be watching closely to see if their subscriptions will follow suit or remain untouched.
