Canva faces backlash over price hike

Canva’s recent price hike, affecting Canva Teams subscriptions, has caused widespread dissatisfaction among users, especially those with legacy pricing.

Canva, the popular graphic design platform, has raised subscription prices for certain users, sparking high levels of dissatisfaction.

The price increase will primarily affect Canva Teams subscribers, a service that allows businesses to collaborate on design projects.

In the United States, Canva Teams subscribers, previously paying $120 annually for up to five users, will now face a price of $500 per year. While Canva offers a 40% discount in the first year, reducing the fee to $300, the new pricing still represents a significant rise.

Australian subscribers are also affected, with a switch from a flat $39.99 AUD monthly fee to $13.50 AUD per user, potentially increasing costs by more than 68% for some teams.

Legacy subscribers, who had been enjoying lower fees, are particularly impacted as Canva has now transitioned them to a revised pricing model without prior notification. From September, the new pricing structure will require at least three users per team and charge $10 per user monthly.

Canva’s spokesperson, Louisa Green, defended the move, stating the price adjustment reflects the platform’s expanded offerings, including advanced tools such as Visual Suite and Magic Studio. She explained that prices had remained unchanged for four years despite the significant evolution of Canva’s product range.

Despite these justifications, the announcement has not been well received. Many users, frustrated by the price hike, have voiced their dissatisfaction online, with some even planning to switch to competing platforms like Adobe.

This marks a shift from Canva’s original positioning as an affordable alternative to more expensive design tools.

The change comes after Canva acquired Serif, creators of the Affinity suite, for several hundred million British pounds. These developments are happening as Canva looks ahead to a possible public listing in the U.S. by 2026.