Capability · 7 solutions compared
Design social media graphics
Create posts, stories, carousels and ad creatives sized for Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook and TikTok.
People ask: “I need to design a social media campaign” · “make Instagram carousels for my business”
Buy nothing: Adobe Express, Canva do this well on a free plan.
Every way to do it
Scored on what matters most for this job: quality, ease, brand, batch.
| Tool | Fit | Quality | Ease | Brand | Batch | Skill | Cheapest plan with it | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Express | Core feature | none | Adobe Express Free$0/mo | Premium templates and stock need a paid plan · Smaller template ecosystem than Canva | ||||
| Canva | Core feature | none | Canva Free$0/mo | Free plan watermarks premium elements · Resizing a design to other formats needs Pro or above | ||||
| Adobe Creative Cloud | Strong | basic | Photoshop (single app)$22.99/mo | The pro apps are slower than template tools for everyday posts | ||||
| ChatGPT | Partial | — | none | Free$0/mo | No brand kit or locked templates · No multiplayer design editing or approvals | |||
| Google Gemini | Partial | — | none | Free$0/mo | No brand templates · No multiplayer design collaboration | |||
| Figma | Partial | basic | Professional – Collab seat$3/seat/mo | No built-in stock library comparable to Canva · Templates need a designer to set up | ||||
| Grok | Partial | — | none | Plus$8/mo | No brand templates · No team design review |
Fit and scores are editorial judgements; prices show their verification status. Methodology