G2 Data Reveals How Non-Designers Are Taking Over Canva

A teacher crafting lesson plans.

A small business owner refining marketing campaign materials.

A community organizer preparing event materials.

What do they all have in common? They turn to Canva to bring ideas to life.

I analyzed over 4,400 G2 reviews, and the trend is clear: Canva is now a go-to tool for non-designers.

• Schools and educators use it to create branding and training materials.
• Small businesses rely on it for video creation, logo design, and digital assets.
• HR teams use it to create recruitment graphics and internal presentations.
• Non-profits use it for promotional materials, event graphics, and social media content.

Canva connects small businesses to customers, teachers to students, and advocates to their communities. It simplifies what was once complex, making creativity accessible in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. 

Let’s dive into the unexpected ways people are using Canva, backed by data and real-world examples.

Note: The insights in this article are based on 4,445 Canva reviews submitted by real users on G2 between September 16, 2014, and March 4, 2025.

Canva in education: Insights from G2 reviews

Canva is changing the game in education, making design and content creation more accessible for educators, students, and administrators. From lesson plans to video projects and even AI-generated visuals, educators use Canva in ways far beyond traditional design.

Let’s review insights based on 385 Canva reviews submitted by education industry users on G2:

• 96.70% of educators (teachers, professors, etc.) and 97.40% of all education industry users (including students, admin, marketing, etc.) rated Canva eight or higher.
• 17.58% of educators use Canva for content creation.
• 8.79% of educators use Canva to create video content.
• 2.20% of educators use Canva for AI image generation.
• 94.34% of all education industry users are likely to recommend Canva.
• In the education industry, 4.68% of Canva users are teachers, 2.59% hold administrative roles (like operations assistants, coordinators, directors, and office assistants), followed by 1.82% students, 1.56% professors, and 1.04% are graduate assistants or interns.

The data clearly shows that educators are making Canva an essential part of their teaching toolkit. Here’s how they use it:

• Lesson planning and materials: Create engaging worksheets, lesson plans, and infographics.
• Student projects and presentations: Help students design polished, creative assignments.
• Professional development: Build training materials and online courses for teachers.
• School branding and communication: Design newsletters, flyers, and digital signage.
• Collaboration and remote learning: Work seamlessly with students and staff online.

What education industry users like and dislike about Canva on G2

The following insights come from a keyword-based text analysis of G2 reviews from education industry users. This analysis highlights common themes in what educators, students, and administrators appreciate about Canva and the challenges they mention in their feedback.

What education industry users like about Canva on G2:

• 56.36% of education users praise Canva’s strong design features.
• 43.64% appreciate Canva’s pre-made templates for quick content creation.
• 16.10% highlight Canva as easy to use, even for non-designers.
• 7.27% mention Canva’s simple and intuitive UI.
• 3.38% find Canvas’ tools easy to understand and use effectively.

As Asutosh mentions, Canva’s drag-and-drop interface allows educators to create lesson plans, presentations, and marketing materials quickly. Its extensive library of images, fonts, and icons helps users design professional-quality visuals with minimal effort.

What education industry users dislike about Canva on G2:

• 8.57% complain about restrictions in Canva’s free version.
• 2.08% find the cost of Canva Pro too high for their needs.
• 2.08% feel Canva lacks the flexibility of professional design software.
• 2.60% report lagging when working on bigger projects.
• 0.78% mention that Canva sometimes crashes, causing lost work.

Many educators on G2 appreciate Canva's user-friendly design and extensive resource library, making it easy to create visually appealing content quickly. However, as Dana and other reviewers mention, Canva requires a constant internet connection, limiting offline access to materials.

Additionally, some users feel overwhelmed by the number of paid templates, finding it challenging to identify high-quality free options quickly. Despite these minor drawbacks, educators frequently emphasize Canva's effectiveness in simplifying graphic design tasks and saving time.

Canva in small business: Insights from G2 reviews

Small business owners turn to Canva to streamline their branding, marketing, and content creation. From social media graphics to presentations and even video content, Canva makes professional design accessible without needing a dedicated designer.

Here’s what we learned from 1,261 Canva reviews submitted by small business users on G2:

• 96.59% of small business users rated Canva eight or higher out of ten.
• 43.62% use Canva for marketing, branding, promotions, or social media.
• 6.11% of small business users use Canva for logo design.
• 8.49% create presentations for business pitches, investor decks, and client proposals.
• 5.08% use Canva to design ebooks and reports, helping with business documentation, lead magnets, and digital content distribution.
• 2.46% design infographics with Canva.
• 5.63% use Canva for content creation, including social media clips and promotional videos.
• Among small business users, 22.51% are owners, followed by 12.83% founders, 4.97% co-founders, and 3.40% business owners. Additionally, 1.83% are business development managers, 1.83% identify as entrepreneurs, and 1.31% are business analysts. Other roles include 1.31% founder & CEO, 1.05% co-owners, and 1.05% owner/designers. 

Here are five key ways small business users are using Canva:

• Marketing and branding: Creating marketing materials, branding assets, and social media graphics to promote their businesses.
• Business presentations: Designing presentations for business pitches, investor meetings, and client proposals.
• Logo design: Developing logos to establish and strengthen brand identity.
• Video content creation: Producing video content for social media, advertising, and promotional campaigns.
• Ebooks & reports: Creating ebooks, reports, and other business documents for digital distribution and lead generation.

What small business users like and dislike about Canva on G2

These insights are based on a text analysis of G2 reviews from small business users. Their feedback highlights what makes Canva a go-to design tool and the areas where it falls short.

What small business users like about Canva on G2:

• 55.43% appreciate Canvas’ design capabilities, making it easy to create professional-looking visuals.
• 43.54% value the templates, which help speed up content creation.
• 19.75% like the graphics library, providing access to stock photos, icons, and other assets.
• 17.76% find Canva easy to use, with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
• 10.63% mention its features, such as background remover and brand kits, as useful for business needs.

As Akash shares, small business users love Canva for its strong design tools and time-saving templates. With an easy-to-use interface and a vast library of graphics, it helps them create professional visuals quickly.

What small business users dislike about Canva on G2:

• 7.45% feel that the free version is too limited, with many features behind the Pro subscription.
• 4.20% find some aspects of Canva difficult to use, especially when trying advanced design tasks.
• 3.01% mention a lack of customization options, limiting flexibility compared to professional design tools.
• 2.46% report that Canva is slow, particularly when handling large files.
• 2.46% experience problems, including occasional glitches and platform instability.

While small businesses love Canva for its design tools and templates, some users find its free version too limited and advanced design features restrictive. Others report slowness, glitches, and a lack of customization compared to professional design software. However, it makes sense that a free tool has limitations on the features it can offer at no cost. After all, maintaining and improving a product requires resources, and offering premium features helps sustain its development.

Canva in HR: Insights from G2 reviews

Human resources (HR) professionals use Canva to create engaging content, from recruitment graphics to internal presentations. Its easy-to-use design tools help streamline communication and branding within organizations.

Here’s what 66 Canva reviews submitted by HR industry users on G2 tell us about it!

• 93.94% of HR industry users rate Canva eight or higher out of ten.
• 10.61% use Canva for content creation, including HR-related materials.
• 1.52% use Canva for HR presentations.
• 1.52% use Canva for job postings & recruitment graphics.
• Among HR industry users, 6.06% are HR generalists, and 6.06% are human resources managers, making them the most common roles using Canva. Additionally, 1.52% of users hold roles such as talent agents, senior editors & heads of talent acquisition, HR executives, technical recruiters, HR specialists, and people operations coordinators. 

Here are five key ways HR industry users utilize Canva:

• Job recruitment and branding: Designing visually appealing job postings, career page graphics, and recruitment ads to attract talent.
• Training and onboarding: Creating engaging training materials, onboarding documents, and HR policy guides for new employees.
• Internal communication and engagement: Designing internal newsletters, company announcements, and employee recognition graphics.
• Event planning and culture-building: Crafting promotional materials for team-building events, employee appreciation days, and corporate celebrations.
• HR presentations and reports: Developing professional slideshows, data visualizations, and policy presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

What HR industry users like and dislike about Canva on G2

The following insights are derived with keyword-based text analysis and sentiment quantification of G2 reviews from HR industry users. The data below highlights what HR users like and dislike about Canva.

What HR industry users like about Canva on G2:

• 56.06% appreciate Canva’s design capabilities, allowing them to create professional visuals.
• 34.85% value the templates, which help streamline HR content creation.
• 22.73% find Canva easy to use, making it accessible for non-designers.
• 10.61% like the availability of graphics, including stock images and icons.
• 7.58% mention Canva’s user-friendly interface, which simplifies their workflow.

As Misha pointed out, HR users love Canva for its professional design tools, ready-made templates, and ease of use. Its graphics library and simple interface make content creation effortless.

What HR industry users dislike about Canva on G2:

• 7.58% feel the free version is too limited, restricting access to premium features.
• 4.55% report problems, including minor glitches and occasional platform issues.
• 3.03% find Canva Pro expensive for HR-related tasks.
• 3.03% mention that Canva can be difficult for specific HR design needs.
• 1.52% feel that it lacks advanced customization options, limiting design flexibility.

With professional-grade design tools, pre-made templates, and an intuitive interface, Canva has become a go-to for HR professionals. Some HR users like Kavya find Canva’s free version too limited, while others report minor glitches, high Pro costs, or a lack of advanced customization. Despite its ease of use, some tasks still feel restrictive.

While Canva’s free version has limitations, it still offers a solid range of templates and tools that many HR professionals find useful. Upgrading to the Pro version can unlock additional features for those who need more flexibility.

Canva in non-profits: Insights from G2 reviews

Nonprofits are using Canva to amplify their impact, from marketing and fundraising to advocacy and community outreach. They create promotional materials, event graphics, and social media content to engage supporters and spread their mission. With Canva, they can design professional visuals that help drive awareness and support their cause.

According to 69 Canva reviews submitted by non-profit and community organization users on G2:

• 95.24% of nonprofit users rated Canva eight or higher out of ten.
• 9.52% use Canva for content creation, including nonprofit-related materials.
• 7.14% use Canva for marketing and promotional efforts.
• 3.97% use Canva for fundraising campaigns, designing donation pages, and awareness graphics.
• 3.97% create event promotion materials, such as posters and invitations.
• 2.38% use Canva for community outreach, designing flyers, and awareness materials.
• 1.59% utilize Canva for volunteer recruitment, creating engaging recruitment graphics.
• 1.59% leverage Canva for advocacy and awareness, supporting their social causes.
• 3.17% design donation and fundraising graphics for nonprofit campaigns.
• 1.59% create awareness campaign materials to spread their mission.
• 1.59% use Canva for social media advocacy, creating visuals for digital activism.
• 0.79% design educational materials for nonprofit training programs.
• 0.79% work on community impact reports to showcase achievements.
• Among nonprofit and community organization users of Canva, 21.74% are community managers, making them the largest user group. These users manage engagement, outreach, and digital communications for their organizations. Other key roles, each representing 1.45% - 2.90% of users, include community outreach coordinators, development and volunteer coordinators, fundraising and development specialists, and social media and communications specialists.

Here are five key ways nonprofits and community organizations use Canva:

• Fundraising and donation drives: Designing compelling fundraising materials, donation campaign visuals, and grant proposal graphics.
• Community outreach and advocacy: Creating flyers, infographics, and digital content to promote social causes and raise awareness.
• Volunteer recruitment and engagement: Designing engaging volunteer recruitment posters, onboarding materials, and appreciation graphics.
• Event promotion and branding: Crafting promotional assets for fundraising events, community programs, and nonprofit initiatives.
• Educational content and reports: Developing training guides, impact reports, and presentations for stakeholders and donors.

What non-profit users like and dislike about Canva on G2

These insights come from a keyword analysis of real G2 reviews submitted by nonprofit users sharing their experiences with Canva.

What non-profit users like about Canva on G2:

• 68.12% appreciate Canva’s graphics & design assets, which provide access to stock images, icons, and creative elements.
• 42.03% value the templates, making it easier to create visually appealing content quickly.
• 15.94% find Canva’s ease of use important, especially for those without design experience.
• 8.70% highlight its branding & customization tools, such as brand kits and logo integration.
• 1.45% like the collaboration features, allowing teams to collaborate on designs.

As Sophie pointed out, Canva’s design assets, ready-made templates, and easy-to-use tools, stand out for the users. Many also appreciate its branding and collaboration features, which help teams maintain consistency and work together seamlessly.

What non-profit users dislike about Canva on G2:

• 5.80% report export & download issues, including problems with file quality and formatting.
• 2.90% find Canva Pro expensive, making it difficult for nonprofits with limited budgets to access premium features.
• 2.90% mention slow performance, especially when working on larger files or complex designs.
• 2.90% feel some advanced features are difficult to use, requiring more customization and control.
• 1.45% believe the free version is too limited, restricting access to certain templates and design tools.

Non-profit users appreciate Canva for its rich design assets, ready-made templates, and intuitive tools, making it easy to create impactful visuals without a design team. Some nonprofit users like Sophie have reported issues with export and download and slow performance on complex designs. Others find Canva Pro expensive or feel the free version is too limited, making accessing premium features and customization options harder. 

While Canva’s free version has some limitations, it still provides many design tools that many nonprofits rely on. Optimizing file sizes and using simplified templates can help those facing performance issues, and Canva Pro’s advanced features often make content creation more efficient in the long run.

Democratizing design: Why Canva works for non-designers

Canva has become a game-changer in content creation across education, small business, human resources, and nonprofit sectors. It empowers non-designers to create professional-quality visuals with ease.

Users in these industries consistently rate Canva highly, often eight out of ten or above, and widely recommend it. Its impact is clear. Canva’s strengths lie in its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, extensive template library, and powerful design tools. These features make design accessible and efficient for everyone.

As a reviewer said, “Canva makes designing easy, even if you’re not a designer.” — it allows anyone to bring ideas to life quickly and creatively.

Some find the free version limiting and wish for greater access to premium features, while others report occasional slow performance or desire more advanced customization akin to professional design software​. Nonetheless, these frustrations are relatively minor compared to Canvas’ benefits. 

The platform continues to evolve, now integrating AI-powered features like image generation to further optimize creative workflows. This reinforces its mission to democratize design and boost content efficiency for all. 

Thinking about upgrading to Canva Pro? Dive into G2’s in-depth analysis to see if Canva Pro is worth it. Get the real scoop on what you gain and what might hold you back.