- Pick it if you are:
- Small business owners and marketers; Students and educators
- Top complaint:
- Free plan severely limited - key features locked behind paywall
- Price:
- Free plan, paid from $18/mo
- Pick it if you are:
- Students and teachers; Teams co-editing decks
- Top complaint:
- Why won't my video play in Google Slides? (Error 5 and Error 150)
- Price:
- Free plan, paid from $8.40/mo
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
Canva
- Free plan severely limited - key features locked behind paywall(8/10)
- Why did Canva Teams get so expensive? Per-seat pricing and the Business plan(7/10)
- Canva Pro price increase 2026 - now $18/month or $180/year(7/10)
Google Slides
- Gemini AI in Google Slides costs extra(4/10)
Canva
- Charged after cancellation - refunds denied or partial(9/10)
- Support responses are generic and unhelpful(6/10)
Google Slides
- No real support for free Google Slides users(5/10)
Canva
- Complex designs cause lag, crashes, and lost work(8/10)
Google Slides
- Why is Google Slides so slow with big presentations?(6/10)
Canva
- 2025 Video Editor update broke workflows - audio desyncs(9/10)
- No real layer system - object arrangement is frustrating(7/10)
- Templates look generic - designs are easily recognizable(6/10)
- Limited image and video editing - basic compared to pro tools(6/10)
- New editor forced on users - toggle doesn't stick(7/10)
Google Slides
- Presenter view and speaker notes not working on one monitor(6/10)
Canva
- Canva down or not loading - frequent outages disrupt deadlines(8/10)
- Export quality issues - blurry prints and pixelated images(7/10)
- Canva downloads fail or video exports get stuck(8/10)
Google Slides
- Why won't my video play in Google Slides? (Error 5 and Error 150)(8/10)
- Google Slides offline mode is unreliable(6/10)
- Audio stops or won't play during Google Slides slideshows(6/10)
- Google Slides not loading or stuck on 'Trying to connect'(7/10)
Canva
- Mobile app is laggy, choppy, and distorted(6/10)
Google Slides
- Google Slides mobile app is limited for editing(4/10)
Canva
- Magic Edit and AI tools frequently malfunction(5/10)
Google Slides
- PowerPoint files lose fonts, animations and layouts in Google Slides(7/10)
- Slides add-ons (Slido, Pear Deck) break presenting(6/10)
- Presenting Google Slides in Google Meet freezes or shows a black screen(6/10)
Canva
No signals
Google Slides
- Is Google Slides too basic compared to PowerPoint?(5/10)
Pricing Comparison
Canva
Users: 1 user
Storage: 5 GB
Limits: 5GB storage, small AI allowance, no custom font uploads, no Brand Kit features beyond basics
Users: 1 user
Storage: 100 GB
Limits: Single user only, no team admin controls, AI usage capped monthly
Users: Per person (no minimum)
Storage: 500 GB per person
Limits: No SSO/SCIM (Enterprise only), prices vary by country
Users: Unlimited
Storage: 1 TB
Limits: Requires sales contact, Complex procurement, Minimum commitments
Google Slides
Users: 1 user, unlimited collaborators
Storage: 15GB shared across Drive, Gmail and Google Photos
Limits: No Gemini in Slides, no custom business email, no admin controls, help-center and community support only
Users: Storage shareable with up to 5 others
Storage: 5TB
Limits: Mainly an AI subscription; Slides itself is unchanged
Users: Per user (max 300)
Storage: 30GB pooled per user
Limits: No Gemini in Slides, only 30GB per user
Users: Per user (max 300)
Storage: 30GB pooled per user
Limits: No Gemini in Slides
Users: Per user (max 300)
Storage: 2TB pooled per user
Limits: Vault and advanced security need Business Plus
Users: Per user (max 300)
Storage: 5TB pooled per user
Limits: DLP and data regions only on Enterprise
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Canva | Google Slides |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Drag-and-Drop Editor Very intuitive, main strength | ||
| Template Library Large free library, premium templates on paid plans | ||
| Offline Mode Mostly requires internet; Canva's status page references limited offline features (2026) | ||
| Teams | ||
| Real-time collaboration | ||
| Presenting | ||
| Presenter view with speaker notes Needs a second monitor for full-screen + notes | ||
| Audience Q&A | ||
| AI Tools | ||
| Background Remover Pro only - not on free | ||
| Magic Resize Pro only - resize to any dimension | ||
| Magic Write (AI) Limited usage on free | ||
| Media | ||
| Video embedding (YouTube, Drive) No direct local video upload | ||
| Audio from Drive | ||
| Branding | ||
| Brand Kit Limited on free (3 colors), full on Pro | ||
| Custom Fonts Upload custom fonts on Pro | ||
| Export | ||
| PPTX import and export Fonts and animations can change | ||
| SVG Export Pro only - not on free | ||
| CMYK Export Pro only - for print | ||
| PDF Print Export 300 DPI for print quality | ||
| Video | ||
| Video Editor Basic, 2025 update caused issues | ||
| Platform | ||
| Offline editing Chrome/Edge with extension only | ||
| Desktop app Browser only on desktop | ||
| Team | ||
| Real-time Collaboration Teams plan required for full features | ||
| AI | ||
| Gemini AI slide generation Paid Workspace Standard+ or Google AI Pro/Ultra | ||
| Design | ||
| Morph-style transitions | ||
| Editing | ||
| Layers Panel No proper layer system - major limitation | ||
| Advanced Photo Editing Basic only - no pro tools | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Mobile App Available but laggy, limited | ||
| Desktop App Available for Mac/Windows | ||
| Affinity (desktop pro design suite) Free with a Canva account since Oct 2025; AI features need Pro | ||
| Assets | ||
| Stock Photos 1M+ free, 100M+ with Pro | ||
| Features | ||
| Presentation Mode Present directly from Canva | ||
| Website Builder Basic single-page sites | ||
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