Canva vs Kapwing
Canva and Kapwing side by side, as of September 2026: what each one costs, what it's made for, and when smooth.video, a free animation tool that runs in your browser with no account, does the job instead.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
Canva vs Kapwing at a glance
| Canva | Kapwing | smooth.video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, with many templates and features in Canva Pro | Free plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly | Free, no paid plan |
| Account | Required | Required to save a project | Not needed |
| Where your files live | In your Canva account | In Kapwing's cloud | On your computer |
- Price
- CanvaFree plan, with many templates and features in Canva Pro
- KapwingFree plan, then Pro from US$16 a month billed yearly
- smooth.videoFree, no paid plan
- Account
- CanvaRequired
- KapwingRequired to save a project
- smooth.videoNot needed
- Where your files live
- CanvaIn your Canva account
- KapwingIn Kapwing's cloud
- smooth.videoOn your computer
As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of Canva and Kapwing before you decide.
Canva
- Built for
- Every kind of design: social posts, slides, print, documents, video
- Motion
- Animation presets and timing per element
- Transparent video
- Not available
- Library
- A huge library of templates, photos and graphics
When Canva fits better
You need a flyer, a presentation and a social post that all match, drawn from a huge library of templates, photos and brand assets, with animation as a finishing touch.
Canva vs smooth.videoKapwing
- Watermark
- On free plan exports
- Export resolution
- 720p on the free plan, 1080p and 4K on Pro
- Projects
- Deleted after 3 days on the free plan
- AI subtitles, translation, dubbing
- Yes
- Real-time collaboration
- Yes
When Kapwing fits better
You edit talking videos and need subtitles, translations or dubbing in many languages, or several people edit and comment in the same project. smooth.video has no subtitle generator and no shared workspace.
Kapwing vs smooth.videoWhen smooth.video fits better
The animation is the deliverable: a YouTube intro, a lower third, an animated stat, a Reel. You want exact control over timing, a transparent export to put over video, and no account.
You're making the animated pieces of a video, like titles, lower thirds, logo stings or animated stats, want them at full quality without a watermark, and don't need a team workspace.
Open the editor- Free, full stop
- No plan, no trial, no credits, no export limit.
- No account
- Open the page and the editor is already there.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Your files are read and rendered by your own browser.
- No watermark
- Every export is clean, at any size, 4K included.
Start from a template
See all 203 templatesOpen one, change the words, export. Every element stays editable.
Questions
Can I bring my Canva designs in?
Yes, as images: download your design or its parts from Canva, add them to a smooth.video scene and animate them there.
Does smooth.video have templates?
Yes, a gallery of ready-made animations, from YouTube intros to sale banners. Each one opens in the editor with every element editable.
Is there a watermark?
No. Every export is free and clean, transparent WebM included.
Does smooth.video generate subtitles?
No. You can type captions as text elements and time them on the timeline, but nothing is transcribed automatically.
How long are my projects kept?
As long as you keep the files. The editor autosaves the project you're working on in your browser; save it as a .smooth file to keep it on your computer and reopen it later, on any machine.
Or skip the decision.
smooth.video is free, opens in a tab and exports without a watermark. Try it while you compare.
Open the editor- Free
- No signup
- No watermark