Canva vs Monthly Graphic Design Packages: Which One Is Right for Your Business?
- liz10022
- Dec 2, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 8
What Canva delivers
As an Aussie businesses, we know most of you reading this will love Canva, and we do too! About 80% of our clients ask for their designs to be made in Canva, allowing them to change and edit it longer term.
If you have not heard of Canva (where have you been?) It is a cloud-based design tool built for non-designers (and designers) alike. It offers drag-and-drop simplicity, thousands of templates, stock photos, collaboration features.
It comes in a free plan with basic features, and paid plans (like Pro) with more assets, team features, brand kit features.
Limitations to know
While Canva works brilliantly for many use-cases, professional designers point out downsides: a less flexible set of tools than full professional software, potential for generic-looking output, limitations on vector exports, file format issues.
For instance, custom branding, unique visual identity or special print/large-scale work may exceed what Canva can do.
Often we find large scale expo banners, bill boards and the like are just too big for Canva and need to be done in Adobe
What Are Monthly Graphic Design Packages?
Also called “unlimited design subscriptions”, these are services where you pay a flat monthly fee and send design requests to a human designer or design team.
How they work
You sign up for a service, log into a dashboard, submit design tasks (flyers, social posts, brochures, etc.).
Typically you get one task processed at a time (queue), revisions allowed, source files delivered, and predictable billing.
Pros
Predictable monthly cost vs. per-project cost.
Access to professional designers rather than relying solely on templates.
Good if you have a high volume of design work and need consistency.
Cons
If your design needs are low, you might under-utilize the subscription.
May be less flexible for extremely custom, niche or highly technical design (motion graphics, full brand identity overhaul) depending on the service.
Canva vs Monthly Design Package
Let’s compare the two across key dimensions.
Feature | Canva | Monthly Design Package |
Cost Model | Low Monthly or Free for Basic; you Do the Design Work Yourself | Higher Fixed Monthly Fee; Designer Does Vision + Execution |
Design Effort | You or Your Team Must Create, Iterate, Maintain Quality | Designer Handles Creation → you Provide Brief + Feedback |
Volume fit | Best When you Create Many Small-Assets Quickly Yourself | Best When you Have Consistent Demand for Many Assets |
Brand Uniqueness | Good for Standard Designs, Templates; May Look Similar to Others | More Opportunity for Custom Styles, Unique Outputs |
Control & Turnaround | Instant Access to Tool; Speed Depends on You | Turnaround Depends on Service Queue; you Hand off Tasks |
Long-Term Branding | If you Build Brand Kit + Protocols, you Can Maintain Style via Canva | If Designer Understands Your Brand, can Enforce Consistency |
Scalability | Easy to Scale Usage but May Need Design Skills in-House | Scales by Subscription Tier or Additional Designer Capacity |
Which One Should You Choose?
Here are practical guidelines to pick the right path.
Choose Canva and A worked Bee Plan if:
You or someone on your team is comfortable using design tools and managing assets
If you don’t have someone who is a whizz in Canva (or they don’t have the time) then, explore finding a plan that can help you with your Canva designs.
A lot of out clients say they used to waste hours “faffing: in Canva and now they have someone to help design it has transformed how they work
Consider a low plan like our Worker Bee that gives 4 hours of support a week.
It is perfect if you have a tighter budget and prefer a low-cost solution
Choose a higher Monthly Graphic Design Package if:
You have high design volume (e.g., dozens of assets each month)
You want off-loaded design execution so marketing team focuses on campaigns
You prefer predictable monthly expense and less hands-on design work
Hybrid approach
In many cases, businesses adopt a hybrid model: Use Canva for quick, internal assets + go for a monthly design service for high-impact work or when volume spikes. That gives flexibility without over-committing.
FAQs About Canva vs Monthly Graphic Design Packages
Can I keep using Canva even if I choose a monthly design package?
Yes, the two are not mutually exclusive. You might use Canva for simple tasks, and the package for more complex work.
How much does a monthly design subscription cost?
In Australia entry packages start at $499 AUD a month for 16 hours of work, and go up to 70+ hours a month. Most companies can also offer stacking plans (where you might take out 2 plans to support spikes in workload).
Will choosing Canva mean my designs look generic?
Potentially. The template-based nature of the tool means many users may pick similar layouts or assets. To avoid this, use a designer to help do them, and they will start afresh each time and not use a template
What contract commitment do monthly design services require?
Many services offer month-to-month subscriptions with little or no long-term contract, but you should check the terms. Some require minimum commitment or have cancellation policies. At Design Bees, we ask that you stay on a plan for a minimum of 1 month (after that you are free to cancel).
Do I get source files and full rights with monthly design packages?
Yes, reputable services include source files and commercial usage rights. Always clarify this before signing up with the Terms and Condittions.
Ready to Get Started?
Join Design Bees and watch your ideas come to life with a Free 10 Day Trial. With our month-to-month subscriptions, there are no long-term commitments – just one flat fee and endless creativity.
Free 10 Day Trial | No Contract | Change Plans as You Need
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