10 Adobe Express Alternatives to Elevate Your Visual Content

Thanks to the rise in visual and video content on social media, many graphic design tools have become available online. There are plenty to choose from, but until recently, there was one stand-out favorite. 

Due to its customizable templates and easy-to-use interface, Adobe Express has been the go-to tool for graphic designers since 2015.

However, Adobe Express has many limitations on premium tools and features. Plus, not everyone wants the same features from a design software package. It has led to an increase in people looking for Adobe Express alternatives.

So, if you’re looking for a way to create new and original designs, we’re here to help! In this guide, let’s explore the 10 best Adobe Express alternatives to help improve your design experience.

What is Adobe Express?

Source: Unsplash

Adobe Express, also known as Adobe Spark, is a versatile design tool that enables you to create graphics, web pages, and video stories effortlessly. With its user-friendly interface and a plethora of templates, Adobe Express has become a go-to solution for individuals and businesses looking to enhance their visual content.

Adobe Spark vs. Adobe Express

Adobe Spark has been rebranded as Adobe Express. Launched in 2016, Adobe Spark offered a suite of mobile apps for creating social media graphics, short videos, and web pages. It was known for its user-friendly interface and focus on quick and easy design creation.

However, in 2021, Adobe decided to unify its design offerings under the Adobe Express brand. This brought together the functionalities of Spark with additional features and a more comprehensive design platform. Essentially, Adobe Express is the evolution of Adobe Spark, offering a broader range of tools and capabilities while retaining the core strengths of its predecessor.

Bonus: Canva vs Adobe Spark: Which Is the Best Choice for You?

Reasons to Seek Adobe Express Alternatives

There are several reasons why you might consider exploring Adobe Express alternatives.

• While user-friendly, Adobe Express offers a limited set of features compared to more advanced design tools.
• The free plan has restricted features, and paid plans can be expensive for occasional users.
• Customization options might be limited, making it challenging to maintain consistent branding across your visuals.
• You may explore alternatives offering extensive template libraries if you seek a broader range of templates.

Bonus: 11 Best Canva Alternatives for Graphic Design [Free & Paid]

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an Adobe Express Alternative

Source: Unsplash

• Evaluate the specific features you need, such as advanced editing tools, animation capabilities, or social media scheduling.
• Consider your design experience and choose a platform with a user-friendly interface and learning curve.
• Compare free and paid plans to find one that fits your budget and usage needs.
• Ensure the platform allows for enough customization to maintain your brand identity.
• If collaboration is crucial, check for features that facilitate teamwork and sharing within the platform.

The 10 best Adobe Express alternatives are,

1. Simplified

Source: Simplified

Simplified is one of the best graphic design and video editing tools available. For starters, their basic plan is free forever, perfect for beginners and learners. It’s easy to use even if you have no previous experience in design. With Simplified, you can create anything, scale your business, and work with your team in new ways.

Simplified has thousands of font styles and design elements to choose from. With their extensive resource collection, which contains millions of pictures, you can easily edit templates to fit your brand tone.

Adobe Express also has a free plan. However, you do not get access to all of its features unless you sign up for a paid subscription. Simplified basic plan, on the other hand, is free forever. And it gives you access to cutting-edge tools like its remarkable AI. The AI writer can help you create the best headlines for your ads and blogs. You can also generate images from text with the new AI image generator.

Remove backgrounds, create animations, and resize photos with a single click! Plus, access Simplified in-app publishing and scheduling feature to create and distribute all of your content on the same platform.

Simplified also has 1000s of built-in templates that make your content creation a breeze. You can find a perfect template for any occasion.

Use Template

Use Template

In short, Simplified is a powerful Adobe Express alternative. Try it today and get ready to create an impact with powerful designs and videos.

Pricing: Simplified offers a Free Forever plan with all the basic features. However, the Pro plan starts from $9 per month.

Bonus: 5 Epic Ingredients For A Successful Social Video Marketing Strategy

2. Vimeo

Source: Vimeo

Vimeo is another Adobe Express alternative. It’s a video marketing platform. So, the templates are with business goals in mind, e.g. announcements, sales, boosting traffic, etc.

You can customize these preset layouts, and make movies from scratch using your content. It is simple as they use Google Photos, Dropbox, and other professional tools. Vimeo even has advanced options to apply your brand theme to videos.

Cons

• Vimeo restricts the overall amount of storage you have access to. The amount you receive is determined by the plan you select.
• If you want to download or share your creations, you must sign up for a paid membership plan.

Pricing: The Starter plan for Vimeo starts at $12/user per month. They offer a 30-day free trial to help you explore the features.

3. BeFunky

Source: BeFunky

BeFunky is one of the best graphic design tools for creating digital advertisements and posts for social media. It includes a free media library with photographs, vector illustrations, and a few other assets. It has filters, a photo collage tool, and lets you publish directly to your social media channels.

Cons

• The free version of BeFunky is limited and full of advertisements referring you to BeFunky Pro.
• It’s only a good fit for individuals with previous graphic design experience.

Pricing: The paid plan starts at $6.99 and is quite a great Adobe Express alternative. The paid plan has more features like the intuitive One-Click Image Enhancer and the Collage Wizard.

4. Snappa

Source: Snappa

Snappa is another excellent Adobe Express alternative that you can try. This tool helps to make social media graphics, blog post photos, digital banners, and more. It has a built-in collection of millions of stock images, typefaces, themes, and design components and is easy to use.

Snappa is web-based and works on a PC or Mac. However, there is no app available for smartphones or mobile devices. Still, it is decent for inexperienced social media marketers and bloggers who don’t mind working on a desktop.

Cons

• It does not work on smartphones or mobile devices.
• It may not be the best option for high-end creators because of the basic plan.

Pricing: The Pro plan of Snappa starts at $10 per month.

Bonus: The Best Alternative to Snappa: Simplified (Free forever) vs Snappa ($120 Paid Annually)

5. Animoto

Source: Animoto

Animoto is a simple, cloud-based video editor ideal for teams and individuals with a limited marketing budget. It turns your photographs and videos into slideshow-style videos with pre-designed slides and transitions.

It features a wide collection of templates and has a straightforward drag-and-drop interface. You can use it to create everything from movies to photo albums. 

Cons

• Animoto is not the best option for business projects.
• The designs can feel limited and difficult to customize.

Pricing: The basic plan starts at $8 per month.

6. RelayThat

Source: RelayThat

RelayThat is a great Adobe Express alternative for firms that don’t employ an in-house designer. It allows you to generate visuals for blog articles, social network accounts, banners and postings, posters, and other purposes.

You get a wide range of templates you can edit to your liking by adding your own logo and brand colors. You can also add stock pictures, fonts, and graphics from their collection and quick image fixes like filters and effects. RelayThat allows you to work with other team members and save your custom settings to use them in subsequent creations.

Cons

• It is not the most budget-friendly.
• It does not have the option to resize to a custom resolution.
• Editor options like changing line spacing, text height, etc., are limited in this tool.

Pricing: The Pro plan starts at $15 per month.

7. Fotor

Source: Fotor

Fotor is a graphic design tool that includes one-click filters, photo effects, and templates for social media images and canvas design. You can also find interesting, personal-project-related features like a collage maker. It’s a simple resource for quick image adjustments and social post images. It is available on both the web and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Fotor is a good option for photographers who wish to edit and advertise their photographs swiftly. However, it is not ideal for professional designers as they may be looking for more features.

Cons

• The free version is constantly bombarded with ads which can be distracting.
• The free version has limited features.
• There are no ready-to-use templates.

Pricing: The pricing for Fotor starts at $8.99 per month.

Bonus: The best free alternative to Fotor: Simplified (Free Forever) vs. Fotor ($39.99 paid annually)

8. Pablo by Buffer

Source: Pablo

Pablo by Buffer is a free graphic design tool that can help you create stunning content in less than 30 seconds. It is a web-based solution, but you can also download a Chrome plug-in. Pablo is particularly popular among entrepreneurs and influencers. This application has a large library of stock photos that you can use to customize a design template of your choice.

Above all, Pablo values simplicity. However, it also means the editor has limited options in terms of templates, typography, picture style, and scaling.

Cons

• Advanced design editing features are missing with this free tool.
• The design options are limited in terms of sizes, text placeholders, and filters.

Pricing: Free

9. Design Wizard

Source: DesignWizard

DesignWizard is the perfect Adobe Express alternative for beginning graphic designers. With an easy-to-use interface and no upfront costs, it’s the perfect choice for those who want to get started in design. 

DesignWizard gives you access to a large database of images, as well as over 10,000 free templates; plus, you can quickly create custom ones. However, the best features are only available once you upgrade to the paid version.

Cons

• Many advanced design features are missing.
• It is expensive for beginners.

Pricing: The Pro plan of Design Wizard starts at $9.99 per month. 

10. Krita

Source: Krita

Krita is an advanced, free, open-source painting program designed to give professionals the edge to make exceptional graphics. With a feature-rich toolset and customizable user interface, Krita has been acclaimed by many users for its comprehensive resource management abilities. 

For businesses looking for specialized features or those in need of straightforward options, other software may be more suitable.

Thanks to generous donations from the designer community at large, Krita continues its development and remains one of the premier options for graphic design impact. As such, it can be a great Adobe Express alternative.

Cons

• It can be slightly difficult for beginners.
• There are no AI features like Simplified.

Pricing: Free

The Only Adobe Express Alternative You Need!

While there are plenty of Adobe Express alternatives out there, Simplified is the best when it comes to modern content requirements. This all-in-one design tool is specially designed to cater to all your needs related to content in one place. You can create awesome graphic designs and excellent copies for your ads. You can even edit videos and publish your content online.

Simplified is the fastest and easiest tool to help you begin your content creation journey. You can add more team members and manage your projects from one place as you grow. It is the best design and content platform and an excellent project management tool!