Creative Fabrica Studio Review: Is it better than Canva?

My Canva subscription expires soon, and I am trying to find a new graphic design tool that works for me, especially for designing blog banners. I tried Adobe Express for a while and now I discovered this design tool called Studio by Creative Fabrica that seems to be a good switch.

Creative Fabrica Studio is a good Canva alternative, a bit less and quite a bit more.

Based on my experience with the tool, I have prepared this Creative Fabrica Studio review to help you decide whether or not to switch to it.

If you don't have the slightest idea, Creative Fabrica is essentially a marketplace for niche designers that offers bundles of design assets at affordable prices or via an all-in-one subscription.

On first impression, Creative Fabrica Studio looks like a great tool for the Creative Fabrica team. It is made to target niche designers of existing popular tools like Canva, Adobe Express, Visme etc. and targets to replace those as an alternative. It's also branded as just Studio or Spark Studio, (Spark is the AI that powers Creative Fabrica Studio).

Does it succeed, or is it a letdown? We'll see that in the later parts of the Creative Fabrica Studio review. But first, let's see what my first impressions of the tool were.

First Impressions

By the time I am writing this piece, CF Studio promises to encourage designers to go beyond the ordinary. The landing page is well-designed and properly illustrates what it offers to be. I was surprised that there were no mentions of the Creative Fabrica Studio on the Creative Fabrica homepage.

The problem is that when you click on "Start Designing", CF Studio confusingly becomes Spark Studio — taking the name from Spark, the AI powering it. However, there should have been a continuity in naming.

I had these three name variations of the product in three clicks.

1. Creative Fabrica Studio
2. Studio
3. Spark Studio

Having differing names is not a good idea, in my opinion.

Coming to the product itself, it was a riveting experience to see Layers in an online editor being shown predominantly. All design tools have these, but they choose to hide for the convenience of laymen.

Here's what a Blank Design page looks like:

There is a dark mode too, which looks a way better.

The first thing I attempted was the Spark AI. It works without even a login.

Spark AI is fast, and like Canva, it renders four images at once.

I went on to try the tool extensively and designed a graphic in a minute.

It looked great and was void of any garbage options that I didn't need. I went on to try the Spark Studio for a couple of hours and soon became fond of it.

A lot comes into mind when you design a graphic and considering all the aspects, Studio feels a right pick for any designer. It has everything Canva offers and if not better it meets the features Canva hands-on.

Let's see the features that Creative Fabrica Studio offers and what I made of each.

Features

Vectorizer

The first thing that you'd notice in the Spark Studio or CF Studio is a nice V on top. It is a vectorizer that (obviously) converts bitmap/rasterized images (PNG, JPEG etc.) to Vector Graphics. It's really handy if you are a vector artist or just looking to create a scalable vector graphic from a raster image.

Interface

The Studio Interface, which you can see above, is well-thought out with proper use of tooltips and popovers to help you around. From what I could test, it had everything a designer needed and nothing she didn't.

Templates

Creative Fabrica is a marketplace for designers, and this marketplace seems to have been deeply integrated into Studio. The number of templates may not be as many as those are in Canva at the moment, but the variations surely outshine Canva.

Spark AI

Almost every design tool is now powered with AI and Spark Studio is not an exception. Spark AI is much more than just text to image creation tool. Spark AI also has the ability create transparent PNG images by removing image backgrounds. This image background remover worked really well on even complex images.

Graphics

Like Canva, Studio has two types of graphics in its library — free and pro. This part needs real work as the number of graphics available isn't comparable with Canva at all. For photo elements, you should rather switch to Photos tool.

Elements, Photos, Background and Patterns

Elements in Studio were also limited and you will have to bring your own if you were looking for more design freedom. I was told that the team is adding new graphics and elements and will soon be of sufficient quantity for users to try out.

The photos section, on the other is packed with stock photos, all available for commercial licensing. All photos are sortable and filterable.

The Background menu offers ways to add an image or vector background to your design.

Patterns are, as the name suggests, used to insert continuous patterns in the designs where needed.

Uploads

This is the section in Studio, which allows you to upload, save and use assets for later.

Draw

You can also draw into your designs in the CF Studio. There are highly configurable pens, sketch pencils, highlighter and eraser tools available for you to pick from.

Other Features

Creative Fabrica Studio has these key features listed:

• Add Emoji to Photo
• Add Text On Image
• AI Inpainting Tool
• Animate Pictures
• Background Remover
• Black and White Filter
• Blur Background
• Blur Image
• Change the Color of the Image
• Change Photo Background Color
• Circle Crop
• Combine Images
• Crop Image
• Crop JPG
• Crop PNG
• Darken Image
• Edit PDF
• Image Enhancer
• JPEG to JPG Converter
• JPEG to SVG Converter
• JPG to PDF Converter
• JPG to PNG Converter
• Mirror Image
• Overlay Images
• Photo Filter Effects
• PNG to JPG Converter
• PNG to SVG Converter
• Remove Background from Logo
• Resize icon
• Resize JPEG
• Resize Photo for Instagram
• Resize PNG
• Rotate Image
• Sharpen Image
• SVG File Converter
• Transparent Background Maker
• Unblur Image
• Watermark to Photos

Export

CF Studio allows you to export graphics in PNG, JPG, and PDF formats. There is no SVG export option available at this time, but the Vectorizer tool offers easy ways to convert any image into an SVG.

License

Graphics created with CF Studio are commercially available for use without restrictions. The only restriction is that you cannot resell the individual elements. Here's what it reads:

The only limitation is that you are not allowed to take a single asset (e.g. a graphics), place that on a plain background, export and sell just that.

So, it's basically a "do whatever you want" license, just don't resell single assets.

Pricing

CF Studio offers a 30-day free trial, after which you will be charged $9 per month for pro access. But if you go for their current offer, you can get CF Studio, unlimited access to 160,000+ fonts and unlimited access to 8.5 million graphics.

Versus Canva

Pricing: Canva is a full-fledged graphic and video design tool available at $12.99 per month in comparison to Creative Fabrica Studio, which is just $3.90 per month. Canva's total features and number of assets definitely win over CF Studio due to heavy investments made in the tool but for its price Studio is worth what you're paying for.

Specialized Design Assets: Creative Fabrica Studio stands out with its vast collection of specialized design assets. This includes a wide range of fonts, graphics, and craft designs that might be more diverse or specialized than what you find on Canva. For users looking for unique or niche design elements, Creative Fabrica might be the better choice.

Crafting and Physical Product Design: The Creative Fabrica website is a leader in the crafting and physical product design space. It offers extensive resources for users interested in embroidery, knitting, and other crafts. If your projects involve physical products or crafting, Creative Fabrica could offer more tailored resources than Canva.

Commercial Use Licensing: While both platforms offer resources that can be used for commercial purposes, Creative Fabrica is known for its straightforward and generous licensing terms for commercial use. This can make it a more attractive option for businesses planning to use designs extensively in their products or marketing.

Content Variety for Specific Niches: Creative Fabrica caters to a variety of specific niches, providing assets that might not be as readily available on Canva. If your work requires specific types of design elements or if you're catering to a niche market, Creative Fabrica might have more to offer.

Creative Fabrica Studio	Canva
Pricing: $9/month for pro access, with a special offer including unlimited fonts and graphics.	Pricing: $12.99/month for comprehensive graphic and video design tools.
First Impressions: Encourages designers with a well-designed landing page and a slightly confusing name change from Creative Fabrica Studio to Spark Studio.	General Overview: Well-established with a user-friendly interface and a massive asset library.
Vectorizer: Converts images to Vector Graphics, handy for vector artists.	Features: Offers a wide range of features, but does not include a vectorizer.
Interface: Thoughtfully designed with useful tooltips and popovers.	Interface: User-friendly, catering to both designers and non-designers.
Templates: Not as many as Canva, but variations outshine.	Templates: Extensive library with a wide variety of options.
Spark AI: Beyond text to image; includes transparent PNG images creation and background removal.	AI Tools: Offers AI-powered design suggestions and content generation.
Graphics: Limited compared to Canva, but new additions are in progress.	Graphics: Extensive library of free and pro graphics.
Elements, Photos, Background, and Patterns: Limited elements but rich in stock photos available for commercial licensing.	Assets: A massive library of elements, photos, backgrounds, and patterns.
Other Features: Includes a wide range of editing and design tools like emoji addition, AI inpainting, animation, and more.	Features: Comprehensive set of design and editing tools, including video editing capabilities.
Export: Allows exporting in PNG, JPG, and PDF formats. No SVG export currently available.	Export: Supports various formats, including video export options.
License: Commercial use allowed without restrictions, except reselling individual assets.	Commercial Use: Offers resources for commercial use, but with less straightforward licensing than Creative Fabrica.
Specialized Design Assets and Crafting: Vast collection tailored for niche markets, particularly strong in crafting and physical product design.	General Use: More generalized asset collection, not as focused on niche or crafting markets.
Value for Money: High value for those needing unique assets and generous licensing.	Value for Money: Good for a broad user base and extensive features, but more expensive.
Verdict: Recommended for designers seeking creativity, unique assets, and crafting. Offers a unique edge in design and licensing.	Verdict: Suitable for users needing a wide range of features and assets, with a massive user community.

So, on overall graphic design and AI design comparison, I find Creative Fabrica Studio to be a great alternative to Canva.

Creative Fabrica Studio Review: Verdict

But is it better than Canva?

Well, "better" is in the eye of the beholder—or in this case, the designer. Canva's got quantity and a massive user base. But CF Studio? It's like the designer's choice for those who need that extra edge in creativity and craftsmanship without breaking the bank.

CF Studio is worth a shot if you're all about crafting unique designs, digging into niche markets, or simply tired of the same old templates everyone else is using. It's not about ditching Canva for good but about having that extra tool in your belt that speaks your design language.

So, yeah, Creative Fabrica Studio packs a punch for those who design with purpose and passion. Whether it’s a side-by-side with Canva or as your main squeeze, it’s all about what works best for your design flow.