Gamma suits people who want AI to build a presentation, doc or simple website from a prompt, but its Free plan gives 400 credits at signup rather than a monthly allowance, and up to 10 slides per prompt. Canva suits people who design many kinds of content by hand, with a Free plan covering 1,000+ design types, 1.6M+ templates and up to 20 AI uses. Ask whether you want AI to draft or to help you design.
Both tools make slides that look far better than a blank deck, and both now lean on AI. They work in different ways, though. I read Gamma's plans page and Canva's plans page, and the facts below come from those pages.
Gamma and Canva free plans compared
| Gamma | Canva | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, Free | Yes, Free |
| AI on free | 400 credits at signup | Up to 20 Standard or Premium AI uses |
| Slides per prompt | Up to 10 on Free, 100 on Plus | Not applicable |
| What you can make | Presentations, docs, websites, social posts, images | 1,000+ design types |
| Templates and stock | Not stated on the plans page | 1.6M+ templates, 4.7M+ photos, videos, graphics and audio |
| Imports and exports | Import PDF and PPTX; export PDF, PPTX, PNG, Google Slides | Not covered in the plan summary |
| Remove tool branding | From Plus | Not stated |
| Brand tools | Custom branding on Pro | 1 Brand Kit (3 colours) on Free |
Gamma: AI drafts the whole thing
Gamma's Free plan is for simple projects and getting to know the tool, with no card needed. You get 400 credits at signup, up to 10 slides per prompt, simple presentations, docs, websites, social posts and images, imports from PDF and PPTX, and exports to PDF, PPTX, PNG and Google Slides.
Plus adds 1,000 credits every month, up to 100 slides per prompt, advanced AI image models and removes Gamma branding. Pro adds 4,000 credits a month, premium image models, custom branding, analytics, advanced sharing, up to 10 custom domains and API access. On upgraded plans, unused credits roll over up to twice the monthly amount.
Canva: you design, AI helps
Canva's Free plan covers one person with a drag-and-drop editor, 1,000+ design types, 1.6M+ templates and 4.7M+ photos, videos, graphics and audio. It includes 1 Brand Kit limited to 3 colours, access to Affinity, 5GB of cloud storage, up to 20 AI uses and Canva Offline.
Pro adds AI tools such as resize, translate and background removal, 3.6M+ templates, 141M+ premium stock items, 5 Brand Kits, social content scheduling, 100GB of storage and ten times the AI of Free. If you already use it, here's how to add a table in Canva.
One-off credits against monthly uses
Here's the line on Gamma's plans page that matters most. The Free plan's 400 credits arrive at signup, and the monthly credit allowances belong to upgraded plans. Gamma also says the credits an action uses vary with the model and the length of what you create. So Gamma Free is a generous trial of the AI, not a free tool you'll keep using every week.
Canva's Free plan works the other way: the AI allowance is small, up to 20 uses, but the editor, templates and stock library are free to keep using.
Who each tool suits
Gamma suits consultants, founders and trainers who need a clear, good-looking deck or one-page site fast and are happy to edit what the AI drafts. Canva suits marketers and small business owners producing social posts, flyers, slides and short videos every week. For more options, see my roundup of free AI presentation makers.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
My advice on picking between them
Try both with the same brief: a short deck for your next pitch. Write the brief in Gamma and see how much of the draft you keep. Build the same deck from a Canva template and time how long it takes. If Gamma's draft saves you real time, it's worth using; if you rewrote most of it, Canva's templates are the better fit for how you work.
Do you make presentation or design tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gamma free?
Yes. Gamma's Free plan includes 400 credits at signup, up to 10 slides per prompt and exports to PDF, PPTX, PNG and Google Slides.
Does Gamma's free plan refresh credits every month?
Gamma's plans page lists 400 credits at signup on Free. Monthly credits are listed on Plus, Pro, Ultra and Business.
Is Canva free?
Yes. Canva's Free plan includes 1,000+ design types, 1.6M+ templates, 4.7M+ stock items, 5GB of storage and up to 20 AI uses.
Can I export a Gamma deck to PowerPoint?
Yes. Gamma's Free plan exports to PPTX, as well as PDF, PNG and Google Slides.
Can I remove Gamma branding for free?
No. Gamma lists removing its branding on the Plus plan.
