To use Napkin AI, sign up free at napkin.ai, paste your text into a new document and hover over a paragraph. Click the blue Generate Visual button on the left, pick one of the suggested visuals and a style, and it's added to your document. Export it as PNG, PDF, PPT or SVG.
Napkin is different from most AI image tools because you don't write a prompt. Napkin's own homepage puts it simply: forget prompting, it works directly from your text. You give it a paragraph about your process, your offer or your results, and it suggests diagrams, flowcharts, mind maps and charts that show the same idea visually. That makes it ideal for blog posts, slides, LinkedIn carousels and proposals.
Step 1: Sign up and start a document
- Go to napkin.ai and choose Get Napkin Free.
- Start a new document.
- Paste or import your text. The free plan includes unlimited file import from PPT, DOC, PDF, HTML and MD files.
Short, structured text gives the best visuals. A paragraph that lists steps, compares options or describes a cause and effect turns into a far clearer diagram than a general paragraph of opinion.
Step 2: Generate a visual
Napkin's help centre describes three simple steps:
- Hover over a block of text and click the blue Generate Visual button that appears on the left. To use only part of the text, select it first, then click the button.
- After a few seconds, a list of visuals made from your text appears. Scroll through and pick your favourite, then choose a style for it.
- Click the visual you want and it's added to your document.
Here's the kind of text that works well:
Paste text like this
Our onboarding takes four steps. First, a 20-minute discovery call. Second, we audit your current website and social profiles. Third, we agree a 90-day plan with three priorities. Fourth, we start weekly check-ins and report results every month.
Because it's a clear sequence of four steps, it gives Napkin something it can draw as a process, and the result can go straight into a proposal or a sales page.
Step 3: Make it yours
Napkin says nothing in a visual is fixed. You can change any colour to match your brand, take the visual apart and reshape every element, and edit the wording inside it. The free plan includes unlimited editing, built-in styles, fonts and icons. If you want your own brand colours and fonts applied every time, the Brand Studio handles that, and you can upload your own fonts on the Pro plan.
Step 4: Export and use it
| Format | Best for | On the free plan |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Blog posts, social media, emails | Unlimited |
| Proposals and printouts | Unlimited | |
| PPT | Dropping into a slide deck | Paid plans |
| SVG | Websites and designers who need to scale it | Paid plans |
Free plan exports carry Napkin branding. Paid plans remove it and add unlimited PPT and SVG exports, as of October 2026.
What to make with it
Napkin lists the visual types it creates as infographics, diagrams, mind maps, flowcharts and data charts, and the places people use them as presentations, blogs, social media and documents. For a small business, a few uses stand out:
- A how-we-work diagram for your services page or proposals.
- A comparison visual for a blog post that weighs up two options.
- A simple chart or step graphic for a LinkedIn carousel.
- A mind map that turns messy meeting notes into a plan your team can follow.
On the paid plans you also get premium AI image models, and Plus includes three Brand Styles so your visuals stay consistent across a team.
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How the free plan credits work
This is the part most people miss. Napkin's free plan is free forever, but it runs on AI credits, and they're weekly, not monthly. As of October 2026, Napkin's pricing page says:
| Plan | Price | AI credits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free forever | 500 a week |
| Plus | $9 per person a month | 10,000 a month |
| Pro | $22 per person a month | 30,000 a month |
Prices are in US dollars. Napkin says roughly 1 credit is charged per word you select for generation, and that this may change. So a 100-word paragraph uses about 100 credits, and the free 500 a week covers around five paragraphs of that size. Select only the sentences you need for each visual to make your credits go further. Annual billing saves 25%.
Tips for better results
- Write one idea per paragraph. Napkin draws what you select, so a paragraph that mixes three ideas gives a muddled visual.
- Use numbers and sequence words such as first, then and finally when you want a process.
- Use comparison words such as whereas or compared with when you want a side-by-side visual.
- Generate, then edit. It's quicker to fix a label inside a good visual than to keep regenerating and spending credits.
Privacy note
Napkin's pricing FAQ says it won't use your data to train its models if you opt out of data sharing, and that information used to power the app is shared with AI subprocessors only to provide its features. If you paste client details into a document, check that setting first.
For diagrams you'll keep editing with a team, this Lucidchart guide covers a dedicated diagramming tool and its trial.
My verdict
Napkin is one of the quickest ways to turn a written explanation into a diagram people understand at a glance. Write the text first, select tight chunks of it, and use the free plan for blog and social visuals before deciding whether you need SVG or PPT exports. For other ways to visualise a process, see my guide on how to make a flowchart in Word, and for full decks try my roundup of AI presentation makers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Napkin AI free?
Yes. Napkin's free plan is free forever and includes 500 AI credits a week, unlimited editing and unlimited PNG and PDF exports, as of October 2026.
Do I need to write prompts in Napkin AI?
No. Napkin works from your text. Paste it in, hover over a block and click Generate Visual.
How many credits does Napkin use?
Napkin says roughly 1 credit per word you select for generation, though this may change.
Can I export Napkin visuals to PowerPoint?
Yes, on paid plans, which include unlimited PPT and SVG exports. The free plan exports PNG and PDF.
Can I remove the Napkin branding?
Yes, by upgrading to the Plus plan or above. Free plan visuals carry Napkin branding.
