Canva Code may not be the first platform that springs to mind when discussing artificial intelligence in coding, but by 2025, it has positioned itself to compete with some of the leading AI firms in this space. AI-assisted coding is still emerging, yet the past two years have seen an explosion of platforms offering these capabilities. Major tech players like Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Amazon have rolled out chatbots that can write, edit, analyze, and debug code, as well as provide previews within integrated development environments (IDEs).
In April 2025, Canva launched Canva Code as part of a revamped platform that includes an AI-driven spreadsheet tool. This offering serves as a low-code/no-code solution, enabling users to create websites, dashboards, apps, and basic interactive designs using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Although Canva venturing into coding may seem unusual, it aligns well with the company’s core purpose as a visual communications platform expanding into user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. After using Canva Code for about a month, I will share its strengths, weaknesses, potential use cases, and whether the Rs. 500 monthly fee for a Canva Pro subscription justifies the investment. Let’s delve into the details.
Canva Code Design and User Experience: Refreshingly Simple
Canva Code is part of the premium offerings available to subscribers. To access it, users simply navigate to the home page and click on the Canva AI icon to enter the chatbot interface. A feature labeled “Code for me” activates the coding assistant, although users can start generating code directly if their prompt specifies a website or dashboard.
Canva Code interface design
The feature’s placement is fairly central, allowing immediate access for users, but I initially struggled to find it due to the lack of a dedicated menu option akin to those for Sheet, Doc, or Whiteboard. A more visible icon leading to Canva Code would significantly enhance user discovery.
The user experience is engaging and straightforward. Unlike Gemini or ChatGPT, there is no need to select a specific model, as Canva handles that automatically. After entering a prompt, users immediately access the IDE with a visible code generation process. The ability to preview the front-end and export it with minimal clicks enhances usability.
In summary, Canva’s familiar and intuitive design style is evident in Canva Code. Once you learn how to navigate to the feature, generating your desired project becomes easy. However, there are aspects that could be improved, as discussed in the next section.
Canva Code Strengths: Visually Stunning
While I lack a formal coding background, my experience with the platform allows me to assess usability, responsiveness, and overall experience rather than technical accuracy. This aligns with Canva Code’s target audience—users seeking to create appealing web content without extensive knowledge of JavaScript, CSS, or HTML.
Canva Code generates visually aesthetic and fluid front-end
One notable advantage of Canva Code is its focus on visual design, which is often overlooked in other coding tools. Each generated design—even for websites, apps, or dashboards—feels professional and artistically crafted, featuring well-balanced layouts, paired fonts, and appealing buttons. I appreciated the polished output, a quality sometimes missing in other tools like Figma-to-Code converters.
Furthermore, Canva Code embodies the no-code philosophy perfectly. Should users wish to modify something, they can simply update the prompt without needing to make adjustments manually. During my trial, I created an anime dashboard in under 10 minutes from initial concept to final output, including a website and app interface.
Additionally, users within the Canva ecosystem can import brand assets, colors, icons, and images seamlessly, removing the need for manual input of these resources.
Canva Code Weaknesses: Things That Need to Be Improved
Despite its advantages, Canva Code has several limitations. A primary drawback is the inability to edit the generated code directly. While it can be helpful to instruct the chatbot on modifications, describing a visual concept in words can be challenging. This situation highlights the need for a function that allows users to adjust the code manually.
Another limitation is that Canva Code focuses solely on front-end development. It does not encompass back-end logic, databases, user authentication, or third-party plugins and does not incorporate frameworks like React, Next.js, or Vue. Additionally, the coding assistant struggles with creating complex interactive elements.
I tasked Canva Code to generate an anime dashboard
These restrictions imply that while Canva Code is suitable for basic front-end projects, creating more sophisticated websites or scalable applications can be challenging. Lastly, I also noted that Canva Code’s code output tends to be unnecessarily verbose; given the same prompt, it produces more lines of code than comparable tools like Gemini or ChatGPT. This verbosity could lead to performance issues, especially since editing is not an option.
Canva Code: Comparison With Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude
For a fair comparison, my evaluation of Canva Code included Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude’s free versions. I provided all four platforms with the same prompt to create a dashboard and assessed their outputs based on visual quality and adherence to the request.
Specifically, I asked the chatbots to create an anime tracker dashboard, allowing me to monitor new episode releases and track my viewing statistics. The prompt requested a visually appealing interface with detailed insights on genres, studios, hours watched, and the latest anime news.
Canva Code excelled in visual appeal, generating eye-catching icons for categories and a modern font that ensured the dashboard was user-friendly and uncluttered. It effectively fulfilled all aspects of my request.
Claude’s take on the anime dashboard
Claude, powered by Claude Sonnet 4, came closest to the ideal dashboard. It utilized React for back-end development, incorporated visually appealing front-end elements, and maintained an intuitive layout. However, the button placements in certain sections could be improved.
Gemini’s attempt at the anime dashboard
While Gemini produced a functional dashboard, it lacked in visual aesthetics, offering a more basic layout that fulfilled the requested elements without glitches. ChatGPT, on the other hand, delivered a rudimentary design that was visually unappealing, reminiscent of outdated forum layouts, with mere statistics for analytics.
ChatGPT generated a straightforward dashboard without much visual consideration
In conclusion, both Gemini and Claude’s free versions produced output similar to Canva Code. While I cannot assess the quality of the code, the visual presentation was notably better with Canva. However, it is likely that the more complex tasks would favor Google and Anthropic’s chatbots.
Canva Code: Verdict
I approached my review of Canva Code with some skepticism, but my experiences while using the tool revealed two significant insights. Firstly, Canva Code is not tailored for experienced coders; its limitations and inefficiencies may lead to frustration for those seeking more control.
On the other hand, for hobbyists, educators developing a class website, marketers designing dashboards, or influencers curating aesthetic pages, Canva Code delivers visually appealing outputs. It may not be equipped to create next-gen applications like Spotify or Instagram, but it effectively supports simpler projects such as birthday invitation pages, landing sites, or interactive resumes.
Canva’s core strength lies in this space, and its coding assistant succeeds in delivering compelling results. Regarding the subscription cost, frequent users of Canva or those needing to create web content for social media marketing will find value in the Canva Code offering. For others, free alternatives may suffice.
