Canva, a popular creative software company, has reported significant growth in its user base and revenue, driven by its investment in artificial intelligence and expansion into new markets.
The company ended 2025 with more than 265 million monthly active users and over 31 million paid users, representing a 20% year-over-year increase in monthly active users. According to Cliff Obrecht, co-founder and chief operating officer of Canva, the company reached $4 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of the year.
Canva’s B2B segment, which includes companies with more than 25 seats, grew by 100% year-over-year, reaching $500 million in annual recurring revenue. The majority of its revenue is generated from North America, but the company continues to see growth in international markets. To increase the number of paying subscribers, Canva introduced lower-priced subscription tiers in specific countries, including Pakistan, Uruguay, Morocco, and Jamaica.
The company’s investment in artificial intelligence has yielded significant user engagement. Canva launched a tool allowing users to create mini apps and websites using AI, which currently has more than 10 million monthly active users. As a result of this traction, Canva is shifting its strategic focus from a “design platform with AI tools” to an “AI platform with design tools.” Obrecht described this evolution as positioning Canva as a “cursor for design” and a “design agency in your pocket.”
Despite its growth, Canva is facing increased competition from Adobe, Freepik, and Apple. Apple recently introduced a Creator Studio bundle priced at $12.99 per month, which packages apps such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.
To drive acquisition, Canva is integrating with chatbots. By October 2025, users had more than 26 million conversations with the Canva app on ChatGPT. Canva ranks as a top 10 referred domain from ChatGPT. The company is allocating resources to improve visibility in Large Language Model (LLM) search results alongside traditional search engine optimization. LLM referral traffic currently accounts for a double-digit percentage of Canva’s traffic.
Canva was last valued at $42 billion following a share sale. Obrecht indicated that the company plans to go public within the next couple of years.
