Canva is one of the most popular design tools today, with over 220 million monthly active users.
With this tool, you can create impressive graphics and videos for every need. Canva is a great choice for designing social media posts, printable designs, customizable templates, and more.
You’re probably pondering how to make money with Canva. Can you sell the design you create? Are there any legal restrictions?
We’ll answer these questions in this article. We’ll also share 12 actionable strategies on how to use Canva to make money.
Let’s get started.
Why Canva Is a Great Tool to Start Earning
First, let's examine the benefits of using Canva to launch a successful side hustle.
Free and Easy-to-Use Design Interface
Canva is a free and beginner-friendly design platform. Even those with no professional designing skills or experience can create impressive designs. Gain access to thousands of free images, templates, and design styles.
With the easy drag-and-drop editor, you can create expert-level designs with just a few clicks. Understanding how to monetize Canva allows you to earn thousands every month.
Commercial Licensing and Pro Features
One of the biggest advantages of using Canva is that you can use all the free and pro content for commercial purposes. Canva’s Content License Agreement (CLA) allows users to incorporate these assets into unique designs. These designs can then be sold as digital or physical products.
However, you’re not allowed to sell stock images, templates, or AI-generated content as is. You must incorporate such content into your design to create unique products like customized phone cases, planners, campaign banners, and more.
Works for Digital and Physical Products
Canva is a feature-rich platform for creating digital and physical products. Customize templates to make unique designs for T-shirts, drinkware, wall art, niche gifts, and hundreds of other products. Create a trendy catalog with these designs and start a print-on-demand business with minimal investment.
However, if you’re a freelance designer or creator, the way to make money with Canva is by using it to design attractive templates, social media banners, logos, and more.
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12 Best Ways to Make Money with Canva
Now, let’s explore 12 actionable strategies on how to make money on Canva in 2025.
1. Sell Canva Templates on Etsy or Gumroad
If you’re wondering how to make money on Etsy with Canva, it's easier than you think. Use your creativity and design skills to create trendy templates. Sell them on design marketplaces like Etsy or Gumroad to make money.
Once you become a Canva Creator, start creating impressive templates. You can design templates for social media posts, ad banners, invites, business cards, planners, and many more. Focus on these things while creating your templates to attract buyers:
- Prioritize clean design and easy customization
- Get creative with visuals and fonts
- Stay updated about industry trends
- Test and refine your products regularly
2. Create and Sell Wall Art and Posters
Canva offers millions of free and licensed assets that you can use to create beautiful artwork. Wall art, posters, and mixed media artwork are some of the most popular products to make and sell online.
If you’re a beginner, explore Canva’s free design features to start creating printable designs. You can sell your work directly on Etsy as downloadable art.
However, consider using POD service providers like Podbase to turn your designs into physical wall art and posters. Podbase will handle the fulfillment process, so you can earn more revenue.
3. Design Social Media Graphics for Clients
If you want to learn how to earn money from Canva, don’t forget about social media. Do you need to create Stories, Reels, Instagram posts, TikTok videos, daily vlogs, or campaign banners for your clients? Use Canva’s dedicated tool to design a variety of social media content.
It also offers templates in various formats, tailored for specific platforms. Thus, you can create graphics quickly to start making money on Canva.
4. Sell Digital Planners and Journals
When thinking about how to make money using Canva, digital products always come to mind. You can create digital planners like a monthly planner, an academic planner, a diet planner, a financial planner, and more. You can then sell these customized digital planners and journals at a competitive price.
5. Make and Sell Printable Calendars
Another lucrative way to make money on Canva is by designing and selling printable calendars. People love the idea of downloading beautiful, ready-to-use calendars in a few minutes. You can cater to such potential customers.
As the competition is tough, you need to come up with creative and professional designs to attract buyers. Offering competitive prices can also help boost your sales.
6. Create and Market Ebooks
Canva isn’t just a platform for creating graphics and printable products. You can use the platform’s unique features to design ebooks and earn a passive income. Use Canva to design a customized cover for your ebook.
Image via Canva
You can experiment with elements and layouts to complement your ebook’s theme. Customize the templates with suitable images and illustrations. Publish your ebook and market it on platforms like Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books, as well as Etsy and Gumroad.
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7. Offer Canva-Based Logo or Branding Services
Want to know how to use Canva to make money quickly? Offer logo design and branding services to startups and small businesses.
You can use Canva’s free features to create meaningful and unique logos and offer branding services. Create customized letterheads, envelopes, flyers, notepads, folders, and much more.
You can sell your work directly on places like Creative Market or reach out to clients on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer.
8. Launch a Canva Template Shop on Shopify
Start a Canva template shop on Shopify to reach a wider audience. This would require some preparation, though. First, you need to create dozens of templates for different categories. Examples include templates for social media posts, email, invitations, certificates, and many more.
After learning how to create Canva templates to sell, focus on launching your store. Use Shopify’s store builder to launch your online store and integrate it with Canva. Market your templates on multiple channels and start selling.
9. Sell Canva Worksheets and Educational Resources
Canva can be used creatively for educational purposes. You can create interesting and thought-provoking educational resources. Teachers and parents can use these to enhance a child’s learning.
Use free templates to create worksheets, infographics, charts, and mind maps to make learning more interesting. Consider creating bundled learning kits for different topics or classes to offer better value for money.
10. Monetize Canva Tutorials on YouTube or TikTok
Once you become a pro, you can teach others how to make money with Canva. You can create Canva tutorials on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok that will benefit thousands of users.
You’ll eventually be able to monetize these tutorial videos. However, it takes a lot of work and time to reach that stage. First, you need to be proficient in using Canva. Secondly, you need at least 1,000 followers on YouTube to monetize your videos.
11. Design Business Cards and Event Stationery
Wondering how to earn in Canva in a short time? Learn to design business cards and stationery for your clients. Quirky, minimalistic, or professional, you can design any kind of business card using Canva templates.
Event stationery is a popular category to make money using Canva. Create customized stationery kits for events like birthdays, weddings, product launches, and store openings. Create theme-based printable product bundles, including banners, invitations, and thank-you cards. These low-cost, high-value products are in great demand.
12. Use Canva Pro to Create Video Content for Brands
Go beyond graphics and explore Canva’s video creation tool. Free account users can use templates to create and edit simple videos. However, they need to upgrade to Canva Pro to access the full array of video creation and editing features.
Use these AI-powered tools to create impressive and professional-grade videos for your clients. We recommend gaining an in-depth understanding of video-making to be successful at this side hustle.
Legal Tips - What You Can and Can’t Sell with Canva
Here’s what you need to know about Canva’s licensing rules and sales guidelines before using it to make money.
Licensing Rules for Free vs. Pro Assets
Canva free account holders can access thousands of free templates. These are enough for beginners to experiment with. If they want to use any of the Pro assets, they need to make a single-use payment.
However, Canva Pro users get free access to all assets.
Guidelines for Selling Templates vs. Printed Designs
You can’t sell Canva templates as they are. You’re required to customize existing templates or design new ones using free and paid assets before selling them. The same guidelines apply if you’re selling printables or creating designs for POD products.
Real-World Examples from Canva Sellers
Canva is home to tens of thousands of Canva Creators. They use existing and self-designed assets to create free and paid templates. Every time someone uses their paid assets, Canva pays them commission.
Margie Nancy, Aplum Studio, and Sofi Moyano are just a few popular Canva Creators.
Canva contributors can also upload unique graphics, images, and videos to the Canva marketplace as free or paid design elements. They earn royalties when you use their licensed assets.
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Quick Tips to Maximize Profit
Take note of these useful tips to create professional-level designs using Canva.
- Use Canva templates to create your products. As they’re made by seasoned designers, you can use them to easily produce high-quality products.
- As a beginner, choose a niche instead of trying multiple categories. Easier niches like educational printables, event stationery, and POD designs are all great options.
- Do thorough research and test different marketplaces. This helps you understand demand and offer competitive pricing.
- Always choose to create product bundles rather than sell individual products. This offers better value for customers and a higher profit margin for you.
Final Thoughts: Is Canva Worth It for Making Money?
Simple tools and a user-friendly interface make Canva a great graphic design platform for beginners. With enough creativity and the drive to start a side hustle, you can make decent money using Canva.
Start by using free templates to create simple products like planners, printables, educational resources, business cards, and event stationery. Choose a niche and understand audience expectations. Provide high-value products at a low price to attract more customers.
Consider creating trendy and meaningful designs for POD products like wall art, clothing, phone or laptop cases, and drinkware. You can turn your Canva side hustle into a print-on-demand business with minimum investment. Talk to the Podbase team to learn how they can help start your business.
Saulius Meilutis is the CEO of Podbase, helping creators and entrepreneurs monetize their ideas with print-on-demand. He shares insights on eCommerce, growth, and building lean online businesses.
