The closest alternatives to Microsoft Designer (in Microsoft 365) on Lister are Canva and Adobe Express, the companies that share the most rankings with it. Each is compared below on its stated best fit, starting price and Lister Score.
How to choose an alternative to Microsoft Designer (in Microsoft 365)
Start from what you need it for. Where each fits best, as Lister records it:
- Canva: Quick designs and social media content for non-designers
- Adobe Express: Integrated graphic design
- Gamma: Fast, modern presentations
- Headshot Pro: Professionals wanting premium AI headshots without studio sessions
- Looka: Sleek and modern aesthetic designs
- Beautiful.ai: Professionals needing strict design guardrails
- Brandmark: Tech startups needing high-end vector branding
- Fotor: Quick web-based editing
- Haiku Deck: Educators, non-profits, and small businesses seeking fast, visually appealing slides without design training
- Tome: Narrative pitch decks
Closest to Microsoft Designer (in Microsoft 365) by the rankings they share: Canva (3 rankings) and Adobe Express (2 rankings).
Free to start, by their stated pricing: Canva, Gamma, Haiku Deck and Tome.
Stated starting prices: Adobe Express ($9.99 per month), Headshot Pro ($29 one-time), Looka ($20 one-time), Beautiful.ai ($12/month), Brandmark ($25 one-time) and Fotor ($8.99 per month).
Each Lister Score is the alternative's score on the ranking named in its row, so compare scores within one ranking rather than across rankings. How the score is made.
Each alternative in brief
01
Empowering the world to design.
#4 in Top 10 AI LinkedIn-Photo Generators: Canva's AI photo generator and extensive template library allow professionals to create brand-consistent LinkedIn content. Includes background removal, photo editing, and design elements all in one platform.
PROS- Extremely easy to use with thousands of templates
- Generous free tier with cloud storage
CONS- Limited advanced editing tools for professionals
- Many premium assets require a paid subscription
88.0
02
Quickly create standout content from thousands of beautiful templates.
#2 in Top 10 AI LinkedIn-Photo Generators: Adobe Express combines AI photo generation with professional design tools, allowing users to create and edit LinkedIn photos, banners, and graphics seamlessly. Integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud for enhanced workflows.
PROS- Free tool is remarkably capable
- Direct access to broader Adobe fonts and graphics
CONS- Requires creating an Adobe account to download
92.7
03
#1 in Top 10 AI Slideshow Creators: Gamma uses generative AI to automatically format, style, and enhance slides as you write. It learns your content and suggests layouts, designs, and visual hierarchies in real time, eliminating tedious manual formatting.
PROS- Extremely fast generation
- Clean, modern aesthetic templates
CONS- Limited advanced design customisation
95.0
04
Professional AI headshots in minutes
#1 in Top 10 AI LinkedIn-Photo Generators: Headshot Pro generates studio-quality LinkedIn photos from casual selfies using AI, offering multiple styling options and backgrounds. Users upload 10-20 photos and receive dozens of polished headshot variations ready for LinkedIn.
PROS- Produces highly realistic, professional-looking results
- Fast turnaround with instant downloads
CONS- One-time pricing model may feel expensive versus subscription alternatives
95.0
05
Design your own brand with AI
#1 in Top 10 AI Logo Designers: Looka uses machine learning trained on millions of professional designs to generate unlimited logo variations. Users input brand details and Looka produces cohesive, adjustable designs in seconds. The platform emphasises speed and affordability whilst maintaining professional quality.
PROS- Clean, contemporary user interface
- Generous brand kit integration
CONS- Cannot download high-res files without paying
95.0
06
#2 in Top 10 AI Slideshow Creators: Beautiful.ai provides a library of professionally designed templates enhanced by AI that automatically adjusts spacing, alignment, and styling. It focuses on enterprise teams needing consistent brand-compliant output.
PROS- Enforces clean design principles
- Extensive smart slide library
CONS- Less creative layout freedom
92.7
07
AI-powered logo design and branding
#2 in Top 10 AI Logo Designers: Brandmark combines AI generation with interactive editing, allowing users to guide the design process. The platform learns from user feedback in real-time, refining suggestions. It bridges fully automated and bespoke design, offering both speed and customisation control.
PROS- Excellent color palette and font pairing suggestions
- Full vector source files included
CONS- Interface has a steeper learning curve than rivals
92.7
08
Online photo editor and graphic designer.
#3 in Top 10 AI LinkedIn-Photo Generators: Fotor offers AI headshot generation alongside broader photo editing capabilities. Users can create professional LinkedIn photos with various backgrounds, styles, and enhancements through an intuitive web interface.
PROS- User-friendly interface
- Includes many bonus AI tools like photo enhancers
CONS- Free version includes ads and watermarks
90.3
09
Beautifully simple presentations in minutes, powered by stock imagery AI
#3 in Top 10 AI Slideshow Creators: Haiku Deck emphasises minimalist design and automatic image curation using AI. It strips away complexity to let users focus on core messaging, with one-click stock image selection aligned to your topic.
PROS- Fastest time-to-presentable-deck; minimal learning curve
- Generous free tier with zero paywalls on core slide creation
CONS- Design customisation more limited than Gamma or Beautiful.ai
- Fewer advanced data visualisation and interactive options
90.3
10
#4 in Top 10 AI Slideshow Creators: Tome combines generative AI content creation with presentation design, allowing users to write prompts and automatically generate entire presentations with text, visuals, and speaker notes. It focuses on narrative-driven storytelling.
PROS- Great narrative structure
- Built-in AI image generation
CONS- Export options can be restrictive
88.0