Apps

What are Canva apps? Why create them?

Apps are plugins that adds features to Canva. They run in the browser and are built with standard web technologies, such as REST APIs and JavaScript.

These are some examples of apps:

  • Bitmoji - Add Bitmoji avatars to your design.
  • Duotone - Apply a two-color palette to your images.
  • Pinterest - Post designs to your boards on Pinterest.

You can find more examples at canva.com/apps.

Canva provides a number of extensions that let developers hook into different parts of Canva.

By integrating with these extensions, an app can:

A single app can support multiple extensions, enabling it to seamlessly integrate with the entire Canva experience.

Some apps, such as Pexels, have features that aren't covered in the documentation. This is because we've created these apps internally at Canva, which means they have access to internal APIs.

If a feature isn't documented, you can assume that it's not publicly available. Over time though, our goal is to improve parity between internal and external apps.

There are many reasons to create an app:

  • Reach a huge (and active) audience of millions of users.
  • Build incredible tools for an exciting (and fast-growing) platform.
  • Create features to improve your own Canva experience.

If you're using Canva as part of a team, there are even more benefits:

  • Create apps that are only available to members of your team.
  • Create apps that integrate with your team's internal tools.
  • Manage apps created by members of your team.

Users can find apps:

  • In the editor, via the More tab, Edit image panel, or Publish menu.
  • Outside of the editor, via canva.com/apps.

Canva also runs experiments to increase the discoverability of apps by surfacing them at various points in the user experience.