Microsoft Designer
Free AI design tool from Microsoft with image generation and one-click layouts.
Visit Microsoft Designer Free with a Microsoft account (daily boosts); more with Microsoft 365
Quick verdict
- Best for
- Casual users making quick graphics
- Pricing
- Free with a Microsoft account (daily boosts); more with Microsoft 365
- Not ideal if
- Fewer templates and brand tools than Canva
What is Microsoft Designer?
Microsoft Designer is a free, browser-based design app that generates images from prompts, suggests complete layouts for social posts, invitations, and banners, removes backgrounds, and restyles images, using OpenAI models. Included with Microsoft 365 and free with a Microsoft account.
Key features
- Text-to-image and image restyling
- AI-suggested layouts for common formats
- Background removal and erase
- Sticker, avatar, and greeting-card generators
- Integrated with Microsoft 365 apps
Pros
- Completely free for casual use
- Layout suggestions are quick and good enough for social
- Familiar to Microsoft 365 users
Cons
- Fewer templates and brand tools than Canva
- Daily generation boosts run out
- Less control than a real design tool
Best for
Casual users making quick graphicsMicrosoft 365 households and small officesAnyone who wants free AI image generation with layouts
Alternatives to Microsoft Designer
Canva Magic Studio
4.4
Canva's bundle of AI tools that write, generate, and resize your designs so you don't have to.
FreemiumFree tier limited, Canva Pro from $13/mo for full Magic Studio access
Released July 2026
Adobe Express
Adobe's quick-design app with Firefly generation built into every template.
FreemiumFree; Premium $9.99/mo
Released December 2021
Bing Image Creator
Microsoft's free image generator powered by DALL-E 3.
FreeFree
Released October 2023