5 Game-Changing Canva Apps You Should Be Using

Canva’s great out of the box — but once you tap into its built-in apps, everything gets faster, smoother, and more fun to design. These are five of my go-to tools for making workflows easier and visuals feel more professional — without extra effort.

5 Canva Apps – Cover
Canva

1) Calendar Maker

Design a calendar in minutes — the app handles all the formatting, so you don’t have to nudge dates manually.

What it does

  • Builds month/year grids automatically.
  • Applies your brand colors and fonts.
  • Ideal for planners, promos, and content calendars.
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Pro tip: create a master “content calendar” template and duplicate for each month to stay consistent.
How to use it
  1. Open Apps → Calendar Maker.
  2. Choose the month/year and your brand style.
  3. Lock the grid; add events as separate text layers.
Planning Templates Branding
Canva

2) Wave Generator

Add organic, flowing shapes in seconds to soften hard edges and create movement.

What it does

  • Generates smooth wave shapes for backgrounds or dividers.
  • Quick way to add elegance without hand-drawing curves.
  • Great for headers, slides, and landing sections.
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Pro tip: layer a subtle gradient over your wave and drop opacity to ~70% for a premium feel.
How to use it
  1. Open Apps → Wave Generator.
  2. Pick amplitude/smoothness; set brand colors.
  3. Place behind text and adjust transparency for contrast.
Backgrounds Slides Brand Feel
Canva

3) Frame Maker

Give images structure, depth, and polish with styled frames that instantly elevate your layout.

What it does

  • Drop photos into clean, customizable frames.
  • Perfect for mockups, portfolios, and social graphics.
  • Creates separation and hierarchy in busy layouts.
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Pro tip: combine frames with subtle shadows to simulate depth without looking heavy.
How to use it
  1. Open Apps → Frame Maker.
  2. Choose a frame style; drop in your image.
  3. Use consistent corner radii across your design.
Mockups Portfolios Social
Canva

4) Ikonik

Find sleek, matching icons fast — keep branding consistent without hunting across sites.

What it does

  • Large library of clean, consistent icons.
  • Easy to match weights and styles.
  • Perfect for infographics, buttons, and navigation.
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Pro tip: set a brand icon size (e.g., 24px) and stick to it site-wide for a unified feel.
How to use it
  1. Open Apps → Ikonik.
  2. Search for your concept; choose a matching set.
  3. Apply brand color and align with text baselines.
Icons UI Consistency
Canva

5) Mockups

Show designs in real-world scenes — no Photoshop needed. Great for client previews and product promos.

What it does

  • Places your work into laptops, packaging, apparel, and more.
  • Makes presentations look polished and real.
  • Boosts perceived value of your work instantly.
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Pro tip: pick mockups that match your audience context (e.g., mobile screens for social apps, print for pitch decks).
How to use it
  1. Open Apps → Mockups and choose a scene.
  2. Upload your design; fit into the placeholder.
  3. Adjust lighting/shadow to match your piece.
Showcase Clients E-commerce
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