Home › Course guides › Canva vs PowerPoint
This guide is published by Intellisoft. We run several of the courses recommended here. · Last updated 16 October 2026
Short answer: take a PowerPoint course if most of your work is slide decks for managers, clients or meetings, and a Canva course if you mainly make social posts, posters and marketing visuals. Create PowerPoint Presentations (14 hours) costs S$195 after 70% funding or S$295 after 50% funding. Master Canva Designs (16 hours) costs S$312 after 70% funding or S$472 after 50% funding. If you do both jobs, many people learn PowerPoint first and add Canva later.
Canva or PowerPoint: how they compare
| Canva | PowerPoint | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Non-designers making good-looking marketing visuals quickly | Business presentations, reports and data-heavy slides |
| Typical outputs | Social posts, posters, flyers, short videos, simple decks | Slide decks, handouts, training slides, animated presentations |
| Templates | Large library of ready-made designs | Built-in themes plus your own slide masters |
| Collaboration | Browser-based; share a link and edit together | Co-author through Microsoft 365 and OneDrive or SharePoint |
| Offline use | Mainly online; there is a desktop app | Works fully offline on your computer |
| Brand control | Brand Kit for logos, colours and fonts (paid plans) | Slide masters and templates lock in your company look |
| Software cost | Free plan, plus paid Pro and Teams plans | Part of Microsoft 365 |
Many people use both. You can design visuals in Canva and download a deck as a PowerPoint file, then present or edit it in PowerPoint.
Which one should you learn?
- Choose PowerPoint if your company shares decks as .pptx files, you present to managers or clients, or you work with charts and tables. It is also the safer skill for an office job.
- Choose Canva if you are a marketer, SME owner or admin who posts on social media, makes posters or needs on-brand visuals without a designer.
- Need to speak better, not just design better? A business presentation skills course teaches structure and delivery, which no software course covers.
What to check before you book
- Funding. SSG-funded (WSQ or SkillsFuture-registered) courses carry a course reference starting with TGS. Singapore Citizens aged 40+ and SME-sponsored staff get 70% off the course fee; other eligible Citizens and PRs get 50%. SkillsFuture Credit, SFEC and UTAP can cover more of the balance.
- Level. PowerPoint has a beginner course and an advanced one. Check which suits your current skill.
- Hands-on time. Look for courses where you build real work in class, not a lecture with demos.
- Your software version. Ask which version of PowerPoint or which Canva plan the course uses, and whether you can practise on it.
- Trainer. Ask who teaches and how learners rate them.
Our recommendations
Slides for work: Create PowerPoint Presentations (WSQ-funded)
Run by Intellisoft Training Pte Ltd at Fortune Centre, 190 Middle Road (Bugis). Beginner level, for anyone who builds slides for work. You build clear, professional presentations with layouts, themes, visuals and slide masters. Rated 4.6/5 from 239 learner reviews.
| Duration | 14 hours (2 days), classroom |
|---|---|
| Full fee | S$500 + 9% GST (S$545) |
| With 70% funding | S$195 incl. GST (Citizens 40+, SME-sponsored staff) |
| With 50% funding | S$295 incl. GST (other eligible Citizens and PRs) |
| Course reference | TGS-2022017402 |
| Upcoming dates | 2–3 Nov 2026 · 10–11 Dec 2026 |
See the full outline and register for Create PowerPoint Presentations →
Social posts and marketing visuals: Master Canva Designs (WSQ-funded)
Run by Intellisoft Training Pte Ltd at Fortune Centre, 190 Middle Road (Bugis). Beginner level, for non-designers who create social posts, presentations and marketing visuals. You design logos, brand kits, social posts, short videos and presentations in Canva, including its AI tools. Trainers are rated 4.7/5 by learners.
| Duration | 16 hours (2 days), classroom |
|---|---|
| Full fee | S$800 + 9% GST (S$872) |
| With 70% funding | S$312 incl. GST (Citizens 40+, SME-sponsored staff) |
| With 50% funding | S$472 incl. GST (other eligible Citizens and PRs) |
| Course reference | TGS-2024043447 |
| Upcoming dates | 19–20 Oct 2026 · 5–6 Nov 2026 · 7–8 Dec 2026 |
See the full outline and register for Master Canva Designs →
Next step in PowerPoint: Mastering PowerPoint Presentations (WSQ-funded)
Run by Intellisoft Training Pte Ltd at Fortune Centre, 190 Middle Road (Bugis). Intermediate level, for PowerPoint users who want polished, animated, on-brand decks: design principles, animation, morph, master templates and data visuals. Trainers are rated 4.7/5 by learners.
| Duration | 14 hours (2 days), classroom |
|---|---|
| Full fee | S$600 + 9% GST (S$654) |
| With 70% funding | S$234 incl. GST (Citizens 40+, SME-sponsored staff) |
| With 50% funding | S$354 incl. GST (other eligible Citizens and PRs) |
| Course reference | TGS-2022017401 |
| Upcoming dates | 22–23 Oct 2026 · 26–27 Nov 2026 · 17–18 Dec 2026 |
See the full outline and register for Mastering PowerPoint Presentations →
Compare more options in the Intellisoft course finder.
Related courses
- Deliver Impactful Business Presentations: 16 hours, for structuring and delivering presentations that persuade. Rated 4.5/5 from 210 learner reviews.
- Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) With CoPilot: 24 hours over 3 days, if you need Word and Excel as well as PowerPoint.
Other ways to learn Canva and PowerPoint
- Canva Design School and Microsoft’s free tutorials (the software makers’ own lessons): good for personal use and quick tips. No trainer, no funding needed.
- Udemy, Coursera and LinkedIn Learning: self-paced video courses from overseas instructors. Cheap or subscription-based, but not eligible for SSG course-fee funding in Singapore and there’s no one to check your work.
Not sure which course fits? Compare all our courses by topic, level, fee after funding and next dates, or answer three quick questions.
Get your funded fee and next class dates
Tell us what you want to learn. A course adviser replies within 1 working day with the fee after SkillsFuture/WSQ funding, the next dates and which level suits you. Or call +65 6252 5033.
Check your SkillsFuture Credit balance on MySkillsFuture, and see SkillsFuture Credit rules on the SkillsFuture Singapore site.
Frequently asked questions
Is Canva better than PowerPoint for presentations?
Not always. PowerPoint suits internal decks, charts and tables, and works offline. Canva is quicker for good-looking pitch decks and visuals when design skill is limited. Many teams use both.
Should I learn Canva or PowerPoint?
Learn PowerPoint if your job is mainly presentations and reports. Learn Canva if you mostly make social posts, posters and marketing graphics. If you do both, start with the one you use most each week.
Can I use SkillsFuture for a Canva or PowerPoint course?
Yes, if the course is SSG-registered. Master Canva Designs (TGS-2024043447) and Create PowerPoint Presentations (TGS-2022017402) both are. Singapore Citizens aged 25+ can use SkillsFuture Credit to pay the nett fee after funding.
How much does a Canva or PowerPoint course cost in Singapore after funding?
Create PowerPoint Presentations: S$195 with 70% funding, S$295 with 50% funding, or S$545 without funding. Master Canva Designs: S$312, S$472 or S$872. Mastering PowerPoint Presentations: S$234, S$354 or S$654 (all including GST).
Is Canva free?
Canva has a free plan, and paid Pro and Teams plans with extra features. Brand Kit is on paid plans. PowerPoint is part of Microsoft 365, so check whether your employer already provides it.
Can I turn a Canva design into a PowerPoint file?
Yes. Canva can export a presentation as a PowerPoint (.pptx) file, so you can edit it in PowerPoint. Check the result, as some effects and fonts may change.
Can you train our whole team in-house?
Yes. Call +65 6250 3575 (Intellisoft Systems) or +65 6252 5033 (Intellisoft Training Pte Ltd) to arrange a private class for your company. SFEC can be used for company-sponsored training.
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