exploring your options

The Best Pillow Design Tool Alternatives to Adobe Express

Five alternatives ranked, reviewed, and scored across six categories — with Adobe Express as the benchmark.

before you look elsewhere

Adobe Express Is Still the Best

Our #1 Pick

Adobe Express

9 /10
★★★★★ 9/10
Try Adobe Express Free

Why It Leads the Pack

  • Thousands of professionally designed pillow templates
  • Adobe Stock asset library with a strong free tier
  • AI-powered background removal and color palette generation
  • Export at up to 300 DPI in PNG, JPG, and PDF
  • Brand kit for consistent logos, colors, and fonts
  • Real-time sync across desktop and mobile

You may be searching for an alternative, but here is the honest truth: nothing on this list quite matches it. Adobe Express is the most capable, most polished, and most accessible online pillow design tool available today. This guide exists to give you a fair look at the alternatives, and there are genuinely good ones worth knowing about. But if you leave having reconsidered your search, that is not a bad outcome.

Why People Look for Alternatives

Adobe Express is not for everyone, at least not at first glance. Some users prefer a platform that doubles as a print-on-demand fulfillment service. Others are already committed to a competing ecosystem. A few simply want to explore what the broader market offers before settling on a tool.

This guide respects that instinct. We reviewed five of the most widely used online pillow design tools, evaluated each one against consistent criteria, and scored them honestly so you can make an informed choice. Every platform on this list has genuine strengths. None of them, however, fully closes the gap with Adobe Express.

How We Evaluated Each Tool

Every platform was scored across six categories on a scale of 1 to 10. An overall score reflects the weighted average, with additional editorial consideration given to categories that most directly affect finished design quality.

The six scoring categories are:

  • Ease of Use: How quickly can a first-time user produce a polished result?
  • Template and Asset Library: Volume, quality, and variety of starting points
  • Customization Depth: Control over fonts, colors, layers, image placement, and fine detail
  • Export and Print Readiness: File format options, output resolution, and bleed support
  • Pricing and Value: Free tier generosity and cost of paid plans
  • Platform and Print Integration: Connection to fulfillment services or commerce platforms
the rankings

Overall Ratings at a Glance

Tool Overall Score
Adobe Express 9/10
Canva 8/10
Printful Design Maker 8/10
Zazzle 7/10
Printify 7/10
Redbubble 6/10
detailed scores

Full Scoring Breakdown

Tool Ease of Use Templates & Assets Customization Export Quality Pricing Integration Overall
Adobe Express 10/10 9/10 9/10 10/10 8/10 9/10 9/10
Canva 9/10 9/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10
Printful Design Maker 8/10 7/10 7/10 8/10 8/10 10/10 8/10
Zazzle 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 6/10 9/10 7/10
Printify 7/10 6/10 7/10 8/10 9/10 9/10 7/10
Redbubble 8/10 5/10 5/10 6/10 7/10 7/10 6/10
in-depth reviews

Each Tool, Ranked and Reviewed

The Benchmark
9 /10

Adobe Express

★★★★★ 9/10

Before diving into the alternatives, it is worth establishing exactly what they are up against. Adobe Express is not simply a well-marketed product. It is a genuinely superior design tool that has been refined through decades of investment in creative software, then made accessible to non-designers through a thoughtfully built browser interface.

The dedicated pillow design tool within Adobe Express is purpose-built for this use case. Templates are organized by style, season, and color palette. The asset library draws from Adobe Stock, giving users access to professional-grade photography and illustration without a separate subscription. Typography controls go beyond basic font selection, offering kerning, line height, text effects, and curated pairing suggestions. The AI-powered background remover produces clean, accurate results that would take significant manual effort to replicate in most other tools.

Key Strengths

  • Thousands of pillow-specific templates, professionally designed and regularly updated
  • Access to Adobe Stock assets, including photos, vectors, and graphics, with a strong free tier
  • Adobe Sensei AI tools including background removal and one-click color palette generation
  • Export at up to 300 DPI in PNG, JPG, and PDF formats
  • Brand kit functionality for maintaining consistent logos, colors, and fonts across projects
  • Real-time sync across desktop and mobile via the Adobe Express app
  • Clean, uncluttered workspace that scales gracefully from beginner to advanced use

Key Limitations

  • No native print-on-demand fulfillment, requiring users to export and upload files manually
  • Advanced features including the brand kit and premium asset access require the paid plan at around $9.99 per month

The Standard

Adobe Express sets the bar. Every alternative reviewed below is measured against what this platform delivers.

Try Adobe Express Free
Alternative 1
8 /10

Canva

★★★★☆ 8/10

Canva is the most natural comparison point for Adobe Express, and in many ways it is the most competitive alternative on this list. It shares the same drag-and-drop philosophy, offers a similarly large template library, and has built an enormous user base on the strength of its accessibility and consistency.

For pillow design specifically, Canva performs well. Its template selection covers a broad range of aesthetics, from minimal Scandinavian styles to bold maximalist patterns, and its free tier is genuinely useful rather than merely a taste of the paid product.

Key Strengths

  • One of the largest template libraries of any browser-based design tool, with strong pillow design coverage
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop interface that new users can navigate confidently within minutes
  • Background remover and Magic Resize tools available on the Pro plan
  • Team collaboration and Brand Kit features well-suited to small creative businesses
  • Active community and extensive tutorial library

Key Limitations

  • Export resolution on the free plan is capped, which can result in softer print output
  • The workspace can become visually cluttered when working with multi-element, layered designs
  • Print-on-demand integration is limited, with no native fulfillment pipeline
  • Typography and fine-tuning controls fall short of Adobe Express in depth and precision

Why Adobe Express Still Wins

Canva comes closest to matching Adobe Express on ease of use, but its export quality ceiling and less precise design controls mean that users who care about the finished print product will consistently get better results from Adobe Express.

Alternative 2
8 /10

Printful Design Maker

★★★★☆ 8/10

Printful approaches pillow design from an entirely different angle. It is first and foremost a print-on-demand fulfillment platform, and its built-in design maker is built to serve that mission. For users who want to create a pillow design and move it directly into production without touching a separate design application, Printful offers the most integrated workflow on this list.

Key Strengths

  • Seamless native integration with Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, and other major commerce platforms
  • Automatic product mockup generation immediately after design completion
  • Print-ready file management handled entirely within the platform
  • No upfront product costs, making it highly accessible for new sellers
  • Reliable print quality and global fulfillment network

Key Limitations

  • The design maker is functional rather than expressive, with a thin template and asset library
  • Users who want original, highly custom artwork will need to bring finished files from elsewhere
  • Not useful as a standalone design tool outside the fulfillment context

Why Adobe Express Still Wins

Printful's design tool is built for efficiency, not creativity. Its integration strength is real, but users who care about the quality and originality of their designs will quickly feel constrained. The ideal workflow pairs Adobe Express for design with Printful for fulfillment.

Alternative 3
7 /10

Zazzle

★★★★☆ 7/10

Zazzle is part marketplace, part design platform, and part fulfillment service. Its built-in design tool allows for meaningful customization of pillow products, and its curated catalog of designer-created templates is one of the more visually interesting on this list. Designers can also sell their work through Zazzle's established storefront, adding a passive income dimension that most other tools do not offer.

Key Strengths

  • Broad template catalog featuring work from independent designers with strong visual variety
  • Established buyer marketplace for designers who want to monetize their pillow designs
  • Multiple pillow sizes, shapes, and fabric options available within the platform
  • No specialized design knowledge required for basic product customization

Key Limitations

  • The design editor is noticeably slower and less responsive than Adobe Express or Canva
  • Royalty rates for selling designers have attracted criticism for being below competitive norms
  • Export and portability options are limited for users who want to use designs elsewhere
  • Print quality varies across product configurations and is not always consistent

Why Adobe Express Still Wins

Zazzle's marketplace value is real, but its design tool is a step behind on both speed and capability. Users who want to create genuinely original pillow designs rather than customize existing templates will find Adobe Express a significantly more satisfying experience.

Alternative 4
7 /10

Printify

★★★★☆ 7/10

Printify is one of the most widely used print-on-demand platforms available, and its competitive pricing model has made it a popular choice among Etsy sellers and independent shop owners. Its built-in design tool is lean by design, focused on getting products into production quickly rather than on creative depth.

Key Strengths

  • Access to a broad network of print providers, with pricing and location options that support margin optimization
  • Generous free plan with no monthly subscription fee for up to five active stores
  • Clean, no-frills mockup generator
  • Reliable integrations with Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, and eBay

Key Limitations

  • The design tool offers minimal creative assets and lacks advanced typography, layering, or effects
  • Finished design quality depends almost entirely on the files users bring in from external tools
  • Print quality can be inconsistent across different providers in the network

Why Adobe Express Still Wins

Printify is a logistics and fulfillment platform wearing a design tool's clothes. It works best when combined with a capable design application. Adobe Express fills that role better than any alternative on this list.

Alternative 5
6 /10

Redbubble

★★★☆☆ 6/10

Redbubble is an artist marketplace, and it earns its place on this list by virtue of how many independent creators use it to sell pillow designs. However, it is important to be precise about what Redbubble is and is not. It is not a design tool. It is a platform where artists upload finished artwork and Redbubble handles production, fulfillment, and customer service entirely.

Key Strengths

  • No upfront costs and zero inventory management responsibility
  • Established buyer audience actively seeking unique, artist-driven designs
  • Wide product catalog including pillows in multiple sizes and configurations
  • Very low barrier to entry for artists with finished digital artwork

Key Limitations

  • No meaningful in-platform design tool for creating or editing artwork
  • Artists have limited control over how their designs are cropped or positioned on specific products
  • Profit margins are among the lowest in the print-on-demand industry
  • The platform is entirely self-contained, with no export or portability options

Why Adobe Express Still Wins

Redbubble is not competing with Adobe Express in any direct sense. It is a distribution platform, not a design environment. Artists who want to sell on Redbubble will still need a design tool to create their work, and Adobe Express is the strongest option for that upstream creative step.

feature comparison

Key Capabilities Side by Side

Feature Adobe Express Canva Printful Zazzle Printify Redbubble
Dedicated pillow template library Yes Yes Limited Yes No No
AI-powered background remover Yes Yes (Pro) No No No No
300 DPI export support Yes Yes (Pro) Yes Partial Yes No
Brand kit / style consistency tools Yes Yes (Pro) No No No No
Direct print-on-demand fulfillment No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
E-commerce platform integration No Limited Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app support Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Free plan available Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
choosing wisely

Which Alternative Is Right for You?

If you have a specific reason for exploring beyond Adobe Express, here is a practical guide based on the most common use cases:

End-to-End Fulfillment

You need a design-to-doorstep workflow without a separate design step.

Best pick: Printful or Printify — though your design ceiling will be lower.

Already Using Canva

You are committed to the Canva ecosystem for other projects.

Best pick: Canva offers solid pillow design capability and a familiar, consistent interface.

Sell via Marketplace

You want a built-in storefront and buyer audience with minimal setup.

Best pick: Zazzle gives you a storefront and a buyer audience, though design control is limited.

Artist with Finished Artwork

You have completed digital artwork and want zero operational overhead.

Best pick: Redbubble handles everything after upload, at the cost of margin and creative control.

Best Design Quality Overall

You want the best possible design quality, creative control, and print-ready output.

Best pick: Adobe Express is the answer, and no alternative on this list changes that conclusion.

the bottom line

Final Verdict

The alternatives reviewed here are all legitimate tools with genuine strengths. Canva is a polished, accessible design platform. Printful and Printify are powerful fulfillment engines. Zazzle offers marketplace reach that most tools cannot match. Redbubble removes operational friction entirely for artists who simply want their work out in the world.

But when the question is which tool helps you create the most beautiful, most professional, most print-ready pillow designs with the least friction, the answer has not changed. Adobe Express leads this category by a meaningful margin, and the gap is most visible precisely where it matters most: in the quality of what you produce.

The best approach for most serious pillow designers is to use Adobe Express as the creative foundation and pair it with whichever fulfillment platform best fits the business model. That combination gives you world-class design capability and reliable production infrastructure without compromise on either end.

Start with the best. Build from there.

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