Gaslamp vs CanvaCanva designs anything. Gaslamp keeps one menu right.
Canva is the better general design tool, full stop. The question is what happens in week three, when the oysters go up two dollars and the QR on the table still opens the old file.
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Side by side, as of September 2026.
Every Canva fact below comes from Canva’s own site, checked on September 27, 2026. Where they do not say, we write “not listed” instead of guessing.
| Canva | Gaslamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | CanvaFree: US$0. Pro: US$144 a year for one person. Business: US$250 a year per person. Monthly billing is offered; we did not verify those prices. | Gaslamp$19 a month, or $190 a year. |
| Free option | CanvaYes, a free plan. Free trials of Pro and Business are offered. | Gaslamp30-day free trial, no card. The live demo of the editor is free with no account. No free plan. |
| Menu templates | CanvaOver 16,000 menu templates, per its menu template page. That count includes wedding and event menus. | GaslampEight restaurant designs, each made for a kind of place. Start from the sample menu in one and type your dishes over it. |
| QR menus | CanvaA free QR code generator, static or dynamic. A dynamic code lets you change the destination URL without changing the design. | GaslampOne code per menu that never changes. Five code styles. Printable table tents, window signs, and counter cards. |
| Hosted menu page | CanvaNo menu-specific page. A general website builder with hosting. | GaslampYes. A hosted menu page for each menu, rebuilt whenever you edit. |
| Print PDF | CanvaYes, PDF export. Printed menus can be ordered from Canva, from $9.00. | GaslampYes, print-ready. PDF downloads start with a paid plan. |
| Who edits after launch | CanvaYou do, in a general design editor. Each price change is an edit to the layout. | GaslampYou do, in a menu editor with a live preview. The PDF, the page, and the QR menu follow each edit. |
| Priced per | CanvaPer person. | GaslampPer account. Multiple menus on either plan. |
Sources, checked September 27, 2026: Canva pricing · Canva menu templates · Canva QR code generator · Canva websites · Gaslamp pricing. Prices in US dollars. Vendors change plans; check their page before you buy.
Where Canva wins
It designs everything else too
Flyers, social posts, the specials board, the wine dinner invite. One tool, one login, one bill.
A real free plan
You can design and export a menu without paying anything. Gaslamp has a trial, not a free plan.
Total layout freedom
Every text box, photo, and shape moves where you drag it. Gaslamp gives you eight designs and design controls, not a blank canvas.
It prints and ships
Canva sells printed menus. Gaslamp gives you the PDF and you take it to a printer.
Where Gaslamp is different
The menu is a menu, not a layout
Dishes, prices, and sections are entries in an editor. Change a price and the design reflows; nothing to nudge.
Print and phone come from one edit
The PDF, the hosted menu page, and the menu behind the QR are the same menu. There is no second file to forget.
A design made for your room
Pick one of eight restaurant designs and type your dishes over its sample menu. No text boxes to place, no layout to fight.
Weighing more than two? Read the roundup of eight menu tools.
Whichever you pick, the free QR code menu generator works with the menu you have today, and our price update guide lists every place a price lives.
Gaslamp and Canva, straight answers
- Is Canva free for restaurant menus?
- Canva has a free plan, and you can design and export a menu on it. Pro is US$144 a year for one person, per canva.com/pricing in September 2026. Gaslamp has a 30-day free trial, then $19 a month or $190 a year.
- Can I move a menu from Canva into Gaslamp?
- Yes. Copy the menu text out of your Canva design, or out of the PDF you exported, and start your Gaslamp menu from that text. It gets you a head start; you tidy up the sections, dishes, and prices in the editor.
- Does a Canva QR code update when my menu changes?
- Canva offers dynamic QR codes whose destination URL you can change. You still have to update the menu itself somewhere and point the code at it. A Gaslamp code opens the Gaslamp hosted menu, which changes when you edit the menu.
- Should I use both?
- Plenty of restaurants could. Canva for flyers and social posts, Gaslamp for the menu that has to be right every night.
Try both with your real menu. Keep the one you actually update.
No card needed · then $19/mo or $190/yr · cancel anytime