A few years back Canva acquired Adobe alternative provider Serif/Affinity bringing them in closer competition to the near monopoly Adobe holds on graphics software. Yesterday Canva acquired another company called Cavalry, creators of an Adobe After Effects alternative for creating motion graphics. They also announced the acquisition of MangoAI.
Details of the acquisition from the Canva announcements:
Today, we’re accelerating that evolution even further with the acquisitions of Cavalry and MangoAI: expanding our professional creative suite and deepening our AI and marketing capabilities. Together, Cavalry and MangoAI strengthen both sides of modern creativity: intelligent systems that make content smarter, and powerful tools that give professionals greater control.
Building a full-stack creative ecosystem for professionals
In 2024, we welcomed Affinity to Canva, bringing professional photo editing, vector design, and layout into our growing creative suite. Last year, we launched the all-new Affinity, and since October, it has surpassed five million downloads, a clear signal that designers are looking for an alternative to expensive and fragmented legacy tools.
Affinity has built an incredible creative suite covering photo, layout, and vector editing… but one important piece was missing from the puzzle. Today, we’re completing it with the acquisition of Cavalry. Based in the UK, they’ve built a modern 2D animation and motion tool loved by professional designers across the globe.
Motion has become foundational to how brands communicate, from product launches and social campaigns to AI-powered storytelling and enterprise marketing. Yet for many teams, advanced motion design remains the final barrier that forces fragmented workflows across multiple platforms.
By bringing Cavalry alongside Affinity, we’re closing that gap and unlocking a complete professional suite spanning photo, vector, layout, and now motion editing. Together, these tools form the foundation of a full-stack Creative OS for professional work, while preserving the depth and control professional creatives rely on.
We’re thrilled to welcome Cavalry’s founders and team to Canva. Their expertise in professional motion workflows remains central to the product’s direction, and will help shape the future of professional animation within Canva’s growing creative ecosystem. For a deeper look at what this means for motion designers, read more here.
Current Cavalry users worried about the future should find the following announcements (and they way Canva has handled Affinity so far) comforting:
Accessibility without compromise
Cavalry’s accessible pricing model has been a defining part of its growth. That philosophy closely aligns with the belief shared by Canva and Affinity: powerful professional tools should be widely available, without forcing creatives to choose between quality, control, and affordability.
Everything that is free in Cavalry today will remain free. Our focus is on expanding access while continuing to invest in the depth professionals rely on.
Affordability and professional capability are not opposing ideas. They can, and should, exist together.
Led by the team who built it
The Cavalry team is joining Canva and will continue shaping the product’s direction, in keeping the founders’ vision, but now with bigger investment and scale.
Just like Canva and Affinity, the Cavalry team believe the best creative tools are built in close dialogue with their users, and we’re excited to continue to develop Cavalry alongside the motion design community.
What comes next
This marks an exciting new chapter for Cavalry, and for Canva as we deepen our commitment to professional creative work.
We’re investing in Cavalry’s continued development, preserving the power that motion designers value, and building its future in close partnership with the community that shaped it.
We’re excited about what this partnership will make possible, and we’re looking forward to designing the future together.
