Canva is pulling back on its AI feature rollout, citing rising inference costs, while rival Figma is choosing to eat those expenses rather than pass them on to users. The split strategy lays bare a financial squeeze hitting design software companies as the price of running AI models collides with the traditional subscription model.
The cost of running AI
Every time a user asks an AI tool to generate an image, rewrite a headline, or resize a layout, the company behind it pays for the computing power. Those costs, known as inference costs, scale with usage. The more popular the feature, the bigger the bill.
Canva's decision to slow its rollout suggests those bills are getting hard to ignore. The company didn't say which features are being delayed or for how long, but the move signals that even a well-funded design platform isn't immune to the math. AI features that once looked like a growth driver are now a line item that can drag on margins.
Figma's bet on absorbing costs
Figma is going the other way. Instead of charging extra for its new AI tools or throttling them, the company is absorbing the expense. That keeps the user experience smooth and avoids sticker shock, but it's a gamble. The hope is that better AI keeps users loyal and willing to pay for the core product, even if the AI itself doesn't turn a profit right away.
It's a classic land-grab move, but it only works if the company can afford to keep subsidizing the compute. For a smaller firm, that kind of patience can be a luxury. For Figma, it's a deliberate choice to prioritize adoption over immediate returns.
Pressure on growth and investor confidence
The broader picture is that design software firms are feeling the strain. AI costs are challenging the assumptions that made SaaS businesses so attractive to investors: high margins, predictable recurring revenue, and low incremental costs per user. AI flips that last part. Each new user can mean more compute spend, and each new AI feature can multiply the expense.
That's starting to show up in how these companies talk about growth. Slowing a rollout is one way to protect the bottom line. Absorbing costs is another. But both approaches carry risk. Canva risks losing momentum with users who expect AI to be front and center. Figma risks a future where its costs outpace its revenue.
Investors are watching. The financial impact of AI costs is already affecting growth strategies across the sector, and confidence is shaky. If design software can't find a way to make AI pay for itself, the subscription model itself may need to change.
Neither company has said what comes next. Canva hasn't given a timeline for when its AI features will resume at full speed. Figma hasn't said how long it can keep absorbing the costs. The next earnings calls or product announcements from either firm will likely offer the first real clue about which bet is paying off.
