# Design Lab vs Adobe Express

The clearest difference is ads: Adobe Express at none against Design Lab's shown. Adobe Express also leads on ratings volume (367K vs 6.3K) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Design Lab's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 58%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Design Lab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Adobe Express sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Design Lab against 4.8 for Adobe Express. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Express has 367K ratings behind it against 6.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Design Lab's written reviews are positive against 58% of Adobe Express's.

Design Lab ships an update every 2 months, Adobe Express every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Design Lab | Adobe Express |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/design-lab-logo-graphic-maker/id688319243/reviews) | **[4.8 (367K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-express-create-anything/id1051937863/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6.3K | **367K** |
| Positive reviews | **75.3% of reviews** | 58.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#10** |
| Size | 148 MB | 188 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Onelight Apps CY Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1576484147) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### Design Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/design-lab-logo-graphic-maker/id688319243)

Create professional graphics and stunning visuals with a vast library of templates, images, and fonts. Enhance photos with filters and adjustments, and utilize advanced text and layer-based editing tools. Import your own artwork for custom branding and design.

**Highlights:** Customizable templates, Photo filters and adjustments, Advanced text tools, Free stock photography, Layer-based editing, Blend and erase tools, Vector shape creation

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Graphic Design・Content Creator | $9.99 | per month |
| DesignLab Pro - Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| One-time purchase | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Powerful editing tools
- 🎨 Variety of templates and graphics
- 🔥 Helpful for social media content creation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Limited access to features without subscription
- 📥 Saving issues, lost work
- 🔍 Lack of customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Crashing on launch
- Saving issues, lost work
- Glitches with gradient and text features
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to save unfinished projects
- More free templates and graphics
- Improved stability and performance
- Landscape mode support for iPad
- Better text editing and manipulation tools


### Adobe Express

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-express-create-anything/id1051937863)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Free · Graphics & Design, #15 Top Grossing · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Create professional marketing and business materials with ease. This app offers intuitive tools for video editing, photo enhancement, background removal, and QR code generation. Maintain brand consistency with customizable templates and brand kits.

**Highlights:** Video editing with templates, music, and effects, AI-powered photo editing and object manipulation, One-tap background removal for photos and videos, Branded QR code generation, Brand kit for consistent visuals, PDF editing and conversion

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Express Mobile | $4.99 | per month |
| Express Subscription - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Express Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Express Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile : Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Adobe Express Mobile - Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Adobe Express - Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Adobe Express Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Adobe Express Premium - Annual | $99.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick and efficient
- 💡 Vast collection of templates and design options
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless cross-platform sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Subscription model limits free features
- 🔒 Watermark issues with free version
- 🐛 Syncing and file management problems
- 👎 Cluttered and confusing UI after recent update

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes when using certain features
- Disappearing fonts and design elements
- Issues with exporting high-quality images
- Inconsistent behavior across mobile and desktop versions

**Requested features**

- Add more customization options for text, shapes, and layouts
- Improve alignment and resizing tools
- Introduce a search function for templates and design elements
- Allow offline editing and local file storage
- Provide better organization and management of projects and assets


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Design Lab free?

Design Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Adobe Express free?

Adobe Express is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Design Lab or Adobe Express?

Adobe Express is rated higher. Design Lab averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.3K ratings, while Adobe Express averages 4.8 from 367K ratings.

### Do Design Lab or Adobe Express have ads?

Design Lab shows ads; Adobe Express does not.

### Which is updated more often, Design Lab or Adobe Express?

Design Lab ships an update every 2 months, and Adobe Express every 3 weeks. Most recently, Design Lab was updated on September 23, 2026 and Adobe Express on September 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*