Wix Challenges Adobe and Canva with Launch of AI-Powered Design Platform Wixel

Wix takes aim at Adobe and Canva with new online design platform

Top website builder Wix has announced the release of Wixel, an AI-powered visual design suite that's effectively an alternative to the likes of Canva and Adobe Express. According to the company, Wixel aims to "democratize visual design" - in other words, designers and non-designers will now have the tools to create professional-grade content and assets. Interestingly, Wixel is a standalone product, so even those who don't use the website builder will be able to sign up to the design tool. And, much like Canva and Express, it's free to use with an optional upgrade for premium features. When it comes to visual design suites, it's a pretty crowded market right now, an area notably dominated by Canva. It may not have been the first to market, but it's the one that captured the imagination of marketing teams and businesses, letting even non-designers spin up professional-grade images and videos. So popular is it that even Adobe upped the ante and brought much-needed improvements to its Express platform. Given the popularity of these suites, I'm not completely surprised to see Wix get in on the action. But what can users expect to get from Wixel? Wix has offered an insight on this. Armed with just a single product photo uploaded to the platform, users can now remove or add backgrounds, crop, convert, and edit images, include text, and customize the layout within a template. Alongside this, Wixel is capable of AI-generating images across different styles that can better suit the user's brand guidelines. And voila, a user has a post fit for social media posting or adding to their online store. According to Wix, the entire process can be complete in minutes. Discussing the launch, Avishai Abrahami, Wix CEO and co-founder, said: "AI is the foundation of Wixel. Design is in our DNA, and simplifying complex experiences is what we do best. We're now determined to revolutionize design by democratizing access to powerful and creative tools for everyone, regardless of their design expertise." I toyed with Wixel and, yes, if you're familiar with either Canva or Express, you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect. An intuitive interface that's easy to navigate, customizable templates allowing users to swiftly edit designs and create assets, and, of course, AI tools for enhancing and generating on-brand content. The company also confirmed that future tools are in the works, including story creation and video. Given trends, this is an absolute essential that can't come quick enough.

Website Builder Wix Unveils Wixel, an AI-Powered Visual Design Platform

Israeli web development company Wix has announced Wixel, a standalone AI-powered visual design platform. Wixel enables anyone, regardless of their design experience, to create something visually pleasing. Wix has achieved significant global growth -- the company is publicly traded on the U.S. stock exchange and has operations in many countries worldwide -- thanks in large part to its drag-and-drop style of website design. Users can create HTML5 websites using a wide range of templates and pre-built tools, or they can use Wix to build a site entirely from scratch. Wixel aims to take that idea of democratized design even further. Where Wix promises to simplify the web design process -- things like the layout and overall user experience -- Wixel wants to streamline the overall creative design process beyond a website. Wixel promises high-end creative tools that anyone can use, thanks to AI. For example, a jewelry designer can snap a quick shot of one of their creations, upload it to Wixel, and then instantly remove the background, fine-tune their image, add text, adjust a layout, and download the edited image for use on their website or social media. Alternatively, Wixel can use that same AI that removes the background and edits the photo to generate an entire image from scratch. Wix says that Wixel can generate new images in several different styles. "AI is the foundation of Wixel," explains Avishai Abrahami, Co-Founder and CEO of Wix. "Design is in our DNA, and simplifying complex experiences is what we do best. We're now determined to revolutionize design by democratizing access to powerful and creative tools for everyone, regardless of their design expertise. This version is just the beginning, and I am excited to explore the limitless creative possibilities that Wixel will unlock as we continue to innovate and refine our platform." Wixel is a bold move by Wix. While a visual design platform has some overlap with Wix's web design offerings, it is a very competitive space. Already operating in the AI-powered visual design platform arena are Adobe, Canva, and Figma, to name just a few. Wixel is now available in English, and like Wix's other offerings, it follows a "freemium" model. Users can try Wixel for free or upgrade to a Pro Plan for more features and enhanced usage. Interested users can get started with Wixel on a new dedicated website.

Wix takes on Canva and Adobe with new free visual design platform

Website builder platform Wix is taking on the likes of Canva and Adobe Express by launching its own AI-powered visual design platform, Wixel. Wix prides itself on making complex technologies available to all so that anyone can build a website without knowing how to code, and it has applied this same vision to Wixel, making it easy to use but capable of some complex actions. I've been playing around with Wixel for the past few days and I actually find it easier to use than some of the best design software, specifically Canva, which I don't find that intuitive. I've been using Wixel to remove backgrounds from images, which it does at a click of a button, and also mess around with icons and designs. The results are pretty impressive, and I'm sure there's even more I could do with it. You can generate AI images within Wixel, though when I asked Wixel to generate a bird with a rainbow behind it, I got the butterfly icon that was already there with a rainbow behind it, so it may need a little fine-tuning. In theory though, artists can upload images of their products, put them on a different background and add text and icons as needed, all ready for them to upload to social media. The UI is really simple and intuitive - with prompts like 'smart select', 'remove background' and 'add elements' easily guiding the user and showing them what they can do. More advanced features are apparently on their way, too, with video and story creation coming in future. "AI is the foundation of Wixel," said Avishai Abrahami, co-founder and CEO of Wix. "Design is in our DNA, and simplifying complex experiences is what we do best. We're now determined to revolutionize design by democratiaing access to powerful and creative tools for everyone, regardless of their design expertise. "This version is just the beginning, and I am excited to explore the limitless creative possibilities that Wixel will unlock as we continue to innovate and refine our platform." Like Canva, Wixel comes in a free version, with a premium version giving access to premium templates and design elements as well as enhanced usage (the free version only gives you a certain amount of AI credits, for example).