Canva email signature vs BylineSig: an image, or HTML with working links
Canva is a general design tool with a large library of email signature templates. Its signature is exported as a picture. BylineSig produces an animated image inside HTML, with your links as real links. Which suits you depends on how much you want to design by hand.
Try BylineSig — freeSide by side
| BylineSig | Canva | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A generator that designs one animated signature from a sentence | A general drag-and-drop design tool with signature templates |
| Price | Free with a watermark; Pro $6 a month or $48 a year | Free plan available; paid plans for premium features |
| Output | A hosted GIF inside email-safe HTML | An image. Their help centre recommends JPG or PNG and says HTML export is not available. |
| Clickable links | Built in: email and profile links are part of the HTML | Manual: their help centre suggests downloading each icon separately and linking it in your mail client |
| Animation | Generated as part of the design | Canva can animate designs and export a GIF, but its signature help page describes a still image |
| Hosting | We host the image | You upload the image to your mail client yourself |
| Design control | You direct it in words | Full manual control over every element |
| Text when images are blocked | Contact details and links still show as text | Nothing shows if the signature is a single image |
Where Canva is the better choice
- Complete manual control. If you want to place every element yourself, Canva is the right tool and BylineSig is not.
- A very large template and stock library, usable on the free plan.
- One place for all your brand assets, with real-time collaboration.
Where BylineSig is different
- The signature is HTML, so links work without a workaround and your contact details survive when images are blocked.
- It is animated without you building and exporting the animation.
- There is nothing to export, upload or host. You copy and paste once.
See real examples or the full pricing.
Which should you pick?
Choose Canva if you enjoy designing by hand, want a static signature that matches artwork you already have there, and do not mind adding links manually.
Choose BylineSig if you want an animated signature with working links and no design work.
Questions
Can Canva export an email signature as HTML?
Not at the time of writing. Canva’s help centre says exporting as HTML is not yet available and recommends downloading the design as a JPG or PNG.
How do I make links clickable in a Canva email signature?
Canva’s help centre suggests downloading each icon as a separate image and adding a link to each one inside your email client.
Can I make an animated email signature in Canva?
Canva can animate a design and export it as a GIF, which you would then upload to your mail client and link by hand. BylineSig generates the animation and the linked HTML together.
BylineSig wrote this page, so read it with that in mind. Details about Canva come from its own website, last checked 2 October 2026, and may have changed since: Canva Help: email signature, Canva: create an email signature, Canva pricing. Canva is a trademark of its owner. If something here is out of date, email [email protected] and we will correct it.