DocHipo Review

What Is DocHipo?

Need an app for graphic design?

Professional software like Adobe Photoshop can be difficult to master. But simpler options are out there. The one we’ll be looking at right now is called DocHipo.

This is an Indian cloud-based app founded in 2017, specializing in posters, flyers, and social media content. It’s a service that’s designed to be simple and available for everyone. It has a free version and loads of royalty-free icons and photos which you can use.

And when you’re done?

You can export your file into a JPG or PNG format and get it ready for printing.

DocHipo Features

Upon registering, you will find the program supports many various templates for all kinds of purposes. From business cards to infographics, YouTube thumbnails to magazine covers.

But what kind of things is DocHipo capable of exactly?

Templates

To begin creating your own documents, first you have to choose a template.

And there are tons of them!

Templates are divided into four categories: 

• Business 
• Web Banner 
• Social Graphic
• General Purpose 

Each of them has its own subcategories like logo, poster, YouTube thumbnail, and more. There are over a thousand different templates for all sorts of applications.

Now, of course, you can also start from a completely blank canvas as well.

Editor

This is where all the magic happens.

The editor is the place where you will be whipping up your professional-looking designs.

If you have ever used any graphic editing software, even something as simple as PowerPoint, you will feel familiar here.

Any element can be manipulated and placed anywhere on the canvas. Icons and text can be rotated, resized, and recolored. On the left, the sidebar has a rich collection of icons, shapes, lines, photos, and other elements you can use.

Everything is intuitive and it’s easy to find your way around.

But there are some issues.

The most glaring one is the search function. In theory, this should allow you to search for any elements you want. But almost every time I used it, I received zero results. Sometimes, you will get a few results, but they won’t match the keyword you entered.

The manipulation options are also lacking.

You cannot stretch elements, for instance. Only rotate and resize. Filters are limited, and there are no substantial ways to drastically customize any element.

Stock Photo Library

One of the hallmark features you will see mentioned in almost all DocHipo reviews is the stock photo library.

The service has a selection of around a thousand royalty-free stock images ready to use. They are available in the sidebar under the Pictures section.

The neat thing is they are even categorized into sections like music, people, landscapes, etc.

Admittedly, the selection is not the richest, and finding exactly the one you want is cumbersome. But for the most part, if you need a basic photo of a general object or person, you’re covered.

Downloads

So you’ve created a neat design you’re happy with.

Now what?

One of your options is to download the file. You can do that in a number of different formats. Overall, the five supported types are:

• PNG
• JPG
• MP4
• GIF
• PDF

PNG and JPG are available for free users, while the rest are for Pro users only. But there’s more because if you want your document to be a transparent PNG, you will also need a subscription.

Now: quality.

There are three options to choose from: 

• Normal 
• Medium 
• High 

Normal is available to everyone, while Medium and High are locked behind the Pro version.

The language here is a bit unclear, as it’s confusing how Medium and Normal are different. But DocHipo states that if you’re on a high-resolution retina display, the former is by far the better choice.

Team Collaboration

Graphic design isn’t always a solo project.

That’s why DocHipo supports team collaboration where you can share designs across multiple people.

How does this work?

Upon signing up, you will input the name of your company. After that, you can add new users to it via the dashboard.

By clicking the cogwheel icon in the bottom right, you will see your firm’s details. Then, by clicking on Users, then Manage Users you can add new people to your company.

But there’s a catch.

You need a separate subscription for each new user of your company.

If all of your contacts have their Pro accounts active, however, sharing files is an easy process.

From the editor, you can share a document by clicking on the three dots in the top right. Then, a menu will show up with members of your company. You can also choose the level of access.

Any change made is automatically updated to the document in real time. You can even add comments for your contacts to see and work on.

Integrations

In order to make the creation process as easy as possible, DocHipo works with third-party apps.

For starters: YouTube.

You can add videos straight from the platform into your documents. By going into the Videos section of the editor, you can search for any channel. You can then drag-and-drop content to the canvas. It’s super easy.

Then there’s MailChimp.

With it, you can transfer all your designs super easily across platforms. Then you can use it for email marketing straight away without wasting time downloading and uploading.

As of now, these are the only two applications that work with the platform.

But even if it’s limited, integrations can make your life significantly easier if you rely on DocHipo for your work.

Ease of Use and Interface

The Editor is where you will be spending most of your time. And from what I’ve seen while testing the program, DocHipo is generally easier to use than most other alternatives. 

Nothing is over complicated and the program is beginner-friendly, and all the positive DocHipo reviews online reflect that.

While editing, you even have guides that will snap your elements to an aesthetically pleasing position. This makes it easy to achieve symmetry or place things exactly where you need them. However, I would have appreciated a way to turn these guides off.

Overall, the foundation for a great tool is all here. The only drawbacks are the occasional bugs that make it difficult to find the exact items you want.

One more thing:

Is DocHipo a useful tool for professional graphic designers?

Truthfully, it’s a hard sell. DocHipo aims to provide those with no experience in graphic design with an easy way to make posters and flyers. And on that front, it succeeds. But its feature set is far too rudimentary for any professionals to take advantage of.

DocHipo Pricing

And now: cost.

The pricing model of DocHipo is super simple.

It is divided into two plans: Free and Pro.

There is no free trial. As it stands, you won’t need it. The free version is available to everyone and there is no time limit on how long you can use it. 

For our DocHipo review, we used the Pro version of the software, but the other one has enough features to be viable on its own.

Here is what each plan contains:

Subscriptions can be canceled at any time, although DocHipo does not offer refunds.

Verdict

Graphic design can be tricky.

But with programs like DocHipo, it is more accessible than ever. 

The app is entirely cloud-based, meaning no downloads - everything happens in the browser.

Who is it for?

Mostly beginners and those who are inexperienced with creating their own designs. DocHipo has succeeded in making a platform that is easy to get the hang of and be used by everyone. It has a solid selection of elements and photos.

So to wrap up our DocHipo review - is it worth it?

For beginners - absolutely. It is affordable, and although it is occasionally buggy, it’s still an excellent and useful tool. It also has a fantastic array of team collaboration tools.

So why not give it a go? It’s free!