# Crello
Crello was a Cyprus-based online graphic design editor offering template-based DIY design, operated from Kyiv as a brand of the stock-content company Depositphotos until both were acquired by [Vistaprint](https://www.edgepedia.org/vistaprint) in October 2021 and Crello was rebranded as VistaCreate.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) • [2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) At the time of the sale it claimed 7 million registered users and more than 70,000 ready-made templates.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Template-based online graphic design editor for DIY design[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) |
| Launch | 2016 per Kyiv Post; 2017 per TechCrunch, in both cases as a brand of Depositphotos[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) |
| Users | 7 million over five years; 3 million added in 2021; 300,000 new users per month[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) |
| Funding | Bootstrapped; internal funding of about $10 million per year from Depositphotos[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) • [3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) |
| Outcome | Acquired with Depositphotos by Vistaprint (Cimpress) for $85 million total, 27 October 2021[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) |
| After | Rebranded VistaCreate under Vistaprint's new parent brand, Vista[2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) |
| Status | No retrieved source covers VistaCreate after late 2021 |
## What Crello was
Crello was a consumer web editor for do-it-yourself graphic design: users picked a ready-made template and edited it to produce social media graphics, marketing materials, and similar assets.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) Its defining advantage was access to Depositphotos' licensed library of stock photos, graphics, videos, and music, over 200 million files drawn from a marketplace serving 192 countries.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) By September 2021 the platform offered more than 70,000 ready-made templates.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html)
The business was freemium: a basic free plan, with revenue coming from monthly subscriptions that included unlimited downloads.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) The revenue was geographically concentrated. Founder Dmytro Sergeev said that 20% of US traffic generated 80% of the money, while users in the post-Soviet region produced about one-tenth of revenue and mostly stayed on the free tier.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html)
## Founding and relationship to Depositphotos
Crello was not a venture-backed startup spun out of nothing; it was launched inside Depositphotos, a stock-content marketplace founded by Russia-born Dmytro Sergeev and operated by a Kyiv-based team.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) • [4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) Sources differ on the launch year: Kyiv Post's interview with Sergeev says 2016, while TechCrunch's acquisition report says the company was founded in 2017.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) The company existed by 2017 in either reading. At the time of the sale, Vadim Nekhai was CEO of Depositphotos.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html)
Sergeev headquartered the startup in Kyiv, and the company was registered in Cyprus.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/)
## How it compared with Canva
Crello positioned itself explicitly as a challenger to Canva, the Australian template-design platform Sergeev cited as valued at $40 billion.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) The gap was mostly one of capital. Canva had received about $1 billion in investment over eight years; Crello, with no disclosed external rounds, could draw only about $10 million per year from its parent.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) [TechCrunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/techcrunch) described Crello as appearing bootstrapped, with no external funding.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/)
On traction the two were far apart: Crello's 7 million users over five years against Canva's much larger base and $40 billion valuation.[3](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html) Sergeev nevertheless valued Crello alone at about $200 million at the time of the sale, a figure well above the $85 million paid for the whole Depositphotos group including Crello; the $85 million figure is the transaction price reported by TechCrunch, Kyiv Post, and AIN.UA, while the $200 million is the founder's own claim.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) • [5](https://en.ain.ua/2021/10/27/dmitry-sergeev-sells-depositphotos-for-85-million/)
## The $85 million exit
On 27 October 2021, Vistaprint, a subsidiary of the US printing company Cimpress, bought 100% of Depositphotos' shares for $85 million, according to Depositphotos CEO Vadim Nekhai's announcement and reporting by Kyiv Post and AIN.UA.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) • [5](https://en.ain.ua/2021/10/27/dmitry-sergeev-sells-depositphotos-for-85-million/) TechCrunch reported the same total price covering both Crello and its parent.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) The transaction covered Depositphotos' projects together: Crello, the photo studio Lightfield, the online photography magazine Bird In Flight and the online media outlet WAS.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) AIN.UA described it as the largest deal in the Ukrainian IT market in recent years.[5](https://en.ain.ua/2021/10/27/dmitry-sergeev-sells-depositphotos-for-85-million/)
Founder Dmytro Sergeev left the company entirely, receiving nearly $50 million from the deal according to Forbes, as cited by Kyiv Post.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html)
## After the acquisition: VistaCreate
Alongside the acquisition, Vistaprint rebranded as Vista and relaunched Crello as VistaCreate, a service powering Vista's move into digital design for small businesses.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/) • [2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) The new parent brand encompassed VistaPrint, 99designs by Vista, Vista x Wix, and the acquisition.[2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) Vista founder and CEO Robert Keane framed the launch as part of the company's transformation into a design and marketing partner for small businesses.[2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista)
The strategic logic fit both sides. Vista brought over 20 million users worldwide and needed a digital design product; Crello brought its editor, its template library and, through Depositphotos, more than 200 million royalty-free assets from over 100,000 contributors.[4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html) • [2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) At acquisition, per the acquirer, the platform had millions of registered users across more than 150 countries creating well over a million projects each month.[2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) Nekhai joined Vista to continue leading VistaCreate and Depositphotos, reporting to EVP and President of International Florian Baumgartner.[2](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista) • [4](https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html)
## References
1. Vistaprint acquires Crello and Depositphotos, rebrands as Vista. TechCrunch, 27 October 2021. https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/27/vistaprint-acquires-crello-and-depositphotos-rebrands-as-vista-to-better-take-on-canva-and-others-in-online-creative-design-for-businesses/
2. VistaPrint Evolves into Full-Service Design, Digital and Print Partner to Small Business with Launch of Vista. Business Wire, 27 October 2021. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027006175/en/VistaPrint-Evolves-into-Full-Service-Design-Digital-and-Print-Partner-to-Small-Business-with-Launch-of-Vista
3. Crello graphic design startup wants to compete on international arena. Kyiv Post (archive). https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/crello-founder-dmytro-sergeev-we-can-compete-on-international-arena.html
4. US firm acquires Ukraine-founded Depositphotos for $85 million. Kyiv Post (archive). https://archive.kyivpost.com/technology/us-firm-acquires-ukraine-founded-depositphotos-for-85-million.html
5. US company VistaPrint acquires Ukraine's Depositphotos for $85M. AIN.UA, 27 October 2021. https://en.ain.ua/2021/10/27/dmitry-sergeev-sells-depositphotos-for-85-million/
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
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