Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

unDraw VS Column

Compare unDraw VS Column and see what are their differences

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unDraw logo unDraw

Open-source illustrations for every project you can imagine and create.

Column logo Column

Social network built to be high-signal in a world of noise.
  • unDraw Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-26
  • Column Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-30

unDraw features and specs

  • Free to Use
    unDraw offers a wide range of illustrations for free, making it accessible for anyone without budget constraints.
  • Customizable Colors
    Users can easily change the color of any illustration to match their brand's color palette.
  • No Attribution Required
    The platform allows users to utilize the illustrations without the need to give credit, which is great for commercial projects.
  • High Quality
    The illustrations are of high quality, professional, and modern, making them suitable for various applications.
  • Broad Range of Topics
    unDraw covers a wide array of categories and topics, making it easier to find relevant illustrations.
  • Ease of Use
    The website interface is user-friendly, allowing for quick searches and easy downloads of illustrations.

Possible disadvantages of unDraw

  • Limited Styles
    Although high-quality, the illustrations have a uniform style, which might not fit every brand's aesthetic.
  • No Custom Illustrations
    Users cannot request custom illustrations directly from the platform, limiting personalized options.
  • Dependence on Updates
    Users rely on the platform to update and add new illustrations periodically, which may not always meet evolving trends or needs.
  • No Source Files
    Illustrations are only available in SVG format, which might be limiting for more advanced design modifications requiring source files.
  • Requires Internet Access
    An active internet connection is required to browse and download illustrations, which may not be convenient for all users.

Column features and specs

  • Bank-owned infrastructure
    Column operates as a nationally chartered bank itself (Column N.A.), rather than partnering with a third-party sponsor bank. This reduces the layers of intermediaries typical in banking-as-a-service models, potentially leading to more reliable service, fewer conflicts of interest, and direct control over compliance and risk management.
  • Developer-first API design
    Column offers modern, well-documented REST APIs that are designed with engineers in mind, making it easier for fintech companies and developers to integrate banking services such as ACH, wire transfers, and account management directly into their products.
  • Direct access to payment rails
    Because Column is a chartered bank, it has direct access to Federal Reserve systems like ACH, Fedwire, and FedNow, which can result in faster processing times and more reliable payment operations compared to companies relying on indirect access through sponsor banks.
  • Experienced leadership
    Column was founded by William Hockey, co-founder of Plaid, bringing significant fintech industry experience and credibility. This background can inspire confidence among potential partners and investors regarding the platform's vision and execution capability.
  • Transparent and flexible pricing
    Column is known for offering clear, usage-based pricing models without hidden fees, which can be appealing to startups and fintechs looking for predictable costs as they scale their banking operations.

Possible disadvantages of Column

  • Limited track record
    As a relatively new entrant in the banking-as-a-service and chartered bank space, Column has less historical performance data and fewer long-term case studies compared to more established banking infrastructure providers, which may create uncertainty for risk-averse clients.
  • U.S.-only operations
    Column's banking charter and services are limited to the United States, which restricts its usefulness for companies seeking to offer banking services internationally or in multiple countries.
  • Technical integration burden
    Because Column emphasizes a developer-first, API-driven approach, companies without strong in-house engineering resources may find it challenging to implement and maintain integrations compared to more turnkey banking-as-a-service solutions.
  • Shared compliance responsibility
    While Column handles core banking compliance, partner companies still need to manage certain regulatory and compliance obligations related to their specific use cases, which can add complexity and require dedicated legal or compliance expertise.
  • Smaller ecosystem and support network
    Compared to larger, more established banking-as-a-service providers, Column may have a smaller partner ecosystem, fewer third-party integrations, and potentially less extensive customer support infrastructure, which could impact scalability for some businesses.

Analysis of unDraw

Overall verdict

  • unDraw is a highly recommended resource for individuals and teams looking for high-quality illustrations. Its combination of ease of use, free licensing, and a wide variety of illustrations makes it a valuable tool for many creatives and developers.

Why this product is good

  • unDraw is a platform that offers a wide range of open-source illustrations that are customizable and can be used in various projects without any attribution or cost. It is praised for its beautiful, modern, and versatile designs that can enhance the visual appeal of websites, applications, and presentations. Additionally, the illustrations are SVG-based, making them easily scalable and editable to fit the needs of any project.

Recommended for

  • Web designers looking to incorporate visually appealing illustrations
  • Developers needing scalable graphics for projects
  • Marketing teams creating visually rich presentations
  • Content creators who want graphics that can be customized to match their brand's style
  • Educators needing visual aids for teaching materials

Analysis of Column

Overall verdict

  • Column is a well-regarded banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform because it operates as a nationally chartered bank itself rather than relying on a separate partner bank, which simplifies compliance, reduces intermediary risk, and gives developers direct API-level access to core banking functions like payments, accounts, and card issuing.

Why this product is good

  • It is a real, chartered bank (not just a middleware layer), which reduces the multi-party risk seen in typical BaaS stacks that rely on third-party partner banks
  • Developer-first design with clean, well-documented APIs for building payments, ACH, wire transfers, card issuing, and account management
  • Backed by reputable investors (including Stripe), signaling strong technical and financial credibility
  • Direct access to the Fed and payment rails, which can mean faster settlement and fewer intermediaries
  • Transparent, predictable pricing structure compared to some legacy BaaS providers
  • Strong focus on compliance and risk infrastructure built into the platform itself

Recommended for

  • Fintech startups building embedded banking, lending, or payments products
  • Companies wanting to avoid the complexity and risk of traditional sponsor-bank BaaS relationships
  • Engineering-heavy teams that prioritize API quality and control over banking infrastructure
  • Businesses needing reliable ACH, wire, and card issuing capabilities without building their own bank relationships
  • Mid-to-large scale fintechs that need a stable, directly regulated banking partner as they grow

unDraw videos

Adobe XD Landing Page Design Tutorial with unDraw

More videos:

  • Review - UnDraw - Free Illustrations for Designers and Developers

Column videos

No Column videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to unDraw and Column)
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
CSS Framework
0 0%
100% 100
Illustrations
100 100%
0% 0
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, unDraw seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 71 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

unDraw mentions (71)

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Column mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Column yet. Tracking of Column recommendations started around Apr 2022.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing unDraw and Column, you can also consider the following products

Getillustrations - Bring life to your designs while saving time and effort using this massive library of creative illustrations.

Iconbuddy - 200K+ open source SVG icons, fully customizable!

Unsplash - Unsplash is a website with high-quality free HD images. It has a catalog of more than three hundred thousand striking images that are neatly organized with tags. Read more about Unsplash.

Ouch! Illustrations by Icons8 - Professional, perfectly matching, and customizable illustrations for any designs

Absurd Design - Free surrealist illustrations for landing pages. ๐Ÿ’ก

Humaaans - Mix-&-match illustrations of humans with a design library.