Affinity review
Canva's professional design suite combining vector, photo, and layout editing in one free app.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Affinity screenshots & video
Affinity in 20 seconds
Best for: designers and photographers wanting professional editing tools without a subscription, minus AI generative features
Pricing: Core app is free with a Canva account; optional Canva Pro at $18/month ($144/year) unlocks AI generative tools.
- Canva relaunched Affinity on October 30, 2025 as one free app with Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios.
- Generative AI features in Affinity require a paid Canva plan; Canva Pro costs $18/month or $144/year.
- Affinity merges what were previously three separate paid apps (Designer, Photo, Publisher) into one application.
- A September 2026 Affinity update added a Blend tool, in-app scripting, and more than 60 other changes.
- Affinity currently runs on Windows and macOS; iPad support is listed as coming soon.
Limitations: AI generative features require a separate paid Canva plan.; No iPad app yet, despite being listed as coming soon.; No Linux support.
Top alternatives: Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Procreate, CorelDRAW, Inkscape — full list
What is Affinity?
Affinity is Canva's professional-grade creative application, unifying the vector illustration, raster photo editing, and page layout tools that were previously sold as three separate apps (Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher, each historically a one-time purchase). Users can switch between Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios inside a single workspace and mix tools across all three without opening separate programs. Since the October 2025 relaunch, the core application is free for individuals with no restrictions on tools, customization, or export, a major shift from Affinity's previous one-time-purchase-per-app model and a direct challenge to Adobe's subscription pricing. Generative AI features (Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and AI-generated images or vectors) are powered by Canva's AI and gated behind a paid Canva plan such as Canva Pro, which also raises the monthly AI allowance above Canva Free's. The older Affinity V2 apps remain a separate product with their own Serif accounts. The app currently runs on Windows and macOS (optimized for both Apple silicon and Intel); iPad support is listed as coming soon rather than currently available.
Affinity is Canva's professional creative application, merging what used to be three separate paid apps (Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher) into one program with Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios, used by graphic designers, photographers, and desktop publishers who want Photoshop/Illustrator-caliber tools without a subscription fee. Canva relaunched Affinity as this single app on October 30, 2025 and made it free for individuals, requiring only a free Canva account; optional AI features (Generative Fill, Expand, Generate Image/Vector) require a paid Canva plan such as Canva Pro at $18/month or $144/year. Affinity runs on Windows and macOS, with iPad support listed as coming soon. A September 2026 update added a Blend tool, in-app scripting, and more than 60 other changes.
Standout feature: The full Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios are free with no feature restrictions, a direct reversal from Affinity's former one-time-purchase model and from Adobe's subscription pricing.
Biggest weakness: Generative AI tools (Fill, Expand, AI image/vector generation) require a separate paid Canva plan, such as Canva Pro at $18/month or $144/year, rather than being included; iPad support is still listed as coming soon rather than shipped, and there is no Linux version.
Affinity: pros and cons
Pros
- Full professional design suite (vector, raster, layout) free with no time limit or feature gate on the core tools.
- Requires only a free Canva account, no credit card, to unlock everything in the base app.
- Backed by Canva's infrastructure and update cadence rather than a small independent studio.
- Optional Canva Pro AI features integrate directly inside the same app rather than requiring a separate tool.
Cons
- Generative AI features are gated behind a paid Canva plan (Canva Pro costs $18/month or $144/year).
- No iPad app yet; it is listed as coming soon rather than available.
- No Linux support.
- The October 2025 relaunch merged three apps into one and moved sign-in to Canva accounts, while the older Affinity V2 apps remain a separate product with separate Serif accounts.
Affinity pricing
Free tier · paid from $18/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Affinity (core app) | Free | Free forever with a free Canva account; full access to Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios plus all customization and export features, no restrictions. |
| Canva Pro (optional, unlocks AI tools) | $18/mo | $144/year with annual billing; a paid Canva plan adds Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and AI image/vector generation inside Affinity, plus a larger monthly AI allowance than Canva Free. |
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