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Affinity

A professional design, photo and layout app that is free for individuals and owned by Canva.

Instead of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign

L · ToolFreeClosed sourceAccount needed
www.affinity.studio
Preview image for Affinity

Image from www.affinity.studio, taken 2026-10-23, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.

Serif made Affinity, and Canva bought Serif in March 2024. In October 2025 it released version 3, one app that combines the earlier Designer, Photo and Publisher apps at no charge, and withdrew the old paid apps from sale. It is a polished and capable Adobe alternative and runs on Windows and Mac.

Affinity scores a 4 on footprint and delivery, a 3 on lock-in and self-direction and a 2 on power and longevity.

It is closed software owned by a company whose main business is a subscription platform. The Canva AI features inside it, such as generative fill, need a Canva Pro subscription, and the download buttons on its site go through a Canva sign-in. Version 2 stopped being actively maintained within a year, though existing licences still work.

    What stands out

  • Designer, Photo and Publisher combined in one app, free for individuals
  • A polished Adobe alternative owned by Canva
  • Closed source, and some AI tools need a Canva premium plan
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For comparison, we also reviewed Adobe Creative Cloud (12/30) as a benchmark.

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