Affinity is the professional design toolset built by UK-based Serif, reborn on October 30, 2025 as a single unified app following Canva’s acquisition. The three products that were previously sold separately — Affinity Designer (vector), Affinity Photo (photo editing), and Affinity Publisher (page layout) — are now combined into one application, letting you switch between Vector, Pixel, and Layout workspaces via tabs. The biggest change is the price: every feature is free forever for personal use. Offering capabilities that stand in for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign with no subscription cost at all is its defining characteristic.
Key Features
- Three workspaces in one app: Vector (curve editing, shape builder, gradients, image trace), Pixel (retouching, compositing, non-destructive RAW development, stacks, batch, macros), and Layout (master pages, autoflow, column guides, advanced typography, press-ready output, data merge) are all available without moving between applications
- All features free forever: Sign in with a Canva account (the free tier is fine) and every tool is available without limits. There is no one-time purchase and no subscription, and updates including new features are provided at no cost
- Import of third-party file formats: PSD, AI, IDML, and DWG files can be opened with their layer structure preserved, which makes migrating from Adobe products or editing files received from others straightforward
- Non-destructive editing and a customizable UI: Adjustments can be made while keeping original layers intact, and panel arrangements can be reorganized freely, then saved and shared as multiple purpose-specific workspaces
- Canva AI generative features (optional): Generative fill, background removal, and image and vector generation can be used from inside the app. These features do require a paid Canva plan
- Local files are not used for AI training: The official site states explicitly that users’ local files are not used to train AI
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Affinity (the app) | $0 (free forever) | All Vector, Pixel, and Layout tools, plus free updates. Requires signing in with a Canva account |
| Canva AI features (optional) | Follows Canva’s paid plan pricing | Generative fill, background removal, image and vector generation, and other AI tools. Requires a Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education plan |
Pricing is current as of August 2026. Please check the official site for the latest information.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- A full set of professional-grade features at no cost, so you can produce serious work without worrying about monthly fees
- Moving between vector, photo, and layout work happens inside a single app, removing the need to export files between applications
- PSD, AI, and IDML support makes migration from an Adobe-centric environment realistic
- Owners of the perpetual-license Affinity V2 can continue using V2, so no one loses their working environment overnight
- Runs natively on Apple Silicon, so it feels light on the Mac
⚠️ Cons
- Using the app requires creating a Canva account and signing in, so it is not a fully standalone offline tool
- Using the AI features requires a separate paid Canva plan
- As of August 2026 the iPad version is still listed as coming soon, so mobile creation is not supported
- The UI has been redesigned around the merged product, so users familiar with the older Affinity V2 will need to relearn parts of the workflow
- It is not fully interoperable with Adobe products, and complex files may not import with every element reproduced
Comparison with Similar Services
| Criteria | Affinity | Adobe Creative Cloud | Canva | Figma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Canva | Adobe | Canva | Figma |
| Primary use | Vector, photo editing, print layout | Same (across separate apps) | Template-driven graphic creation | UI/UX design and collaboration |
| Pricing | Free for personal use | Subscription | Free tier / paid Pro | Free tier / paid plans |
| Environment | Windows and Mac desktop app | Primarily desktop | Primarily browser | Primarily browser |
| Print production | Supported (CMYK, press-ready) | Supported (InDesign) | Limited | Largely unsupported |
| AI features | Canva AI (with a paid plan) | Firefly | Magic Studio | AI features available |
Who Is It For
- Freelancers and sole proprietors reconsidering their monthly Adobe Creative Cloud spend
- Solo creators handling logos, photo retouching, and print layouts who want to cut down on app switching
- Anyone who wants to start serious DTP work through to print production without spending money
- Canva users who find template-based creation limiting and want finer control over the details
- Students and self-taught designers who want to avoid a large upfront investment
Summary
Affinity consolidates the capabilities of three paid professional design applications into one app and makes it free forever for personal use, which meaningfully changes the range of options available for design tooling. Vector, photo, and layout work can all be completed in a single app, and support for opening PSD and AI files makes it a realistic destination for anyone leaving an Adobe-centric setup. On the other hand, the AI features assume a paid Canva plan, and the iPad version is still in preparation. A sensible approach is to install it for free, confirm that your existing files open without trouble, and then move over to it for production work.