Affinity (software)

Last updated
Affinity
Developer Serif Europe
Stable release
3.0.0 / 30 October 2025;3 days ago (2025-10-30)
Operating system macOS, Microsoft Windows, iPadOS
Available in9 languages
List of languages
English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Russian
Type Graphics editor
License Proprietary
Website affinity.studio

Affinity is a graphics editor developed by Serif, a subsidiary of Canva. It is a simultaneously a vector graphics editor, a raster graphics editor and a desktop publishing application.

Contents

It was first released in 2025 as a successor to Serif's Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher, with the three positioned as direct competitors to Adobe's Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign respectively, it integrates their functionality into a singular application, and switched to a freemium model monetized by AI features exclusive to Canva Pro subscribers.

Functionality

Affinity is divided into a number of workspaces, which are equivalent to the previous suite of Affinity applications: "vector" for vector graphics, "pixel" for raster editing, and "layout" for desktop publishing. Additionally, it introduces the ability to create custom workspaces. [1]

Vector editing

Raster editing

Affinity includes photo editing tools including adjustments, masks and retouching facilities. [2] Additionally, the application can develop RAW files, similar to Adobe Lightroom. [3]

Desktop publishing

AI features

The application supports Canva's existing AI features, such as background removal and generative fill. This requires a Canva subscription. [1]

Development

In September 2025, Serif pulled all existing versions of Affinity from sale amid an upcoming announcement on 30 October; ahead of the announcement, the iPadOS versions of the Affinity suite also became free on App Store. [4] [5] During a "Creative Freedom" keynote on 30 October 2025, Canva (who acquired Affinity in 2024) released a new version now simply branded as "Affinity" (also known as "Affinity by Canva") , and referred to internally as version 3.0. [6] Version 3 drops the separate Affinity Photo and Publisher applications and integrates their functionality into a singular application, and adds the ability to export directly to the Canva platform. It also adds a Canva AI studio, including background removal, "Expand & Edit", and generative fill. [7] [8] [9]

As of version 3, Affinity has switched to a freemium model; it is now available at no charge to users, although access to Canva AI features are locked behind the existing Canva Pro subscription service. Serif stated that the perpetually-licensed version 2 will remain available to existing owners, although it will no longer be actively maintained. The new version is currently available for macOS and Windows only, with an iPadOS version to be released in 2026. [7] [8] [9]

Reception

The change in business model by Canva in 2025 was met with mixed reception, including concerns about its incorporation of AI features. Some users were concerned that their projects would be used for machine learning purposes, or that future versions would suffer from a lack of maintenance or become adware. Additionally, some felt it turned Affinity into a fundamentally subscription based software, given the prevalence of these features in professional contexts. [2]

Affinity publicly stated on social media that it would remain "free forever", users' projects would not be used to train AI models, and that "Canva has built a sustainable business model that allows this kind of generosity. And when more professionals use Affinity, Canva can sell more seats into businesses." [2] [10]

References

  1. 1 2 Carlos Campbell, Ian (30 October 2025). "Affinity resurfaces as an all-in-one illustration, photo editing and layout app". Engadget. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Foley, Joe (1 November 2025). "Is Affinity's free Photoshop rival too good to be true?". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Carrasqueira, João (1 November 2025). "Affinity's new free app may get me to ditch Photoshop for good". XDA. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Schneider, Jaron (2025-10-02). "Affinity Stops Selling its Photo Editing Software in Preparation for 'Big Changes'". PetaPixel. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  5. ↑ Gallagher, William; Wuerthele, Mike. "All Affinity apps are now free for the iPad - for now". AppleInsider. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  6. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (2025-10-30). "Affinity's image-editing apps go "freemium" in first major post-Canva update". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  7. 1 2 "Affinity is now an all-in-one free app with native Canva integration". 9to5Mac. 2025-10-30. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  8. 1 2 Weatherbed, Jess (2025-10-30). "Affinity's new design platform combines everything into one app". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  9. 1 2 Alderson, Rob (2025-10-30). "Canva makes pro-design tool Affinity "free, forever"". Design Week. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  10. ↑ "Adobe rival Affinity has just gone 'free forever' with its new app, but some users are worried there's still a catch". TechRadar. 2025-10-31. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
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