affinity Photo, Designer & Publisher Now Free – But Ther’s a Catch
A seismic shift has rocked the world of professional creative software: Affinity photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher are now available for free, following their acquisition by Canva last year. The move, announced after a two-week period of silence following the cessation of sales for the original tools, alleviates fears of a subscription model mirroring Adobe’s practices, but introduces a new reliance on a Canva account.
For years, Affinity’s suite of tools – offering robust alternatives to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign – commanded a meaningful price. Now, the entire package is fully usable without cost, contingent only on logging in with a Canva online account, a departure from the previous submission-specific login requirements. Downloads are currently available for Mac and Windows, with an iPad version slated for release at a later date.
The most significant change accompanying this transition is the consolidation of the three separate applications – Photo, Designer, and Publisher – into a single, unified application simply named Affinity. This streamlined interface features three core tabs: Pixel, for bitmap graphics; Vector, for curves; and Layout, for typesetting. According to a company release,the new app maintains the full functionality of its predecessors. “Every edit, from RAW development to retouching to compositing, is non-destructive, so you can refine endlessly without losing the original work,” the release states. “Plus, GPU acceleration ensures even the most complex files stay fast and fluid, while smart tools like smart selections, live filters and batch processing help speed up repeat edits.”
While the user interface has undergone a notable simplification – a hallmark of Canva’s design philosophy – developers assure users that customization options remain robust. “The application should offer sufficient options for setting the bars and tools so that everything important is at hand,as with previous Affinity tools,” one analyst noted. Initial impressions suggest the core functionality remains largely unchanged, though users accustomed to the original icons may experience a period of adjustment.
But the question remains: why is Canva giving away software that previously cost upwards of $4,000? The answer, according to the company, lies in artificial intelligence. A prominent Canva AI button has been integrated into Affinity, offering features like image generation, background removal, and automated selections – capabilities previously absent from the suite. This move mirrors Adobe’s strategy of prioritizing AI development within its creative tools, specifically through its Firefly AI platform.
Canva AI is accessible even within the free version of Affinity, albeit with unspecified monthly usage limits. A Canva Pro subscription, priced at approximately $25 per month or $240 per year, removes these restrictions and unlocks additional benefits, including a 100GB cloud drive, access to 3.6 million templates, and a library of over 141 million photos, videos, and audio files, alongside a social media scheduler. Notably, Affinity now allows for direct project export to Canva, catering to users who prefer a blend of offline and online workflows.
However, the AI features within Affinity itself remain locked behind the Canva Pro paywall, requiring a 30-day free trial to access them. This represents a clear upselling strategy, leveraging the now-free software to drive subscriptions to Canva’s premium services.
Existing users who purchased Affinity v1 or v2 will not receive any compensation or special benefits with the new version. While their original versions will continue to function,they are unlikely to receive further updates. This decision, while potentially disappointing to loyal customers, underscores Canva’s focus on attracting new users through the free offering and monetizing through its AI-powered features.
resources and additional information: Canva
