Affinity
Affinity is Canva’s professional design suite — relaunched Oct 31, 2025 as ONE free, unified app with three studios (Vector ~Illustrator, Pixel ~Photoshop, Layout ~InDesign), switchable in one document, on Mac & Windows. Genuine pro tools, now free, no subscription lock-in.
Buy through TechBag
Same software. Better outcome — at a lower cost.
How it’s rated
Full scoreboard ↓Quick answer
The Canva platform family
This page covers Affinity — Canva’s free, unified pro design suite. The rest of the Canva platform:
Quick facts
30-second orientation- Product
- Affinity — one free, unified pro design app
- Vendor
- Canva (acquired Affinity Mar 2024 · profitable)
- The category
- Professional design — a real Adobe alternative
- What it does
- Pro vector, photo/raster & page-layout design
- The 2025 relaunch
- One free unified app (Oct 31, 2025)
- Three studios
- Vector · Pixel · Layout — in one document
- The edge
- Genuine pro tools, now FREE — no subscription
- Platforms
- Mac & Windows · iPad edition in development
- Vs
- Adobe CC (still the pro leader), CorelDRAW, Sketch
- In India via
- TechBag — honest Adobe advice, licensing, GST
Understand professional design tools before you adopt them
Most product pages skip this. We start here — so you buy a capability, not a buzzword.
What is Affinity?
Canva’s professional design suite — relaunched Oct 31, 2025 as ONE free, unified app with three studios: Vector (~Illustrator), Pixel (~Photoshop) & Layout (~InDesign) — switchable in one document, on Mac & Windows.
Adobe subscriptions (rent forever) vs Affinity (free) — the honest table
What consolidation actually replaces, dimension by dimension.
| Dimension | Adobe subscriptions | Affinity |
|---|---|---|
| Cost model | Adobe subscription (rent forever) | Free forever — own it |
| Apps | Three separate apps/subscriptions | One unified free app |
| Cross-discipline | Export/round-trip between apps | Switch studios in one document |
| Vector | Illustrator (subscription) | Vector Studio (free) |
| Photo/raster | Photoshop (subscription) | Pixel Studio (free) |
| Layout | InDesign (subscription) | Layout Studio (free) |
| Lock-in | Stop paying, lose access | No subscription lock-in |
| Best fit | (varies) | Pros wanting free pro tools, no lock-in |
Affinity is Canva’s professional design suite — relaunched Oct 31 2025 as ONE free, unified app with three studios: Vector (~Illustrator), Pixel (~Photoshop) & Layout (~InDesign), switchable in one document, on Mac & Windows (iPad in development), FREE with no subscription lock-in (paid Canva subscribers unlock in-app AI). Honest: for the very deepest pro features, ecosystem & integrations, Adobe still leads. Owned by Canva; India top-4 market. TechBag places it honestly & adds GST.
The five pieces of the platform
Vendors love diagrams; buyers need to know what they’re actually operating. Here’s the whole platform, demystified.
One App, Three Studios
Affinity is now a single free app with three studios — Vector, Pixel and Layout — that you switch between in one document, with no exporting.
Vector Studio
Pro-grade vector tools — precise curves, pen and node tools, boolean operations, typography — formerly Affinity Designer, now a studio.
Pixel Studio
Pro photo and raster editing — layers, masks, retouching, RAW, adjustment and live filters — formerly Affinity Photo, now a studio in the same app.
Layout Studio
Professional page layout — master pages, text flow, print-ready output — for books and brochures; formerly Affinity Publisher, now a studio.
Free & Owned by Canva
Affinity is free forever with no subscription lock-in, so you own your tools; paid Canva subscribers unlock in-app AI. Backed by profitable Canva.
One free desktop app with three studios — vector, pixel and layout work in the same file, owned rather than rented.
Twelve capabilities. Vector, pixel, layout.
Affinity gives pros genuine vector, photo & layout tools — unified & free, a real Adobe alternative — from the Canva portfolio.
Pro Vector Illustration
Precise vector drawing — pen, node and curve tools, booleans, corner and contour tools — for logos and icons (Vector Studio).
Professional Typography
Full typography — OpenType features, glyph browser, artistic and frame text, type on a path — so type looks exactly right.
Artboards & Export Persona
Design across artboards and export slices to any format and scale, for screens, print and app assets.
Non-Destructive Design
Vectors, effects and adjustments stay live and editable at any zoom, so you refine without redoing work.
Layers, Masks & Retouch
Full raster editing — layers, masks, blend modes, retouching, healing and clone — for serious photo work (Pixel Studio).
RAW & Adjustment Layers
Develop RAW files and apply non-destructive adjustment and live filter layers — curves, levels, HSL — for tonal control.
Live Filters & Effects
Non-destructive live filters, blurs, lighting and layer effects stay re-editable at any time.
Panorama, HDR & Focus Merge
Panorama stitching, HDR merge and focus stacking are built in, with no add-ons needed for pro photography.
Professional Page Layout
Multi-page layout with master pages, sections and print-ready output for books, brochures and magazines (Layout Studio).
Text Flow & Paragraph Styles
Flow text across frames and pages with paragraph and character styles, tables and baseline grids for long documents.
StudioLink — Switch Studios
Move between Vector, Pixel and Layout studios in the same document, with no exporting between apps.
Print-Ready & Free
CMYK, spot colours, bleed, PDF/X and pro print output, with the whole suite free and no subscription.
Watch Canva (Affinity’s owner) in action
The overview, getting started, and the core workflows.
Canva Create 2025: Visual Suite 2.0 — In One Design
Canva’s platform vision — the company behind Affinity.
Introducing Canva AI 2.0 — Canva Create 2026
Canva’s AI direction (paid subscribers unlock in-app AI).
How We Use Canva AI 2.0
How Canva’s AI is used across its products.
Want a live, India-context walkthrough for your environment?
Book a guided demo →Tools multiply. One workspace wins.
Here’s what genuinely sets Affinity apart (and where Adobe still leads).
A genuine PRO Adobe alternative — now free and unified
Pro design has long meant renting Adobe Creative Cloud. Since October 31, 2025, Affinity is one free app with Vector (~Illustrator), Pixel (~Photoshop) and Layout (~InDesign) studios, with no subscription. It narrows Canva’s pro gap with Adobe, though Adobe remains the pro standard.
Three studios, one document — the unified relaunch
Pro work spans vectors, photos and pages, which used to mean three programs and constant exporting. Since the Oct 31, 2025 relaunch, Affinity is one app with Vector, Pixel and Layout studios, so you draw, retouch and lay out in a single file, switching studios instead of apps.
Free forever, no subscription — own your tools, not rent them
Most pro design tools are rented monthly, forever, and stop working when you stop paying — a real barrier for freelancers, students and small teams in price-sensitive markets like India. Affinity is free forever, with no per-seat bill or lock-in; paid Canva subscribers also get in-app AI.
Backed by Canva — a proven, profitable platform
Canva bought the Affinity (Serif) suite in March 2024 and relaunched it free and unified in October 2025. Canva, founded 2013 in Sydney, is profitable on B+ in annual recurring revenue and used by around 95% of the Fortune 500; secondary sales valued it around 2B (indicative). India is a top-four market.
Mac & Windows now — iPad in development
Affinity runs as the same unified app on Mac and Windows, with an iPad edition in development, so mixed fleets can standardise on one free pro suite. Backed by Canva, it is actively developed — the free relaunch proves it, with AI for subscribers and iPad on the roadmap.
The honest scope
Affinity is now one free app with Vector, Pixel and Layout studios on Mac and Windows, with no subscription. Adobe Creative Cloud still leads on the deepest features, ecosystem, plugins, collaboration and Firefly AI. CorelDRAW and Sketch are other options. Affinity wins on value; Adobe on depth.
The numbers behind the platform
What your Affinity journey looks like
Scoping (Affinity vs Adobe)
Your work (vector, photo, layout) and where free Affinity fits versus Adobe’s depth. TechBag advises and scopes paid Canva unlocks.
Install & unify
Install the free Affinity app on Mac and Windows across your team, working across all three studios in one document.
Migrate & produce
Move suitable projects off Adobe subscriptions, set up workflows, and turn on in-app AI if you subscribe to Canva.
Standardise & support
Standardise on free Affinity where it fits, keep Adobe for the deepest work, add iPad when it ships. TechBag supports you (GST).
The review scoreboard
Modelled on Gartner Peer Insights structure. *Counts and breakdowns are illustrative pending verified review collection.
Quick poll — what’s driving your evaluation?
Talk to an advisor“Genuine pro vector, photo and layout tools in one free app. We moved much of our work off Adobe subscriptions.”
“I draw, retouch and lay out in the same document, switching studios instead of exporting between three apps.”
“Free forever, no subscription, and I own my tools. As a freelancer that’s huge — no monthly bill hanging over me, real pro capability.”
“Free pro-grade tools on lab Windows machines and students’ Macs are perfect. TechBag helped plan our India rollout.”
“Honest: our leads still use Adobe for the deepest work and plugins, but Affinity covers a big share of output, free.”
“Pixel Studio handles our RAW, retouching and HDR work with layers and live filters. Remarkable for a free app.”
“Layout Studio does master pages, text flow and PDF/X for our brochures at zero licence cost. TechBag flagged where Adobe still pays.”
“Being backed by Canva, with the free relaunch and iPad edition coming, I trust it’s here to stay and improving.”
Where everyone sits — the grids
Analyst firms bury this view behind paywalls, and review-site grids score satisfaction, not fit for your estate. So here’s TechBag’s synthesis of the Professional design (Adobe-alternative) market — tap any vendor to see why it sits where it does.
TechBag Collaboration Grid
Execution strength vs product vision — the classic market map, minus the paywall.
One free unified pro suite. This page's product.
Pro Depth × Value
The grid nobody publishes — pro creative depth vs value (pro, unified, free).
Pro, unified, free — huge value.
Positions are TechBag’s illustrative synthesis of public review-platform data and vendor documentation — not a reproduction of any analyst graphic. Verify before relying on it.
Affinity vs the professional design field
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign (still the pro leaders), CorelDRAW and Sketch — honest lanes; the edge is genuine pro tools, unified & FREE, with no subscription lock-in. For the very deepest pro features, ecosystem & integrations, Adobe still leads. We say so.
| Dimension | Affinity | Adobe Photoshop | Adobe Illustrator | Adobe InDesign | CorelDRAW | Sketch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | One free unified pro suite (Vector/Pixel/Layout) | Pro raster leader | Pro vector leader | Pro layout leader | Pro vector alternative | Mac UI/design tool |
| Cost / subscription | Free forever — no subscription | Subscription | Subscription | Subscription | Perpetual or subscription | Subscription (lower) |
| Pro depth & features | Genuine pro (Adobe still deepest) | Deepest raster | Deepest vector | Deepest layout | Deep vector | UI-focused |
| Unified / one app | One app, three studios, one document | Separate app | Separate app | Separate app | Mostly vector | UI only |
| Ecosystem & integrations | Growing (Canva-backed) | Vast (plugins, Stock, cloud) | Vast | Vast | Established | Plugin community |
| AI in the workflow | In-app AI for Canva subscribers | Firefly (strong) | Firefly (strong) | Some AI | Some AI | Some AI |
| Platforms | Mac & Windows (iPad in dev) | Mac, Win, iPad | Mac, Win, iPad | Mac, Win | Windows-first | Mac only |
| Best fit | Pros wanting free, unified pro tools with no subscription lock-in | Deepest pro photo/raster & ecosystem | Deepest pro vector & ecosystem | Deepest pro page layout & ecosystem | Windows/technical vector illustration | Mac UI/interface design |
Which collaboration & creativity approach fits you?
Honest fit signals — because the fastest way to lose your trust is to pretend one product wins every scenario.
Choose Affinity if…
- You want GENUINE pro design tools — vector, photo and layout — that are now FREE, with no subscription lock-in
- You want ONE unified app — switch between Vector, Pixel and Layout studios in the same document, no exporting
- You’re cost-conscious (freelancer, studio, student, India) and want to OWN your tools, not rent them
- You’re on Mac or Windows (iPad in development) — with TechBag adding honest Adobe advice and, for paid unlocks, INR/GST
Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesign if…
- You need the very deepest pro features, the widest ecosystem and integrations, and the most mature team collaboration — Adobe is still the standard
CorelDRAW if…
- You want a long-standing pro vector alternative, strong on Windows and technical illustration
Sketch if…
- Your work is Mac-based UI and interface design
Adobe (deepest) + Affinity (free) if…
- You keep Adobe for the deepest 5% and use free Affinity for the rest — TechBag scopes the split honestly
What could this save you?
Drag the sliders (pro creatives; hour cost as loaded rate). Estimates contrast the old way (Adobe subscriptions, three separate apps, exporting between them) vs Affinity (one free unified app, Vector/Pixel/Layout in a single document, no per-seat subscription) — the wins are licence cost saved, less round-tripping between apps, and no subscription lock-in. Illustrative — TechBag scopes where free Affinity fits vs where Adobe is still worth it.
Loaded cost = salary + overheads per productive hour. Illustrative only — your TechBag quote models your actual environment and modules.
Three ways to consume it
Affinity is FREE forever — there’s no subscription for the base suite (the whole unified Vector/Pixel/Layout app, on Mac & Windows; iPad edition in development). Paid Canva subscribers additionally unlock in-app AI — Canva Pro is ~$15/user/mo (sources vary $15–18, verify), Teams/Business ~$25/user/mo, Enterprise by quote; in India Pro is ~₹799/mo or ~₹6,999/yr, +18% GST. So Affinity itself costs nothing; TechBag scopes any paid Canva/Enterprise unlocks and handles INR/GST.
Affinity (the suite)
Best for free, unified, pro design
- FREE forever · no subscription · no lock-in — you own your tools
- One app, three studios: Vector (~Illustrator), Pixel (~Photoshop), Layout (~InDesign)
- Mac & Windows (iPad in development); switch studios in one document
+ Platform add-ons
Best for a broader rollout
- Scoped to your estate
- Add-on modules as needed
- Phased, right-sized deployment
+ Canva AI & local support
Best value with TechBag
- Paid Canva subscribers unlock in-app AI in Affinity (Pro ~$15, Teams ~$25, Enterprise quote)
- Honest Affinity-vs-Adobe placement + the keep-Adobe-for-the-deepest split
- TechBag adds INR/GST invoicing, rollout & local support for the paid layer
Buy it for less — TechBag pricing beats list
Whatever the list prices above, TechBag negotiates a significantly better deal — with GST-compliant INR invoicing and local support. Ask us for your discounted quote.
Get an India-ready quote
Tell us your requirements and current tools — we’ll model it against what you spend today.
The 8 questions to ask every vendor
Take this into your next vendor call — including ours.
Need genuine pro vector, photo or layout capability? Affinity provides all three — now in one free app.
Tired of Adobe subscriptions? Affinity is free forever, no subscription, no lock-in — you own your tools.
Work across disciplines? Switch between Vector, Pixel and Layout studios in the SAME document — no exporting.
On Mac or Windows? Affinity runs on both today (iPad edition in development).
Want in-app AI? Paid Canva subscribers unlock it in Affinity — TechBag scopes that.
Need the very deepest pro features and the widest ecosystem/integrations? Adobe still leads — TechBag will say so.
Many teams keep Adobe for the deepest 5% and use free Affinity for the rest — TechBag scopes it honestly.
Affinity is free; where paid Canva/Enterprise unlocks matter, TechBag adds INR/GST invoicing and local support.
Questions buyers ask
Ready to give your pros free, unified design tools?
Scope Affinity (Canva’s pro design suite — one free unified app with Vector, Pixel and Layout studios you switch between in a single document, on Mac & Windows) — and let a TechBag advisor place it honestly vs Adobe, scope the keep-Adobe-for-the-deepest split, and add any paid Canva/Enterprise unlocks with INR/GST invoicing and local support.
Stats, ratings, review counts and pricing are illustrative and sourced from public materials; verify before purchase.