Affinity by Canva
The full pro suite — pixel, vector, and layout — now genuinely free.
Affinity was the classic one-time-purchase Photoshop rival; after Canva's acquisition it was relaunched in late 2025 as a single free desktop app combining what used to be Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher — full pixel, vector, and layout studios with no feature limits or subscription. It's closed-source and needs a Canva account to activate (it works offline afterwards), and Canva's AI extras are the paid upsell. For someone who wants professional-grade Photoshop power without a subscription and without open-source trade-offs, this is now the strongest commercial answer.
What it does well
- +Professional-grade suite, genuinely free — no feature gates
- +Pixel, vector, and page layout in one app
- +Works offline after activation; native macOS and Windows
Where it falls short
- −Closed-source; requires a Canva account to activate
- −Long-term direction now depends on Canva
- −iPad version still catching up
Affinity by Canva as an alternative to
Where Affinity by Canva shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
Affinity by Canva head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.