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Affinity (software)

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Affinity
DeveloperCanva
Stable release
3.2.3.4646 Edit this on Wikidata / 16 July 2026; 44 days ago (16 July 2026)[1]
Operating systemmacOS, Microsoft Windows
Available in9 languages
List of languages
English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Russian
TypeGraphics editor
LicenseProprietary
Websiteaffinity.studio

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

It was first released in 2025 as a successor to Serif's Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher, uniting the three editors into one application. While the previous versions competed individually against Adobe's Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, Affinity 3.0 integrates their functionality into a single application. The core application is available free of charge, while optional AI features require a Canva premium plan.

Functionality

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Image
Affinity is divided into studios that can be switched between at will: including Vector, Pixel and Layout.

Affinity is divided into a number of workspaces ("studios"), which are equivalent to the previous suite of Affinity applications: "vector" for vector graphics (Designer), "pixel" for raster editing (Photo), and "layout" for desktop publishing (Publisher). Additionally, it introduces the ability to create custom workspaces.[2]

The application supports real-time previews and non-destructive editing, which are based on GPU acceleration.[3] Supported file formats include Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator files, PDF, SVG, and TIFF, as well as a custom .af file format.[4]

Vector editing

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The Vector studio provides tools for drawing and editing curves and shapes, including pen and node tools, vector brushes, image tracing, mesh gradients and hatch fills. Vector objects can be combined with raster layers in the same document and exported by object, layer or slice.[5][6]

Raster editing

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The Pixel studio provides layer-based photo editing with adjustments, masks, blend modes, retouching, batch processing and filters that can be applied non-destructively as live filter layers. It also develops RAW files with lens, tonal and colour corrections, and supports panorama stitching, focus stacking and high dynamic range merging.[7][4]

Desktop publishing

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The Layout studio includes master pages, linked text frames, text styles, advanced typography, tables of contents, footnotes, sidenotes and endnotes, and preflight checking. Documents can be prepared for print or exported to formats including PDF and EPUB.[5][4]

AI features

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Canva AI Studio is a separate, optional workspace that requires a Canva premium plan. Its tools include object selection, background removal, generative fill and expansion, image and vector generation, upscaling, portrait blur and lighting adjustments.[5][6] The Vector, Pixel and Layout studios can be used without enabling or purchasing the AI features.[7]

Affinity stores documents locally. Canva states that Affinity content, including content created using Canva AI tools within Affinity, is not used to train or develop AI features; users can manage their data preferences if they choose to export or upload work to Canva.[8]

Development

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Background and acquisition (2014–2024)

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Serif launched the original Affinity suite starting with Affinity Designer in 2014, followed by Photo (2015) and Publisher (2019). The software gained popularity for its one-time purchase model, contrasting with Adobe's subscription-based Creative Cloud. In November 2022, Serif released Version 2 of the suite, introducing a "Universal License" that covered all three apps across all platforms.[9][10] In March 2024, Canva acquired Serif for approximately A$580 million (£300 million).[11] Following user backlash regarding a potential shift to subscriptions, Canva and Serif issued a joint "Pledge" committing to four key principles: fair pricing, no mandatory subscriptions, perpetual licenses for existing products, and continued development of Affinity as a standalone suite.[12][13]

Unified release (2025)

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In September 2025, Serif pulled all existing versions of Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher from sale ahead an upcoming announcement on 30 October; also ahead of the announcement, the iPadOS versions of the Affinity suite became free on App Store.[14][15] During a "Creative Freedom" keynote on 30 October 2025, Canva released a new version now simply branded as "Affinity" (also known as "Affinity by Canva"), and referred to internally as version 3.0.[16] Version 3 drops the separate 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.[17][18][19]

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 soon.[17][18][19]

Reception

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Canva launched the combined application with a commitment that it would remain "free forever".[6] Independent reviews noted that Affinity's Vector, Pixel and Layout tools are available without payment, watermarks, time limits or feature restrictions, while Canva's generative AI tools require an optional paid plan.[7][6] Windows Central similarly reported that the core suite could be used without a subscription and that the optional Canva AI tools were not required.[20]

TechRadar reported that Canva expected the free core application to encourage adoption of its premium subscription service.[6] Affinity states that content is stored locally and is not used to train AI features.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Affinity release notes". Affinity. Canva. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  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.
  3. ↑ Diaz, Jesus (30 October 2025). "Canva's new free Affinity app wants to sink the Adobe flagships". Fast Company. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Foley, Joe (30 October 2025). "The best Photoshop alternative just became 100% free". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Get Affinity: Pro Power with No Strings Attached". Affinity. Canva. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Paris, Steve (17 February 2026). "Affinity by Canva (2026) review: Three design tools in one, all for free – but is the software an Adobe-killer?". TechRadar. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Lawton, Rod (3 November 2025). "Affinity review". Digital Camera World. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Canva Integrations: Craft in Affinity, Scale in Canva". Affinity. Canva. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Affinity Photo 2 is launched with a new Affinity 2 Universal License". Life After Photoshop. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  10. ↑ Moon, Mariella (2022-11-09). "Serif's Affinity V2 apps includes a full creative suite for the iPad". Engadget. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  11. ↑ Miller, Chance (2024-03-26). "Canva acquires Affinity to bolster its fight against Adobe". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  12. ↑ "The Affinity and Canva Pledge". Affinity Press. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  13. ↑ Weatherbed, Jess (2024-03-27). "Canva pledges to keep Affinity subscription-free for now". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  14. ↑ Schneider, Jaron (2025-10-02). "Affinity Stops Selling its Photo Editing Software in Preparation for 'Big Changes'". PetaPixel. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  15. ↑ Gallagher, William; Wuerthele, Mike. "All Affinity apps are now free for the iPad - for now". AppleInsider. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  16. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (2025-10-30). "Affinity's image-editing apps go "freemium" in first major post-Canva update". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  17. 1 2 "Affinity is now an all-in-one free app with native Canva integration". 9to5Mac. 2025-10-30. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  18. 1 2 Weatherbed, Jess (2025-10-30). "Affinity's new design platform combines everything into one app". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  19. 1 2 Alderson, Rob (2025-10-30). "Canva makes pro-design tool Affinity "free, forever"". Design Week. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  20. ↑ Hales, Adam (31 October 2025). "Canva takes direct aim at Adobe's egregious prices and moves Affinity to a free model". Windows Central. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
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