When graphic design platform provider Canva purchased image editing and publishing apps Affinity early last year, we had major questions about how the companies’ priorities and products would fit together. How would Canva serve users who preferred Affinity’s perpetually licensed apps to Adobe’s subscription-only software suite? And how might Affinity’s strong stance against generative AI be reconciled with Canva’s adoption of these technologies?
This week, Canva gave us definitive answers to all these questions: an all-new, unified Affinity app that merges the Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps into one software called “Affinity by Canva,” which is free to use with a Canva user account, but which integrates generative AI capabilities behind Canva’s existing paid subscription plans ($120 per year for individuals).
It looks like Above all good news, in the short to medium term, for existing Affinity app users who have admired Affinity’s anti-AI stance: the core features of all three apps are free, and the things you’re asked to pay for are things you generally don’t want anyway. But that may be bad news for those who like the once-and-forever predictability of paid software or are worried about where Canva might draw the line between “free” and “premium” features down the line.
The new Affinity app (also internally labeled as version 3) is available for x86 and Arm versions of Windows and as a universal app that will work natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The app supports macOS versions going back to 10.15 Catalina and Windows 11, as well as later versions of Windows 10. An iPad version to replace Affinity’s older iPad apps is “coming soon.”
“For ten years, Affinity has been the tool of choice for professionals who care deeply about craft,” wrote Ash Hewson, CEO of Affinity, in a post announcing the update. “Designers who value precision, speed, and control, and who expect their tools to keep up. Today, that legacy enters a new chapter. The all-new Affinity was built in close collaboration with its creator community, shaped by thousands of conversations, feature requests, and shared ideas. Guided by Canva’s Designer Advisory Board, this release reflects what professionals have told us most: performance, reliability, and creative freedom.”
