Skip to content
Day 69: new resources are added every day. See what's new
Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

Affinity

Pro photo editing, vector design and page layout in one app, free for individuals.

Visit Affinity4.7

  • Rating

    4.7 / 5

  • Pricing

    Freemium

  • Difficulty

    Intermediate

  • Works on

    Windows, macOS

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

Free: 1,100+ ways people make money onlineFree: 399+ ways to make money online

What is Affinity?

Affinity, now part of Canva, combines pixel photo editing, vector design and page layout in one desktop app for Mac (Apple silicon and Intel) and Windows, with an iPad version coming. It is free for individuals; only its AI tools need a Canva premium plan, and organisations needing SSO go through Canva Enterprise or Canva Education.

Pros: what Affinity does well

  • Professional photo, vector and layout tools free for individuals
  • One app instead of three
  • No subscription for the core app

Cons: where it falls short

  • AI tools need a Canva premium plan
  • No Linux version, and iPad is still coming

Who Affinity is for

Designers and photographers who want pro-grade tools without an Adobe subscription.

Who can skip it

Linux users.

What people use Affinity for

  • Editing and retouching photos as a free alternative to Photoshop
  • Drawing logos, icons and illustrations with vector tools
  • Laying out brochures, magazines, books and posters for print or PDF
  • Moving between photo, vector and layout work in one file without switching apps

How to get started

  1. 1Go to affinity.studio and choose Download for Mac or Download for Windows.
  2. 2Sign in with a free Canva account when asked, then install the app.
  3. 3Start a new document and switch between the Pixel, Vector and Layout tools as you work.
  4. 4If you have a Canva premium plan, sign in with it to unlock the optional AI tools.

Affinity pricing

Affinity is free for individuals on Mac and Windows, with an iPad version announced as coming soon. Only the optional AI tools need a Canva premium plan. Organisations can get it with SSO through Canva Enterprise, and schools through Canva Education. See current prices on Affinity's site

Checked 2026-10-29. Prices change, so double-check before you pay.

Affinity FAQ: quick answers

Is Affinity free?
Yes, Affinity is free for individuals. Only the optional AI tools need a Canva premium plan.
What is Affinity?
A desktop design app, now part of Canva, that combines photo editing, vector design and page layout in one place.
Does Affinity work on iPad?
Not yet. It runs on Mac and Windows today, and an iPad version is listed as coming soon.

Compare Affinity

See how Affinity stacks up, side by side, plus the lists it made.

Affinity alternatives

Not sold on Affinity? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Personal Productivity resources

GIMP

Focus: image editing and open source. Shares photo editor and photoshop alternative with Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.4 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit

Paint.NET

Focus: image editing and windows. Shares photo editor and photoshop alternative with Affinity. A Windows app, not a desktop app. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Rated 4.5 (Affinity: 4.7).

Windows AppFreeWindows
4.5Visit

Krita

Focus: digital painting, illustration and animation. Shares photoshop alternative with Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux and Android. Same 4.7 rating.

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit

PhotoGIMP

Focus: gimp, image editing and open source. Shares photoshop alternative with Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.5 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit

darktable

Focus: raw editor, photo workflow and open source. Shares photoshop alternative with Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.4 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit

Scribus

Focus: desktop publishing, print design and open source. Shares page layout with Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.2 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.2Visit

Free alternatives to Affinity

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Snapseed

Focus: mobile, raw and lightroom mobile alternative. Shares photo editor with Affinity. A mobile app, not a desktop app. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds iOS and Android. Same 4.7 rating.

Mobile AppFreeiOS, Android
4.7Visit

Compositor

Focus: image editor, compositing and mac app. Shares photoshop alternative with Affinity. A Mac app, not a desktop app. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (Affinity: 4.7).

Mac AppFreemacOS
4.6Visit

Ghostty

Focus: terminal, emulator and gpu. Also in Personal Productivity, like Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.9 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.9Visit

Blender

Focus: 3d, animation and vfx. Also in Personal Productivity, like Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.8 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.8Visit

Everything

Focus: file search, windows and search tool. Also in Personal Productivity, like Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Offline. Rated 4.8 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, Offline
4.8Visit

fzf

Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Also in Personal Productivity, like Affinity. Free (Affinity: Freemium). Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.8 (Affinity: 4.7).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Are you the maker of Affinity?Get a free Featured badge for your site, a share image and ready-to-paste posts. No sign-up.

Free Notion database

1,100+ ways people are making money online

Real online businesses, creators and projects, broken down by how they make money: apps, online stores, AI tools and more. Free on Gumroad.

Get the free database

Free Notion database

399+ ways to make money online

Hundreds of online income methods in one place, so you can compare options and pick one to try. Free on Gumroad.

Get the free list

For research and ideas only. Results vary and nothing here is a promise of income. See our Disclaimer.

Weekly newsletter

Everything new, every Monday.

One short email every Monday with everything shipped that week: new free tools and websites, new guides, new free browser tools and what's new in my free Gumroad libraries, plus how the site is growing. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Join the newsletter

You sign up on Gumroad, which stores your email to send the newsletter. See our Privacy Policy.