--- title: "Affinity Designer Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing - 2026" description: "Review of Affinity Designer Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs." source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / [Graphic Design Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/) / Affinity Designer Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. Overview [Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/reviews/)[Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/alternatives/) # Affinity Designer Review From $1,949-$4,999/one time 2 plans On this page - Overview - User Interface - Popular Alternatives - Pros and Cons - Pricing and Plans - Features - Integrations - User Reviews - Popular Comparisons ## Overview Affinity Designer 4.7 [(455)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/reviews/) Pricing Starting at $1,949.00 flat rate one time Top Alternatives ### About Affinity Designer Affinity Designer is a graphic designing and UX solution that helps businesses create concept art, logos, icons, UI designs, print projects and mock-ups, among other illustrations. It enables web designers to build and preview gradients, adjustments, effects, transformations and curve edits in real-time. Affinity Designer allows staff members to utilize keyboard shortcuts, track version history and save designs in multiple file formats, such as PSD, PDF, SVG and JPG. The built-in vector tools let employees use custom pens, nodes, brushes and pencils to add contours, create abstract shapes and design offset paths. It enables team members to build grid patterns, create isometric planes, manage pixel snapping and handle alignments. Additionally, it lets users handle multiple objects, organize layer groups, tag colors and utilize live outline views. Affinity Designer allows organizations to create linked symbols with detached attributes and manage multiple versions. It is available on a perpetual license and support is extended via email, forums, documentation and other online measures. Do you work for Affinity Designer? [Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/affinity-designer/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Affinity Designer User Interface ## Popular Affinity Designer Alternatives Main Product Affinity Designer 4.7 [(455)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.38Ease of use - 4.82Value for money - 4.51Customer support - 4.49Functionality Pricing Starting at $1949.00 one time Alternative Product [Adobe Creative Cloud](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/adobe-creative-cloud-profile/) 4.7 [(7347)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/adobe-creative-cloud-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.23Ease of use - 4.16Value for money - 4.17Customer support - 4.67Functionality Pricing Starting at $19.99 per month Alternative Product [Adobe Express](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/354910-adobe-express/) 4.6 [(1244)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/354910-adobe-express/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.50Ease of use - 4.42Value for money - 4.37Customer support - 4.37Functionality Pricing Starting at $4.99 per month Alternative Product [Canva](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/) 4.7 [(13467)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.69Ease of use - 4.61Value for money - 4.40Customer support - 4.55Functionality Pricing Starting at $10.00 per month Alternative Product [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/) 4.8 [(2474)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.18Ease of use - 4.29Value for money - 4.26Customer support - 4.77Functionality Pricing Starting at $22.99 per month Alternative Product [GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/) 4.4 [(3500)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 3.88Ease of use - 4.78Value for money - 3.99Customer support - 4.34Functionality Pricing Available upon request ## Affinity Designer Pros and Cons We analyzed 455 verified reviews for Affinity Designer to find out what actual users really think. Select to learn more Robust Design Capabilities Offered The software provides a comprehensive set of tools for professional graphic design and illustration. Users highlight its versatility, ability to handle detailed projects, and suitability for both print and digital work, making it a strong alternative to industry standards. Affordable One-Time Payment Model Affinity Designer offers a full-featured graphic design suite at a fraction of the cost of competitors, with a one-time purchase and no subscription fees. Users appreciate the straightforward pricing, making it accessible for freelancers, students, and small businesses. Helpful Tutorials And Resources Affinity Designer is supported by a wealth of tutorials, videos, and documentation, which help users learn the software efficiently. Those familiar with similar programs find the transition smooth, and beginners benefit from accessible training materials. Limited File Compatibility Issues Exporting files can be challenging due to compatibility problems with industry-standard formats. Users report issues with importing, exporting, and sharing files, loss of effects, and reliance on proprietary formats, which complicates collaboration and workflow. ## Affinity Designer Pricing and Plans Affinity Designer has two plans. Basic is $4,999.00. Plan 2 is $1,949.00. Basic $4,999.00 flat rate, one time The pricing is same for Windows and Mac. Basic plan includes: - 16 and 32-Bit RGB - Advanced Grids - AI - CMYK - Continuous Slice Export - Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts - EXR - ICC Profiles - JPG - Linked Symbols and Constraints - Pantone - PDF - PDS - Saveable History With Alternate Features - Snapping and Alignment - SVG - TIFF - Unlimited Artboards Plan 2 $1,949.00 flat rate, one time This plan is for iPad Plan 2 plan includes: - Advanced Grids and Guides - Boolean Operations - CMYK - Combining Vector and Raster Graphics - Grayscale - LAB and Rgb32 - Multiple Artboards - Multiple Professional Formats (EPS - PSD and PDF X) - Rgb16 - Rgb8 - Smooth Gradients - SVG - Unlimited Layers ### How does Affinity Designer pricing compare to alternatives? Affinity Designer's starting price is $1,949.00 one time. Explore how its pricing and plan options compare with top alternatives below. | Product | Starting price | Free trial | Free version | Value for Money | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Affinity Designer4.7[(455)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/reviews/) | $1,949.00 one time | Not available | Not available | 4.8 | | [Canva](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/)4.7[(13,467)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/reviews/) | $10.00 /user/mo | Available | Available | 4.6 | | [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/)4.8[(2,474)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/reviews/) | $19.99 | Available | Not available | 4.3 | | [GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/)4.4[(3,500)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/) | Free | Not available | Available | 4.8 | | [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/)4.8[(8,659)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/reviews/) | $22.99 /mo | Not available | Not available | 4.3 | Affinity Designer4.7[(455)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/reviews/) * * * Starting price $1,949.00 one time Free trial Not available Free version Not available Value For Money 4.8 - [Canva](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/)4.7[(13,467)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/reviews/) * * * Starting price $10.00 /user/mo Free trial Available Free version Available Value For Money 4.6 - [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/)4.8[(2,474)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/reviews/) * * * Starting price $19.99 Free trial Available Free version Not available Value For Money 4.3 - [GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/)4.4[(3,500)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/) * * * Starting price Free Free trial Not available Free version Available Value For Money 4.8 - [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/)4.8[(8,659)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/reviews/) * * * Starting price $22.99 /mo Free trial Not available Free version Not available Value For Money 4.3 ## Affinity Designer Features - Popular features found in Graphic Design Collaboration Tools Content Library Custom Fonts Design Management Pattern, Color & Art Storage - More features of Affinity Designer 2D Drawing CAD Tools Data Import/Export Document Storage Drag & Drop For Websites Image Editing Image Library Multiple Format Support Preview Functionality Search/Filter Templates Text Editing ## Affinity Designer Integrations Affinity Photo Integration rated 4.9 from 36 reviews Affinity Publisher Integration rated 4.9 from 24 reviews Adobe Photoshop Integration rated undefined from -1 review ## Affinity Designer User Reviews ## Affinity Designer customer ratings - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Total reviews: 455 ### Rating distribution - 5 stars: 345 reviews (76%) - 4 stars: 99 reviews (22%) - 3 stars: 8 reviews (2%) - 2 stars: 3 reviews (1%) - 1 star: 0 reviews (0%) ### Secondary ratings - Ease of use: 4.4/5 - Value for money: 4.8/5 - Customer support: 4.5/5 - Functionality: 4.5/5 --- ### Great alternative the Adobe Illustrator - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Steve K. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Information Technology and Services - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: November 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I use a lot, especially when designing stuff for softball t-shirts or for laser engraving. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Great set of features and sensible pricing, updated regularly #### Cons Sometimes doesn't export how you'd expect in all formats #### Reasons for choosing Affinity Designer It works and got used to the workflow, works in the same fashion for all Affinity products (Photo, Publisher) #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer When they went cloud and subscription based, Affinity products are a one off fee --- ### Affinity Designer is an Excellent Must-Have Design Toolkit for any Designer/Artist/Developer - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Kade M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Computer Games - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 12 months - Reviewed: January 2022 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. So far I really love it, very easy to use and very fun to play with despite the confusion of trying to understand and learn this new design software which I feel is worth its value. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros I really love how easy it is to just jump right in and start using it with a lot of useful creation tools, profiles, and more. There is a lot of useful functions, brushes, text, designs, shapes and such crammed into it. #### Cons Not very friendly to 3d Artists and Game Developers in my opinion. The software is somewhat confusing compared to others so I am stuck having to learn something new since it doesn't follow traditional methods which might not be such a bad thing aside from the confusion of trying to use it more due to the different toolset profiles. It also appears to lack filters and affects so that means I would have to use, create, or go get another software to use alongside it and I was really hoping to have an all-in-one tool. This has left me with a design of getting Affinity Photo or going back to Krita. #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer Krita is good but I kept running into random crashing/lagging issues which left me with no choice but to use other software at times and I found it to be rather annoying for that reason after dealing with it constantly. --- ### Excellent replacement to Adobe Illustrator - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Chris D. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Design - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2019 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. This app has become an invaluable tool in my workflow. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros This app is great for creating graphics, logos, icons, and shapes. It has a great type tool that can be used for artistic text or blocks of text. It offers graphics creation for vectors as well as raster graphics. #### Cons The way that layers are arranged or not arranged can be frustrating. It is merely a learning curve, though. --- ### Best Alternative for Adobe Illustrator - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Abraham C. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Mining & Metals - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Overall, I am very happy with this app because I can finally work on vectors and graphic designs without worrying about monthly fees. It is so cheap and powerful. This is definitely the best alternative for Adobe Illustrator. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I was an avid user of Adobe Illustrator before they changed into a subscription model. When I learned about Affinity Designer, I grabbed it immediately without second thoughts. It works great and has all the features and tools I need for my work and business. You just have to pay once and you get all future updates for life! Also, their mobile app comes free after your purchase. How cool is that? The app can be used on desktops and/or tablets. I have tried it on my iPad Pro and it's really fun to use, though I'd still prefer working on a computer. The price is so cheap and hard to beat. I will never look back after using this software for almost 5 years. I am now a fan and I highly recommend this app. #### Cons There is nothing to dislike with this software. I never had any issues or crashes so far. I love it! #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer I made the switch because of pricing. Adobe charges monthly while in Affinity Designer, you just have to pay once and it is yours for life! Also, everything is pretty the same, the functionality and tools. Switching to this app is pretty straightforward. --- ### The best design software ever - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Alexandre T. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Design - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: December 2021 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered - Fast development for my customers - For any visit card design or else, it's very immersive #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros I've been using affinity for about 3 years. It's soooo easy so great and mostly, SO QUICK ! I love designing with this software ! User experience is very cool, the customization is amazing. And the price it's like we give it to you ! I can only recommend that software ! #### Cons Sometimes, I need to go to Illustrator for some specific features such as color overall management or width modification. Anyway, there are a lot of innovative feature on Illustrator that i'd love to see on affinity. #### Reasons for choosing Affinity Designer Better UX Less expensive User friendly Immersive Beautiful Ease of use Very quick #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer For the features listed above --- ### Great Illustrator Alternative - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Melissa S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2022 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered When Adobe switched to subscription service I was very frustrated as I don't use Illustrator often enough to make it worth the cost...but I do occasionally need a full featured design program. I searched through many options, but finally settled on Affinity. It has been a great replacement and the one time purchase is a perfect solution for our company. If they had a replacement for Lightroom, I would be able to leave Adobe behind completely! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Affinity designer has all the priority features I look for in a design program. I hate switching to new software, but I found Affinity to be a fairly easy transition from Illustrator. Occasionally I can't find a tool I wanted in the spot I assumed it should be, but a quick search solves that problem. I love the way the tool bar is laid out and found all the main tools I wanted were easy to access. This is now my go to design program and I love that it is not a subscription based software. #### Cons While some designers fault Affinity for not having certain features I found that all of the vital features I needed are included. #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer We primarily switched because of the subscription pricing at Adobe. Illustrator is a great software, but as we don't use it on a daily basis we couldn't afford the service and started looking for an alternative. Honestly I wouldn't go back even if we could afford it. Affinity works great and does everything we need. --- ### A great vector creation tool for iPad users - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Alan Gerardo S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Marketing and Advertising - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 12 months - Reviewed: July 2022 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. It’s been great overall. One purchase and you jump right in without worrying about renewing payment plans. At first it was a bit of a shock having such a high quality app for a table because it does things that you might not expect it to to do while at the same time not behaving exactly how you would expect. However it’s more because it must compromise in some aspects due to the fact that it MUST take into account both touch only controls as well as mouse and keyboad. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros -Purchase once and use forever. You don’t need a monthly subscription fee to access every feature -Accesible price, you don’t need to break the bank to purchase this app -Rich interface and tools #### Cons -Interface and interactions may be hit or miss since it’s software built for tablets and may not always play nice when using mouse and keyboard - Slight learning curve when coming from other options #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer I switched my main work station from an older macbook pro the a new 12.9” iPad pro and Adobe’s options are not very well optimized plus have sometime outrageously high prices for the quality they offer. --- ### How not love it? - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Rogelio A. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Media Production - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2022 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered I have the whole suite working together: Designer, Photo, Publisher and it helps me stay on a competitive level against other businesses offering the same services. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Affinity Designer is the best Adobe Illustrator alternative that will let you edit SVG, AI, EPS, PDF files with ease. The controls are very intuitive and easy to use, the results are way too good and so far, after all these years there's nothing I regret from using Affinity Designer If you buy a set of tools on the Serif store, you do not have to download them and install them on a certain folder, you just go into the panel, click, that's it. You have it ready to use and installed properly. #### Cons The only thing I cannot do in Affinity Designer so far is to get a PNG and trace it into a vector. For that, I have to use Inkspace but everything else: Affnity Designer. Another thing that you may feel limited is that you see templates for Illustrator everywhere but not for Designer. You can still open them but all the layers groups will be merged into a single giant group making you spend some time rearranging things. #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer Adobe is way too expensive for small businesses like mine --- ### Breath of fresh air for design products - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Marcus S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Marketing and Advertising - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: June 2024 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Full-featured suite that reminds me of the way Adobe products used to work prior to subscriptions and feature bloat. #### Cons Some features are still missing, but I’m hopeful they will arrive with the Canva merger. #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer Cost, ongoing frustration, feature requirements. --- ### A game changer - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Ronald L. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Entertainment - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 6 months - Reviewed: January 2021 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by us to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I used to have a very specific workflow that involved the 2 most common image software on the market. These are expensive for the kind of tasks we were doing and a recurrent payment. Affinity Designer (and it's brother, Affinity Photo) replaced these with a one-time payment so we were able to get exactly the same results, same quality and same effiency. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros It allows you to do all the advanced stuff you need to do. Of course, there are some industry-standards out there this software will be compared to. Affinity Designer will for sure save you money after you spend some time in the initial adaptation translating all your knowledge from other tools to it. It sounds scary but it isn't. Things are just called differently and some others just have a different shortcut, but all what you know should still apply. A very cool thing I saw is that the developers are always interacting with users and they do listen to the requests! It's very, very lightweight (v. 1.8.5 is less than 500mb). Updates happen frequently but it's up to you to install them. Also it's equally lightweight in terms of resources used when running. The industry standards require everytime more and more ram and cpu while Affinity Designer runs very smoothly on all low-mid range pcs. #### Cons The documentation isn't always super super clear. As it's an evolving sofware and features are being added or changed, this is really important. A couple of times i had to rely on youtubers to find how to do certain things. #### Reasons for switching to Affinity Designer Illustrator was too expensive for us and too heavy to run. We also had to run Photoshop at the same time which was a problem in terms of resources since we're now working from home so not everybody has specialized hardware at home to run these. --- Showing 1 - 10 of 455 Reviews [See All Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/reviews/) ## Affinity Designer Popular Comparisons [Canva vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/canva/)[Adobe Photoshop vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/vs/affinity-designer/)[GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Adobe Illustrator vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/vs/affinity-designer/)[CorelDRAW vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/coreldraw/)[Inkscape vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/inkscape/)[Adobe InDesign vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-indesign-profile/vs/affinity-designer/)[Adobe Creative Cloud vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/adobe-creative-cloud-profile/vs/affinity-designer/)[Figma vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/figma/)[Sketch vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/sketch/)[Adobe Express vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/compare/220009-affinity-designer/vs/354910-adobe-express/)[Procreate vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/procreate/)[VistaCreate vs Affinity Designer](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/crello/) [Compare All Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/alternatives/) ## See what companies are saying about Software Advice