Canva Relaunches Affinity as Free All-in-One Adobe-Rival Design Platform
News Summary
Canva relaunched Affinity as a free, unified creative platform, combining photo editing, vector, and layout tools into one app for Windows and macOS. Acquired from Serif in 2023, the new Affinity supports a universal file format. Premium Canva subscribers get AI features within Affinity.
* This summary was assisted by using AI
Canva has officially relaunched Affinity as a new all-in-one creative platform, combining photo editing, vector illustration, and page layout tools under one app. The move follows Canva’s acquisition of Serif, the original developer of Affinity, in 2023.
Unlike Affinity’s previous standalone applications — Designer, Photo, and Publisher — which were sold as one-time purchases for around $70 each, the new version is being promoted as “free forever.” Canva emphasized that the platform will not require any subscription to use its core features.
The unified Affinity app is currently available for Windows and macOS, with an iPad version expected to launch soon. Canva also confirmed that the app now supports a single, universal file format, streamlining collaboration and file transfers across projects.
Tight integration with Canva’s ecosystem allows users to export their Affinity designs directly into Canva. Premium Canva subscribers will further gain access to AI-powered tools — including image generation, photo cleanup, and instant copy creation — directly within the Affinity interface.
Existing users of Affinity’s older software will still retain access to their purchased versions, which will continue to function normally. However, the V2 editions of Designer, Photo, and Publisher were recently removed from Affinity’s website, raising questions about ongoing update support for legacy users.
Affinity’s original one-time-purchase model had made it a popular alternative to Adobe’s subscription-based Creative Cloud. While Canva itself operates on a freemium model with paid premium features, the company’s insistence that Affinity will remain free appears aimed at reassuring its creative user base.
Despite the positive reception, some designers have expressed caution over the inclusion of AI features, citing concerns about automation and creative control. Still, with its unified experience, cross-platform compatibility, and zero-cost access, Affinity’s relaunch positions Canva as a stronger contender in the professional design software space.
