affinity is free forever? I have some thoughts...
The new affinity is here and to the surprise of absolutely nobody it's causing divides up and down the internet.
Affinity announced their new software after making fans sweat by taking down their previous products, you can view that announcement here:
I have some thoughts about this given I have enjoyed using the Affinity software and have some interest in seeing them do well.
When they got bought out by Canva, my first thought was that they're going to want to bring some cohesion across the brands, especially given that the target audiences remain slightly separated, with Canva being aimed at hobbyists and Affinity wanting to be a professional alternative to Adobe 1.
Vector, pixel and layout in one app is a blessing.
For apple users, I believe Pixelmator Pro also does this (but I can't confirm having never used it), but after suffering the bloat of Adobe apps, having one program is a smart method of having a win over the 'other' company.
Not quite enough to make Adobe nervous, but it's a nice start.
Customise your tools so you can make your own work station.
It's a novel idea but another one that is appreciated given how different users will use different tools, so being able to have them straight to hand is definitely a great quality of life improvement.
Again, not really a feature to make Adobe sit up and take notice, however the next one might...
Affinity is going to be completely free... Forever.
I have mixed feelings on this, this announcement immediately brings to mind "If a product is free, then you are the product".
I don't think there can be any arguments that this is the case, it's clear Canva are hoping to entice professionals into their ecosystem with this and they're banking on the premium features being good enough to warrant purchasing a Canva Pro subscription2.
I needed a Canva Pro subscription for some of my clients, but I admit that I never enjoyed using Canva as a platform as it always felt a little restricted to me.
There is also some concern about the privacy issues around Canva and how that might go against what Affinity is saying about their platform 3.
The talk around this being an unsustainable model may have some weight, but they have tried to explain the way this is working and I appreciate the transparency for users.
There's no catch. We're not selling your data. We're not monetising your creativity. We're not training AI models on your work. Your work stays yours forever.
— Affinity (@Affinity) October 31, 2025
How do we generate revenue? Canva has built a sustainable business model that allows this kind of generosity. And when…
Affinity for me, has always been seen as an alternative to Adobe, the David to Adobe's Goliath. Canva though? I confess something has always felt off about Canva.
My hope remains that Affinity will stick to their word and continue to produce quality software and keep it free.
If (as expected) things start to change due to the Canva influence, it becomes about what features are available and how much they're going to charge before I'll decide what I'm going to do.
Currently a Canva Pro subscription for me is around £100, that's certainly a lot more manageable than then £740 (ish) Adobe expects for their full suite because they (still) won't allow people to bundle up different software that they need (I need Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign).
For the TLDR crowd; I'm excited at the changes but cautious that it may end up backfiring should they go back on the promise of 'free forever'.