What’s happened? Canva just dropped a bomb on the design world: Affinity, once a paid pro design suite, is now free forever. The move marks Canva’s loudest challenge yet to Adobe, arriving alongside its new Creative Operating System that rolls design, marketing, AI, and collaboration into one workflow.
- Canva is offering the Affinity apps (Designer, Photo, and Publisher) as a single unified desktop app that costs nothing to download and use
- You can hop between Pixel, Vector, and Layout modes in the new app, which is basically the updated equivalents of Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher.
- While the app is free, advanced AI features (like background removal or generative editing) still require a Canva Premium subscription.
- Affinity’s full pro suite is now free on Mac & Windows, with an iPad version coming later.
This is important because: By making Affinity tools free, Canva is competing with the paywall-heavy Photoshop and Illustrator workflow and signaling creatives that they don’t have to live on a subscription leash. Adobe has built its empire on locking top-tier tools behind monthly fees. But Canva just flipped that model and handed out studio-level software like it’s no big deal.
- Pro-grade software is now accessible to everyone.
- For designers, freelancers, and agencies, this means less juggling between tools, as design, video, layout, code, and publishing are now available under one roof.
Why should I care? This announcement changes what’s possible if you create for a living or as a side hustle. Suddenly, you have pro-level tools without the financial commitment, which means more freedom to experiment, build your portfolio, or start client work without budgeting for software first.
- You can download Affinity’s new version now and see if it can replace your current workflow.
- Evaluate if this upgrade allows you to ditch multiple subscriptions and consolidate platforms.
And if you’d rather skip the desktop setup altogether and keep things simple on your phone, here’s a handy list of the best mobile photo-editing apps to try.
