Alternatives to Affinity

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor that uses SVG as its main file format. The project README lists shapes, paths, text, layers, node editing and complex path operations, import of EPS, PostScript, JPEG, PNG, BMP and TIFF, and export to PNG and several vector formats. The official wiki describes ways to install it on Windows, macOS and Linux and shows 1.4 as the current stable branch.

Shared requirement: Vector Drawing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Page Layout & Publishing · RAW Photo Editing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Free output.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Available features may vary by device and access method.

VectorCraft is a free, open-source vector illustration app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with a pen tool, direct selection, shape booleans, live effects that stay editable (such as blends and gradient mesh), image tracing, and SVG and PDF import and export. Its GitHub README calls it alpha, states a dual MIT or Apache-2.0 license and lists remaining gaps, such as reliable exchange of .ai files. getartcraft.com lists VectorCraft as “In development” (checked 13 October 2026).

Shared requirement: Vector Drawing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Page Layout & Publishing · RAW Photo Editing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Free output.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Available features may vary by device and access method.

Adobe InDesign is Adobe's desktop page layout application for print and digital publishing. Its official pages list multipage layouts such as brochures, digital magazines and interactive catalogs, typography controls, a Preflight panel, Convert PDF to InDesign Document and generative AI features. Adobe offers a seven-day free trial and no free version, and sells InDesign only as part of a Creative Cloud membership.

Shared requirement: Page Layout & Publishing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Vector Drawing · RAW Photo Editing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Check each tool’s plan separately; one feature’s allowance does not cover another. AI-generated details may differ from the original image.

Adobe Lightroom is Adobe's cloud-based photo editor and organizer for desktop, mobile and web. Adobe's pages describe non-destructive editing, presets, batch editing, Generative Remove and cloud storage, with the paid Lightroom plan listed at US$11.99 a month (annual plan, billed monthly; Adobe's US page, 27 October 2026) and a seven-day free trial for desktop and iPad. Free iOS and Android apps with in-app purchases are listed in the stores.

Shared requirement: RAW Photo Editing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Vector Drawing · Page Layout & Publishing

Tasks listed only for Adobe Lightroom: Object Removal from Photos

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Batch processing.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Check each tool’s plan separately; one feature’s allowance does not cover another. Requires desktop installation.

darktable is an open-source RAW developer and photography workflow application made for photographers. Its official pages say it edits without modifying the original file, keeps images in a library database, is released under the GPL 3.0 and offers builds for Linux, Windows and macOS on Apple silicon. Version 5.6 added an AI object mask and a neural restore module that run on your own computer, and the official FAQ warns that the learning curve can be steep.

Shared requirement: RAW Photo Editing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Vector Drawing · Page Layout & Publishing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Batch processing.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Available features may vary by device and access method.

DesignCraft is a native page layout and publishing app with spreads and parent pages, stories threaded across frames, paragraph and character styles, swatches and text wrap, and it exports PDF with embedded fonts, CMYK and spot colors, bleed and crop marks. The official page says it is free and open source, with no subscription, license server or telemetry; its README says that it is released under MIT or Apache-2.0 and that the roadmap stage is pre-alpha. getartcraft.com lists DesignCraft as “In development” (checked 13 October 2026).

Shared requirement: Page Layout & Publishing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Vector Drawing · RAW Photo Editing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Free output.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Available features may vary by device and access method.

LightCraft is a free, open-source photo library and non-destructive raw developer for macOS, Windows and Linux: it decodes raw files such as DNG, CR2, ARW, NEF and RAF itself, offers light, color and tone-curve controls with brush, gradient and sky or subject masks, and organizes photos in albums with ratings and flags. The official page says it needs no account and has no cloud, telemetry or subscription, and its GitHub README calls it alpha, states a dual MIT or Apache-2.0 license and names gaps such as missing measured camera color calibration for several raw formats. getartcraft.com lists LightCraft as “In development” (checked 13 October 2026).

Shared requirement: RAW Photo Editing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Vector Drawing · Page Layout & Publishing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Free output.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Available features may vary by device and access method.

RawTherapee is a cross-platform raw photo processing program from the RawTherapee Team, released as free software under the GPLv3. Its official site describes a non-destructive 32-bit floating-point processing engine, pixel-shift compositing with automatic ghost masking, dark frame and flat field correction, and builds for Linux, Windows and 64-bit macOS. Version 5.13 was released on 26 July 2026, and the project README says it leaves asset management, printing and uploading to other software.

Shared requirement: RAW Photo Editing

Only the tasks below are shared; other capabilities do not follow from this match.

Tasks listed only for Affinity: Vector Drawing · Page Layout & Publishing

Same platform: Desktop → Desktop

Recorded facts for this choice

Confirmed on both sides with the same value: Free output.

Neither side has verified data for these fields, so equality cannot be inferred. No watermark.

Requires desktop installation. Available features may vary by device and access method.