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Affinity — Vector Drawing

Canva

Affinity is Canva's design app for Windows and macOS that puts vector drawing, pixel and photo editing, and page layout in one app and one document. The official pages say it is free for individuals with every Pixel, Vector and Layout tool included, that you sign in with a free Canva account to download and activate it, and that only the AI tools need a Canva premium plan. The iPad version is listed as coming soon.

Why it fits

Vector DrawingPage Layout & PublishingRAW Photo Editing

Desktop

Go to affinity.studio
Good to know (2)

Requires desktop installation.

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

Good to know
Good to knowDesktop
Free outputYes
No account neededNo
No watermark—
Works offlineYes
Batch processingYes
Content language—

— Unverified conditions. Official documentation reviewed. The app itself has not been hands-on tested. Matches only documented content-language support, not interface language.

Sources and review date (5)
  • www.affinity.studio/
  • affinity.studio/download
  • www.affinity.studio/graphic-design-software
  • www.affinity.studio/page-layout-software
  • www.affinity.studio/photo-editing-software
Founder feedback and correction

Founder feedback and correction

If you represent this product, send a source-backed correction or update to the editors. Publication follows editorial review.

Editorial selection guide

Last checked:

Who is it for?

  • People who draw logos, icons and illustrations: the vector page lists curve and node editing, a Shape Builder, gradients, brushes, symbols, artboards and Image Trace, and export to PDF, SVG, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and WebP.
  • People who lay out brochures, reports or books: the layout page lists Smart Master Pages, shared text styles, text flow across pages, Data Merge and PDF export with bleed and crop marks.
  • People who develop RAW photos without changing the original: the photo page lists non-destructive RAW development with lens profiles and noise reduction, and the RAW guide says the original RAW file is never altered.
  • People who want one app instead of separate vector, photo and layout programs, and who are fine with a Canva sign-in.
  • People coming from other design tools: the pages list opening PSD, AI, IDML and DWG files, with the caution that some effects flatten and some InDesign features need manual fixes.

Getting started

  • Check the download page requirements: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with at least 4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended) and 2.5 GB free storage, or macOS 10.15 or later with at least 4 GB RAM and 3.5 GB free storage. Then sign in with a free Canva account (or create one), download the installer for your system and activate the license while you are online.
  • Choose the studio for the task: Vector Studio for logos and illustrations, Layout Studio for multi-page documents, Pixel Studio for photos. The pages describe vector, pixel and layout work in one document, so you switch studios instead of exporting between apps. The resources page offers written Affinity Essentials lessons and an in-app Help panel with tutorials.
  • For a first vector drawing, edit curves and nodes, build shapes with the Shape Builder, add fills or gradients, then export by object, slice or artboard to PDF, SVG, PNG, JPEG, TIFF or WebP. Open the exported file in another program to check it.
  • For a print layout, the official print guide says to start in CMYK (the CMYK/8 color format), extend the design 3 mm as bleed, keep text and logos at least 5 mm inside the trim and check linked image resolution against 300 DPI. Then run Window > Layout > Preflight, choose File > Export > Export and start from the PDF (print-ready) preset. The guide names PDF/X-1a:2003 (CMYK or spot colors only, fonts embedded) for many printers and PDF/X-4 (transparency, layers, ICC profiles) when the printer accepts it, and says your printer will tell you which version they want, so ask first.
  • For a RAW photo, use File > Open; the RAW file opens in the Develop Studio. Adjust the Basic, Lens, Detail, Tones and Masks panels, choose an output (a pixel layer is destructive; embedded and linked RAW layers are non-destructive) and click Develop to continue in Pixel Studio. For screen use, export as JPEG with the sRGB ICC profile.

Decision points

  • Free or AI: the pages say every Pixel, Vector and Layout tool is free with no restrictions, while AI features need a Canva premium plan (Pro, Business, Enterprise or Education). If you draw, lay out and edit photos without AI tools, no paid plan is described as necessary.
  • Account and offline use: you need a Canva account to download and activate, and a free one is enough for the core tools. After activation the pages say no internet connection is needed, even for long periods, but help, lessons, stock libraries and Canva integrations including AI tools do need one. Decide whether a sign-in is acceptable before you choose it.
  • Platform: the pages list Windows and macOS only. The iPad version is coming soon with no release date, and Affinity V2 on iPad cannot open the new app's files, so plan another route if you work mainly on an iPad.
  • Older Affinity files: Affinity V1 and V2 files open in the new app, but V1 and V2 cannot open files saved in it, and existing V2 licenses stay valid but will not receive updates. Keep a copy of important V2 files before saving them in the new format.
  • Affinity or Inkscape: Affinity is free for individuals, runs on Windows and macOS, combines vector, pixel and layout work and needs a Canva sign-in. Inkscape describes itself as a free, open-source vector graphics editor, with SVG as its main format and installer routes for Windows, macOS and Linux. Choose by operating system, by whether you also need photo editing and page layout, and by whether a sign-in is acceptable.

Limits

  • Several pages did not load in readable form: Help Center article bodies (RAW camera lists, PDF presets, Preflight, release notes) returned only titles and navigation, and Canva's Affinity terms and newsroom pages returned an access error. None of the readable pages says whether the free app may be used for paid or client work; that is a question for Canva's Affinity terms, which could not be read. Data handling, license terms and the full release notes were not reviewed; read the Affinity terms and Canva's privacy policy before you sign in.
  • Feature pages are marketing pages, so figures such as thousands of layers or press-ready output are vendor claims. The layout page does not mention native table creation, PDF/X or Preflight (those come from the print guide and the September 2026 update), and the vector page does not list EPS export or SVG import. Live, editable booleans are mentioned only in the September 2026 update, which says the release is largely free, including the core photo, vector and layout tools, and that the Canva AI Studio needs a premium plan.
  • IDML import keeps page structure, text frames and basic styles, but GREP styles, anchored objects and tables may need manual fixes. The layout page says Affinity does not export INDD or IDML, and the vector page says PDF or SVG exports to Illustrator do not keep full editability. The September 2026 update lists native INDD import.
  • The photo page does not list supported camera models. The RAW guide says the software must support both the file format and the specific camera model and points to Help Center lists, which could not be read here, so check your camera on those lists. The pages read describe no photo library or catalog for organizing a RAW archive; Affinity opens and develops files one by one or through File > New Image Process > Batch Job.
  • System requirements are copied from the download page as read on 27 October 2026 and can change with releases. The home page also says the Windows app runs on mid-range machines but benefits from a dedicated GPU, while the download page lists only a DirectX 10 compatible GPU as the Windows minimum and no GPU for macOS; neither was tried, as this is an official-documentation review, not a hands-on test.

Frequently asked questions

Is Affinity really free?

The pages say Affinity is free for individuals and that every tool in the Pixel, Vector and Layout studios is available without restrictions or payment, with free updates continuing. AI features need a Canva premium plan, and organizations can get Affinity through Canva Enterprise or Canva Education via a sales contact form.

Do I need a Canva account to use Affinity, and does it work offline?

Yes to the account: the download and get-Affinity pages say you sign in with a Canva account (a free one is enough for the core tools) to download and activate the app. After activation no internet connection is needed, even for long offline periods, but product help, lessons, stock libraries and Canva integrations such as AI tools need one.

Does Affinity run on Mac, Windows and iPad?

It is available on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit, with Intel/AMD and ARM installers) and on macOS 10.15 or later (Apple silicon and Intel); the get-Affinity page says it is the same app on both and can be installed on as many devices as you like. The iPad version is marked coming soon with a pre-order option and no release date, and V2 on iPad cannot open files saved in the new app.

Can Affinity open Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign files?

The pages list opening PSD files (layered, with masks, groups and many adjustments intact; smart objects and advanced filters may flatten), AI files and PDFs saved with compatibility enabled (some effects may flatten), IDML files from InDesign (tables, GREP styles and anchored objects may need fixes) and DWG files. The September 2026 update lists native INDD import.

What happened to Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher (V2)?

The pages describe one app with Vector, Pixel and Layout studios. They say V1 and V2 files open in the new app but not the other way round, and that existing V2 licenses from Serif remain valid while V2 will not receive future updates. They describe no other changes to the older apps.

Can I develop RAW photos in Affinity?

The photo page lists non-destructive RAW development with lens profiles and noise reduction, and the RAW guide describes the Develop Studio with Basic, Lens, Detail, Tones and Masks panels and says the original RAW file is never altered. Camera support depends on the file format and the specific camera model; check the Help Center lists for your camera.

Official sources (12)
www.affinity.studio/www.affinity.studio/get-affinityaffinity.studio/downloadwww.affinity.studio/graphic-design-softwarewww.affinity.studio/page-layout-softwarewww.affinity.studio/photo-editing-softwarewww.affinity.studio/blog/editing-raw-images-and-working-with-raw-fileswww.affinity.studio/blog/print-design-everything-you-need-to-knowwww.affinity.studio/blog/affinity-update-september-2026www.affinity.studio/resourcesgitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/raw/master/README.mdwiki.inkscape.org/wiki/Installing_Inkscape

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