Affinity used to be the easy answer to “subscription-free Photoshop and Illustrator.” Then Canva bought Serif in 2024, and the 2026 relaunch turned the suite into a free download with a Canva Pro upsell for AI features. The pricing is friendlier, but plenty of long-time Affinity users are wary about where the suite goes next, and others want a tool that runs on Linux or comes from a smaller, independent team. If we are in either camp, these Affinity alternatives cover the realistic paths.
This piece looks at desktop tools on Windows, macOS, and Linux. We weighed feature depth, file-format support, performance, and the trade-off between one-time payments and subscriptions. Whether we work in photo retouching, vector design, page layout, or all three, one of these picks will fit.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free option | Paid starting price | Linux support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Cloud | Pro-grade Photo + Illustrator + InDesign | No (trial) | $59.99/month | No |
| CorelDRAW Graphics Suite | One-time purchase + print focus | No (trial) | $549 perpetual | No |
| Pixelmator Pro | Native macOS photo editing | No (trial) | $49.99 one-off | No |
| Photopea | Browser-based Photoshop alternative | Yes (ad-supported) | $5/month | Yes (via browser) |
| Inkscape | Open-source vector editor | Yes (fully free) | Free | Yes |
| Krita | Open-source painting and concept art | Yes (fully free) | Free | Yes |
| GIMP | Open-source raster editor | Yes (fully free) | Free | Yes |
| Figma | Collaborative vector and UI work | Yes (3 editors) | $15/editor/month | Yes (web) |
Why people leave Affinity
The Canva acquisition unsettled the user base. Serif sold Affinity to Canva in March 2024, and the 2026 product reset moved the suite to a free-with-AI-upsell model. The team has held the line on offline-first usage so far, but every roadmap update is now read with the question “is this still ours?” Users on r/AffinitySerif have moved to backing up old installers in case the licensing model shifts again.
No Linux build. Affinity has been a Windows and macOS product since launch, and the team has consistently declined to ship a Linux version. For anyone running Ubuntu, Fedora, Pop!_OS, or SteamOS as a daily driver, Affinity simply is not an option.
The plugin ecosystem stayed small. Photoshop’s plugin marketplace is enormous. Affinity Photo’s macros and the small Adobe filter compatibility layer cover basic needs, but anyone deep into Frequency Separation packs, retouching panels, or specialised AI filters runs into walls.
File-format friction with collaborators. Sending an .afdesign or .afphoto file to a freelancer who only has Adobe means exporting to PSD or AI — and the round-trip is lossy. Smart objects, certain effects, and some text styles do not survive cleanly.
The 2026 free move is uncertain long-term. Free is great today, but the path from free to “free with a paywall” has happened to plenty of tools we have all loved. Some users would rather pay a smaller, independent vendor than ride the wave.
If any of that resonates, here are the Affinity alternatives worth weighing.
The 8 best Affinity alternatives for desktop
Adobe Creative Cloud — best for full professional toolchain
Adobe Creative Cloud is what Affinity has spent a decade undercutting, and in 2026 it is still the deepest pro suite available. Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign together cover everything Affinity does and a lot it does not (generative AI fill, Camera Raw, scripting). Cross-app workflows, Adobe Fonts, Adobe Stock, and Lightroom integration cover commercial pipelines that need to move fast.
The all-app plan at $59.99/month also includes Premiere, After Effects, Audition, and Acrobat Pro — features Affinity does not offer at all. For studios already on Adobe contracts, the cost is reasonable per seat.
Where it falls short: Subscription only. Mac builds run heavy on RAM. Some AI features require the network. The single-app Photography Plan starts at $14.99/month, which is the cheapest entry point but it still adds up over time.
Pricing:
- Free: 7-day trial
- Paid: $22.99/month Photoshop alone, $59.99/month All Apps, $14.99/month Photography
- vs Affinity: more capable but a recurring cost
Download: adobe.com/creativecloud (Windows, macOS)
Bottom line: Pick Creative Cloud if our work involves clients, freelancers, or print shops who already live in Adobe. Skip it if subscriptions are the deal-breaker.
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite — best for one-time vector + layout licence
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is the long-running Windows-first vector and layout package. The 2026 release added improved AI vectorisation, an updated PowerTRACE engine, and a Mac build that is closing the parity gap with the Windows version. The .cdr file format is the standard at sign shops, packaging studios, and laser-cutter workflows that have used Corel for decades.
The perpetual licence is the appeal: $549 once, no subscription. Corel still sells subscription tiers at $269/year for users who want continuous updates, but the buy-once path is intact.
Where it falls short: No Linux build. The Mac version still ships features later than the Windows release. CDR file format does not open cleanly in any non-Corel tool. The interface accumulated 30+ years of panels and dialogues, which feels dated next to Affinity or Figma.
Pricing:
- Free: trial
- Paid: $549 perpetual or $269/year subscription
- vs Affinity: pricier upfront but a one-time payment
Download: coreldraw.com (Windows, macOS)
Bottom line: Pick CorelDRAW if our work is print, signage, or packaging and we want a perpetual licence with strong CDR support. Skip it for Linux or pure web/UI design.
Pixelmator Pro — best for native macOS photo editing
Pixelmator Pro is the Apple-native photo editor that quietly became the most polished one-off photo tool on Mac. The 2026 release is built around Apple Silicon and uses Core ML for ML-powered tasks (super-resolution, ML denoise, subject masking) without sending anything off-device. The interface is clean, Liquid Glass-aligned for macOS 26, and finally supports tabbed documents the way Photoshop does.
For Affinity Photo users, Pixelmator covers most of the same retouching needs at a lower one-time cost. The brush engine is fast, the colour management is solid, and the export pipeline handles common print formats out of the box.
Where it falls short: macOS only. No native vector tool to replace Designer (the vector features inside Pixelmator are limited). The plugin ecosystem is even smaller than Affinity’s. RAW handling is good but trails dedicated apps like Capture One.
Pricing:
- Free: trial
- Paid: $49.99 one-off
- vs Affinity: roughly the same price as the legacy Affinity Photo licence
Download: pixelmator.com/pro (macOS via Mac App Store)
Bottom line: Pick Pixelmator Pro if we are Mac-only and we want a tight, native one-off photo editor. Skip it on Windows or Linux, or if we need vector parity.
Photopea — best browser-based Photoshop alternative
Photopea is the browser app that opens PSD, AI, AFPHOTO, AFDESIGN, XD, and Sketch files better than most native tools. It runs anywhere a Chromium-based browser does — including Linux and ChromeOS — and the UI deliberately mirrors Photoshop down to the keyboard shortcuts. The maintainer is a one-person team who has shipped consistent updates for nearly a decade.
For Affinity refugees, Photopea is the easiest way to open and re-edit existing .afphoto and .afdesign files without keeping the Affinity install around. It does not perfectly preserve every effect, but it gets most projects through.
Where it falls short: Free tier shows ads. No native app — performance depends on the browser. Large files (300+ MB) can be slow. Plugin ecosystem is small. Some niche features (Smart Objects, advanced 3D) are simplified compared to Photoshop.
Pricing:
- Free: full tool with ads
- Paid: Premium at $5/month removes ads and adds history slots
- vs Affinity: free where Affinity is free, cheaper if we want ad-free
Download: photopea.com (browser, Windows wrapper available)
Bottom line: Pick Photopea if we need a browser tool that opens Affinity and Adobe files cleanly. Skip it if we work on offline machines or huge documents.
Inkscape — best free open-source vector editor
Inkscape is the open-source vector tool that has matured into a real Designer alternative over the last few releases. Version 1.4 in 2026 ships GPU-accelerated rendering, native CMYK support, and better SVG roundtripping. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux — covering the platform gap Affinity refuses to close.
For ex-Affinity Designer users, the pen tool, node editor, boolean ops, and live path effects feel familiar. The community ships hundreds of extensions for niche workflows from book covers to laser-cutter prep.
Where it falls short: UI is busier than Affinity. Slower on very large documents. Snapping behaviour takes time to learn. No commercial support — community forums are the answer to most questions.
Pricing:
- Free: no caps, no telemetry, no trial limits
- Paid: none
- vs Affinity: same cost (free) on Win/Mac, only option on Linux
Download: inkscape.org (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Bottom line: Pick Inkscape if we are on Linux or want a fully open-source vector tool. Skip it if onboarding polish or commercial support matters.
Krita — best for digital painting and concept art
Krita is the open-source painting tool that artists actually use to ship pro work. Brush engines, animation timelines, and pressure-sensitive support across Wintab, WinINK, and Wayland make it a serious alternative to Photoshop for illustration and concept art. It runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
For Affinity Photo users who do more painting than photo retouching, Krita is often the better fit — the brush engine is deeper, and the interface stays out of the way during long painting sessions.
Where it falls short: Not built for photo retouching workflows (no healing brush parity, weaker selection tools). RAW handling is limited. Print-prep features are basic. The UI design has improved but still trails Affinity’s polish.
Pricing:
- Free: full feature set
- Paid: optional Steam purchase to support development
- vs Affinity: free vs whatever Affinity’s pricing settles into
Download: krita.org (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Bottom line: Pick Krita if illustration and concept art are our core work. Skip it if we mostly retouch photos or design layouts.
GIMP — best long-standing free raster editor
GIMP is the open-source raster editor that has been around since 1996. The 3.0 release in 2026 finally brought a native ARM build for Apple Silicon, GPU acceleration, and non-destructive layer effects. It is still ugly in places, but the underlying capability is real, and it runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
For Affinity refugees on a tight budget who do not need vector tools, GIMP covers basic-to-intermediate photo editing without paying anyone.
Where it falls short: Interface is the obvious one — it does not match modern conventions. No CMYK natively (Separate+ plugin only). Text handling is awkward. Performance on large files is slower than Affinity Photo.
Pricing:
- Free: no limits
- Paid: none
- vs Affinity: same cost, much rougher UX
Download: gimp.org (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Bottom line: Pick GIMP if free matters more than polish and we mostly do raster edits. Skip it if vector design or print output is central.
Figma — best for collaborative vector and UI work
Figma moved past UI design years ago and is now used for marketing assets, presentations, and lightweight illustration. Multiplayer editing, components, auto-layout, and dev-mode hand-off make it the default for teams. It runs natively on Windows and macOS, and on Linux through the web app.
For Affinity Designer users who collaborate, Figma’s vector tools cover pen, bezier, boolean operations, and a strong text engine. The plugin marketplace fills the gaps.
Where it falls short: Print workflows are not Figma’s strength — CMYK and bleed are plugin territory. Offline mode caches recent files but does not let us open arbitrary documents without a connection. The free plan limits us to 3 editable files.
Pricing:
- Free: 3 files, 3 editors
- Paid: Professional at $15/editor/month
- vs Affinity: cheaper at low headcount, pricier at scale
Download: figma.com/downloads (Windows, macOS, Linux via web)
Bottom line: Pick Figma if collaboration is the point. Skip it if our work is offline or print-bound.
How to choose
Pick Adobe Creative Cloud if our work is professional, client-facing, and depends on file-format compatibility. The cost stings but the time saved on round-trips is real.
Pick Inkscape plus Krita plus GIMP if we are on Linux or want a fully free open-source stack. The trio covers vector, painting, and raster respectively, and all three run on the same Linux machine that Affinity refuses to.
Pick CorelDRAW if we run a print or signage shop that already has decades of .cdr assets and we want a one-time licence.
Pick Pixelmator Pro if we are Mac-only, mostly do photo work, and want a small, focused app from an independent team.
Stay on Affinity if the 2026 free model works for us and we trust Canva to keep it stable. The tools themselves are excellent, and “wait and see” is a defensible position.
FAQ
Is Affinity actually free now? Yes, as of the 2026 Studio relaunch. The base Designer, Photo, and Publisher functionality is free. Canva Pro at $14.99/month unlocks AI features and cloud-based templates.
What is the best free Affinity alternative? Inkscape covers vector design, GIMP covers raster, and Krita covers painting. All three are free and run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Can I open Affinity files in another app? Photopea opens .afphoto and .afdesign files better than any other non-Affinity tool. Effects and some text styles can degrade, so for critical projects export to PSD or PDF first.
Is Affinity better than Adobe? Affinity wins on price and pure offline performance. Adobe wins on plugin ecosystem, AI features, file-format ubiquity, and print-shop standards.
What do designers use instead of Affinity? Adobe Creative Cloud for professional client work, Inkscape and GIMP for free open-source pipelines, Pixelmator Pro for Mac-native photo editing, and Figma for collaborative UI design.
