When graphic design platform provider Canva bought image editing and publishing app Affinity early last year, we had several important questions about how the priorities and products of the companies will be combined. How will Canva serve users who prefer Affinity's perpetual-licensed apps over Adobe's subscription-only software suite? And how would Affinity strong stance against generative AI should be reconciled with Canva's use of these technologies.
This week, Canva gave us the ultimate answer to all those questions: a brand new single app, Affinity, that combines the Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps into a single piece of software called Affinity by Canva, which is free to use with a Canva user account, but hides generative AI features behind it. Existing Canva paid subscription plans ($120 per year for individuals).
It's like for the most part good news in the near to medium term for existing Affinity app users who have admired Affinity's anti-AI stance: the core features of all three apps are free to use, and what you're being asked to pay for is something you don't need in most cases anyway. But this may come as unwelcome news for those who like the predictability of pay-once-pay software or who are nervous about where Canva might draw the line between “free” and “premium” features in the future.
new Affinity app (also labeled internally as version 3) is available for both x86 and Arm versions of Windows, as well as a universal app that runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Application supports Versions of macOS starting with 10.15 Catalina and Windows 11, as well as later versions of Windows 10. An iPad version that will replace the older Affinity iPad apps is “coming soon.”
“For a decade, Affinity has been the tool of choice for professionals who care deeply about their craft,” Affinity CEO Ash Hewson wrote in his article. post announcing the update. “Designers who value precision, speed and control and expect their tools to keep up with the times. Now that legacy enters a new chapter. The all-new Affinity was created in close collaboration with a community of creators formed from thousands of conversations, feature requests and shared ideas. Created under the guidance of Canva's Design Advisory Board, this release reflects what the pros have been telling us most: performance, reliability and creative freedom.”
