Canva Relaunches Affinity as a Free All-in-One Design App

Canva has announced the relaunch of Affinity as a free universal design app. After acquiring Serif last year, the company has completely revamped its Affinity suite, merging three key creative tools into one free app for Mac and Windows.

The new Affinity from Canva combines the capabilities of vector, photographic, and layout design that were previously distributed among separate apps: Designer, Photo, and Publisher. Now users can easily switch between modes via the Vector, Pixel, and Layout tabs within a single interface.

The app features a customizable workspace that allows users to create personal configurations that can be conveniently rearranged, saved, and shared with teams to standardize workflows.

With the merger of Serif in 2024, other changes have also been implemented. Now, access to the app requires a Canva account, which is free to register. Canva premium users receive built-in AI tools, including Generative Fill, Expand & Edit, and Remove Background.

This move allows Canva to compete with Adobe by offering a free version without limitations, which may please users who were concerned about subscription models. Affinity's CEO, Ash Hewson, emphasizes that the core app will remain free and unrestricted, although requests for accounts and AI sales signal a shift towards a freemium model.

Questions remain about whether long-term users will appreciate the transition from a one-time purchase to ongoing integration with Canva. An iPad version is planned for next year, and existing owners of Affinity V2 licenses will be able to continue using the old version without integration with Canva.

You can download Affinity from the official Affinity Studio website.