Affinity Designer vs Affinity Photo
No clear leader: Affinity Photo (68.7) and Affinity Designer (65.3) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for design & creative software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Affinity Designer
A comprehensive design tool that integrates vector drawing, photo editing, and layout capabilities with real-time performance, precision controls, non-destructive editing, and broad export support.
Affinity Photo
An image editor available at no cost, offering photo adjustment, raw file processing, and unlimited-layer composition. It imports Photoshop files with editable structure intact and supports real-time collaborative workflows. Features pixel manipulation, vector design, and layout tools in one customizable application with automated batch operations.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Affinity Designer
Completely free with all features included
- AffinityFree
- Vector design with pen precision, snapping, and alignment
- Symbols and constraints for UI component consistency
- Non-destructive editing
- Real-time pixel previews
- Raster and photo editing tools
- +8 more
Affinity Photo
Completely free. Optional Canva AI tools available with premium Canva subscription.
- AffinityFree
- RAW development
- Photo retouching
- HDR merge
- Focus merge
- Astrophotography stacking
- +9 more
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
- Canva
Affinity Designer
- Canva
Affinity Photo
- Photoshop
Affinity Designer or Affinity Photo: which one depends on you
A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.
Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works
Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.