Affinity is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.5. Affinity wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Canva on 2.
Designers and photographers who want a free alternative to Adobe's desktop apps
Small businesses, students and creators making social posts, slides and flyers
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Affinity | Canva |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Design & Creativity | Design & Creativity |
| Category rank | #4 of 10 | #7 of 10 |
| Developer | Canva | Canva |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | — | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Affinity better than Canva?
Affinity is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.5. Affinity wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Canva on 2.
Which is cheaper, Affinity or Canva?
Affinity: Free for individuals; Canva AI tools inside Affinity need a Canva premium plan. Canva: Free plan; Pro and Business add premium content, brand tools and more AI use. On value for money, Affinity scores higher.
Do Affinity and Canva work on the same devices?
Only Canva runs on Web, iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, Affinity or Canva?
Affinity scores higher on privacy (8.0/10). Covered by Canva's privacy policy, and a Canva account is required. Canva says work made in Affinity is not used to train AI, and your files are stored locally on your device.
Strengths and weaknesses
Affinity
- Pro-level design, photo and layout tools for free
- Files stay on your device and work offline
- One app instead of three separate programs
- Requires a Canva account to activate
- Canva AI features need a paid Canva plan
- No iPad version yet
Affinity used to be three separate apps you bought. Now it's one free app with Vector, Pixel and Layout studios, so you can draw a logo, retouch a photo and set a magazine page without switching programs. The September 2026 update added a Blend Tool, scripting and native InDesign file import. You need a Canva account to activate it, the AI tools cost extra, and there's still no iPad version.
Full Affinity review
Canva
- Very easy for non-designers to get good results
- Free plan covers most everyday projects
- Works on web, phone, tablet and desktop
- Content may train AI unless you opt out
- App Store label lists tracking identifiers
- Paid AI features draw reliability complaints
Canva makes it easy to produce a good-looking flyer, slide deck or Instagram post when you aren't a designer. Pick from a huge template library, drag in your photos and let the AI assistant draft designs for you. It also covers docs, websites, sheets, video and forms. The free plan goes a long way. Mind the privacy defaults: Canva can train AI on your content unless you opt out.
Full Canva review
