It's close: Figma edges it 9.0 to 8.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Figma wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Affinity on 2.
Product designers and teams building apps and websites together
Designers and photographers who want a free alternative to Adobe's desktop apps
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Figma | Affinity |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Design & Creativity | Design & Creativity |
| Category rank | #3 of 10 | #4 of 10 |
| Developer | Figma, Inc. | Canva |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | — |
| Android | ✓ | — |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Common questions
Is Figma better than Affinity?
It's close: Figma edges it 9.0 to 8.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Figma wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Affinity on 2.
Which is cheaper, Figma or Affinity?
Figma: Free Starter plan; Professional full seats are $16 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly. Affinity: Free for individuals; Canva AI tools inside Affinity need a Canva premium plan. On value for money, Affinity scores higher.
Do Figma and Affinity work on the same devices?
Only Figma runs on Web, iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, Figma or Affinity?
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
Figma
- Everyone edits the same file live, right in a browser
- Free Starter plan with unlimited drafts
- Covers design, whiteboards, slides and dev handoff
- Mobile apps are mostly for viewing and commenting
- AI features run on monthly credits
- AI training on content is opt-out on smaller plans
Figma lets a whole team design, prototype and comment on the same file in a browser tab, with nothing to install. Around it sit FigJam whiteboards, Slides, Dev Mode for handing work to developers, Figma Make for turning prompts into apps, and an AI agent that went fully live in October 2026. The free Starter plan covers unlimited drafts. Watch the AI credits, and note that AI training on your content is on by default for smaller plans.
Full Figma review
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
