Affinity is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.7. Affinity wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Krita on 2.
Designers and photographers who want a free alternative to Adobe's desktop apps
Digital painters and comic artists on a PC, Mac or Linux machine
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Affinity | Krita |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Design & Creativity | Design & Creativity |
| Category rank | #4 of 10 | #5 of 10 |
| Developer | Canva | Krita Foundation |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Affinity better than Krita?
Affinity is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.7. Affinity wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Krita on 2.
Which is cheaper, Affinity or Krita?
Affinity: Free for individuals; Canva AI tools inside Affinity need a Canva premium plan. Krita: Free from krita.org; optional paid store versions and donations fund development. On value for money, Krita scores higher.
Do Affinity and Krita work on the same devices?
Only Krita runs on Linux, Android.
Which is more private, Affinity or Krita?
Krita scores higher on privacy (9.9/10). Krita says it does not access, collect, use, share or transmit any personal information. The Mac App Store label reads Data Not Collected, and Google Play lists no data collected.
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
Krita
- Free and open source, with nothing paywalled
- Collects no personal data at all
- Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android tablets
- Interface can feel cluttered and slow to start
- Android version is a tablet-only beta
- No iPad or iPhone version
Krita gives Windows, Mac and Linux painters a serious studio for free. You get flexible brush engines with stabilizers, drawing assistants, animation with onion skinning, comic panel tools and PSD support, and the 2026 releases rewrote the text tool. It's open source and collects no data at all. Expect a busier interface than Procreate, and the Android build is still a beta for tablets and Chromebooks only.
Full Krita review
