Is Affinity graphic design software really free?

Yes, Affinity really is free. You can use every tool in the Pixel, Vector, and Layout studios, plus all of the customization and export features, as much as you want, with no restrictions or payment needed. The app will also receive free updates with new features and improvements added.If you’re on a Canva premium plan (Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education), you’ll also be able to unlock Canva’s powerful AI tools within Affinity via the Canva AI Studio.To learn more about why we made Affinity free, check out: “Why we made Affinity free, and how we’ll keep it that way.”

What file formats can I export to?

You can export vector and raster assets in PDF, SVG, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and WebP — by object, slice, or artboard. Affinity also supports batch export, print-ready presets, and direct export to Canva.

Can I import documents created in Illustrator / other vector software?

Affinity supports importing Illustrator files or other files saved with PDF compatibility enabled. Vector shapes, paths, and layers import cleanly — though appearance stacks, masks, and advanced effects may flatten or simplify.

Can I export from Affinity to Illustrator?

You can export your designs as clean PDFs or SVGs that open in Illustrator; however, this does not preserve full editability. For collaboration, simply share the Affinity file, which anyone can open and edit for free.

How does Affinity compare to Illustrator?

Affinity and Illustrator support many of the same use cases — from logo design and branding to digital illustration and marketing assets.The main difference is that Affinity does not require a subscription (it’s free!) and includes tools for vector design, layout, and photo editing in a single, customizable app.

Do I need a Canva account to use Affinity?

Yes. Affinity is now brought to you by Canva, and your Canva account gives you access to Affinity and other Canva products and features.

Do I need Canva Pro or other premium Canva plan to use Affinity?

No. You can access all of Affinity’s vector, layout, and pixel tools for free with just a free Canva account. If you’d like to unlock Canva AI tools within Affinity, however, you will need a premium Canva plan.

Are AI features available?

Yes. With a Canva premium plan you can unlock Canva AI features in Affinity.

Can I access AI tools without a Canva Pro or other premium plan?

No, these are only available to those with Canva premium accounts.

Do I need to switch apps to use the tools in the Canva AI Studio?

Nope! All of these AI tools can be unlocked within Affinity, no exporting or app-hopping required.

Can I add AI tools to my custom studios?

Yes! If you have a Canva premium plan and are able to unlock the AI tools, you can add them to any of your other studios.

Will Affinity by Canva get free updates and new features?

Yes. The new Affinity by Canva app will receive free updates and new features over time.

Graphic design

Advanced graphic design software that bends to you, not the other way around. And it's free (seriously).

Get Affinity

Responsive tools, real-time flow

Stay in the zone from your first curve to final tweak. Every adjustment happens in real-time and advanced rendering technology means you can pan, zoom, and edit huge files without a hitch. You can even customize your workspace to adapt to your style of working.

Curved vector line being drawn with the pencil tool in Affinity Vector Studio

Precision without the pain

Affinity gives you total control over every shape, grid, and guide. Edit curves and nodes with pen point precision, keep everything exactly where it should be with snapping and alignment tools, and use symbols and constraints to ensure icons, logos, and UI components stay consistent across every artboard. Plus, with non-destructive editing, real-time pixel previews, and reliable export, you can refine endlessly, knowing your vector work will always deliver sharp, dependable results.

One space, endless possibilities

Did someone say open and flexible vector design? Yes, yes we did. Warp shapes, build new forms, and expand or contract paths on the fly. Expressive brushes add texture and life, so digital illustration sits naturally alongside logos or UI. And when you’re ready to expand beyond vector, you can experiment with advanced photo editing and layout tools. It’s all there for you in one smooth space, so you never lose momentum.

Illustration of a stylized tiger mask being color balanced in Affinity Vector Studio

Design that just feels right

Responsive, smooth, and under control – that’s how vector design feels in Affinity. It’s powerful enough to design a full UI system, yet fast enough to sketch out a logo idea mid-meeting. Every move responds in real-time, making the creative process effortless.

Start of section: Design that just feels right

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Curves in all the right places

Snap, reshape, and flow: Affinity’s curve editing tools are built for total control so you can sculpt every line with precision.

Curved vector line being drawn with a pencil tool using stabiliser settings in Affinity Vector Studio

Shape it like you mean it

From simple shapes to complex systems, the Shape Builder lets you create and customize geometric elements easily.

Control and creativity in every fill

From bitmap fills and hatch patterns, to linear, radial, and mesh gradients, the Fill Tool lets you add depth, color, and texture to your designs.

Soft green gradient circle being edited on a yellow background in Affinity Vector Studio

From flat to fully editable

Convert a flat image into crisp, fully editable vectors with Image Trace⁠(opens in a new tab or window), which gives you a clean, scalable foundation in seconds, without redrawing from scratch.

Colorful vector portrait of a person with orange and pink tones being traced with image trace in Affinity Vector Studio

Design non-destructively

Make non-destructive edits in real-time, turn strokes into shapes instantly, and tweak paths or corners in seconds.

Colorful vector illustration of a vanity table with a lamp and accessories being edited in Affinity Vector Studio

Add the right type

Flow text along any path, produce your own custom typography, and add everything from ligatures and artistic text to character and paragraph styles.

Typography design reading ‘The finishing touches’ being adjusted with glyph browser in Affinity Vector Studio

Raster faster

Add raster brush texture to your illustrations with ease.

Illustration of sushi being textured with spray brushes in Affinity Vector Studio

Skip to start of “Design that just feels right” section

End of section: Design that just feels right

Design that just feels right

Start of list: Design that just feels right

Skip to end of “Design that just feels right” list

Curves in all the right places

Snap, reshape, and flow: Affinity’s curve editing tools are built for total control so you can sculpt every line with precision.

Shape it like you mean it

From simple shapes to complex systems, the Shape Builder lets you create and customize geometric elements easily.

Control and creativity in every fill

From bitmap fills and hatch patterns, to linear, radial, and mesh gradients, the Fill Tool lets you add depth, color, and texture to your designs.

From flat to fully editable

Convert a flat image into crisp, fully editable vectors with Image Trace⁠(opens in a new tab or window), which gives you a clean, scalable foundation in seconds, without redrawing from scratch.

Design non-destructively

Make non-destructive edits in real-time, turn strokes into shapes instantly, and tweak paths or corners in seconds.

Add the right type

Flow text along any path, produce your own custom typography, and add everything from ligatures and artistic text to character and paragraph styles.

Raster faster

Add raster brush texture to your illustrations with ease.

Skip to start of “Design that just feels right” list

End of list: Design that just feels right

Vibrant portrait of a woman with bold makeup, patterned jacket, and a small black cat against a geometric background

Colorful abstract portrait of a woman holding a camera, with expressive brushstrokes and dynamic shapes around her

Expressive portrait of a woman with braided hair, colorful eye makeup, and a textured teal and orange background

Made in Affinity

“Affinity continues to push boundaries and proves once again that they are way ahead of the curve. Since its inception, Affinity has been committed to supporting creatives, and these new updates and features further solidify this commitment.”

Sphelele “Ellsphee” Gumede

Illustrator

Made in Affinity

“Affinity continues to push boundaries and proves once again that they are way ahead of the curve. Since its inception, Affinity has been committed to supporting creatives, and these new updates and features further solidify this commitment.”

Sphelele “Ellsphee” Gumede

Illustrator

Vector tools that don’t get in your way

Perfect for illustrators, web designers, game developers, and other creatives, Affinity’s free graphic design studio gives you everything you need to create the highest-quality designs.

Logos

Icons

Mockups

UI designs

Illustrations

Concept art

Templates

Merch

Print projects

Games

Logos

Illustrations

Print projects

Icons

Concept art

Games

Mockups

Templates

UI designs

Merch

With Canva premium plans

AI that speaks fluent vector

Generate fully editable vectors from a simple prompt — no tracing, no pen tool, no plug-ins. Whether you’re sketching concepts or creating production-ready assets, Affinity’s Generate Vector turns your idea into a clean, node-based graphic you can adjust, recolor, and reshape however you like.

Colorful tropical jungle vector illustration with birds and flowers being generated with Canva AI in Affinity Vector Studio

How to start designing with Affinity

Select whether you’d like Affinity for macOS or Windows over on our Downloads page. This will prompt you to sign in with your Canva account (or create one for free). Follow the instructions to install Affinity from there.

Get Affinity

Get started

Once you launch Affinity, set up a new document or open a file in Vector Studio, where you’ll find all your pro vector design, graphic design, and digital illustration tools.

Customize your workspace

Tailor your design studio to suit your workflow. That might mean removing tools to streamline your workspace, adding photo editing or layout tools for extra power, or simply leaving it as is. It’s up to you.

Craft your designs

From high-quality concept art, print projects, logos, icons, UI designs, mockups, and more, Affinity has all the graphic design capabilities you’d expect from the most advanced creative software (and then some!).

Export directly to Canva

Want to do more with your finished product? You can quickly send your Affinity files straight to Canva, where you, your clients, or colleagues can collaborate and create at scale.

FAQs

Yes, Affinity really is free. You can use every tool in the Pixel, Vector, and Layout studios, plus all of the customization and export features, as much as you want, with no restrictions or payment needed. The app will also receive free updates with new features and improvements added.
If you’re on a Canva premium plan (Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education), you’ll also be able to unlock Canva’s powerful AI tools within Affinity via the Canva AI Studio.
To learn more about why we made Affinity free, check out: “Why we made Affinity free, and how we’ll keep it that way.”⁠(opens in a new tab or window)
You can export vector and raster assets in PDF, SVG, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and WebP — by object, slice, or artboard. Affinity also supports batch export, print-ready presets, and direct export to Canva.
Affinity supports importing Illustrator files or other files saved with PDF compatibility enabled. Vector shapes, paths, and layers import cleanly — though appearance stacks, masks, and advanced effects may flatten or simplify.
You can export your designs as clean PDFs or SVGs that open in Illustrator; however, this does not preserve full editability. For collaboration, simply share the Affinity file, which anyone can open and edit for free.
Affinity and Illustrator support many of the same use cases — from logo design and branding to digital illustration and marketing assets.
The main difference is that Affinity does not require a subscription (it’s free!) and includes tools for vector design, layout, and photo editing in a single, customizable app.
Yes. Affinity is now brought to you by Canva, and your Canva account gives you access to Affinity and other Canva products and features.
No. You can access all of Affinity’s vector, layout, and pixel tools for free with just a free Canva account. If you’d like to unlock Canva AI tools within Affinity, however, you will need a premium Canva plan.
Yes. With a Canva premium plan you can unlock Canva AI features in Affinity.
No, these are only available to those with Canva premium accounts.
Nope! All of these AI tools can be unlocked within Affinity, no exporting or app-hopping required.
Yes! If you have a Canva premium plan and are able to unlock the AI tools, you can add them to any of your other studios.
Yes. The new Affinity by Canva app will receive free updates and new features over time.