**Summary:**
In 2024, the creative software landscape shifted significantly when Canva acquired Serif, the developer of the Affinity suite—Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher. These programs had long been popular among creative professionals and hobbyists as powerful, one-time purchase alternatives to Adobe’s subscription-based Creative Cloud. Following the acquisition, many users were concerned about the future of Affinity, fearing that Canva might force the software into a subscription model or even change its fundamental structure. Now, over a year after the purchase, Canva has revealed its vision for Affinity, bringing notable changes that are both substantial and, for the most part, positive.
**A Unified App and the Freemium Model**
The most significant change is the unification of the three Affinity apps into a single, streamlined program now called “Affinity by Canva.” Instead of managing separate installations for Affinity Designer (vector illustration), Affinity Photo (photo editing), and Affinity Publisher (desktop publishing), users now access all three sets of tools from one interface. The new app organizes its capabilities under “Vector,” “Pixel,” and “Layout” tabs, corresponding to the original software’s core functions. This design allows users to easily switch between illustration, photo editing, and layout tools, or combine them as needed within a single project.
Furthermore, Affinity by Canva offers enhanced customization, enabling users to mix and match tools and save custom toolbars tailored to their personal workflows. For longstanding Affinity users, this means greater flexibility and efficiency, without having to constantly switch between separate applications.
Canva’s approach to monetization is also a major talking point. Contrary to widespread fears, Canva has not moved Affinity to a mandatory subscription model. Instead, the app is now “freemium”: it’s free to download and use on both macOS and Windows, with an iPadOS version promised for the future. However, some advanced features, particularly those related to artificial intelligence (AI), are likely to be locked behind a paid subscription or one-time purchases, in line with the common freemium software approach.
**Integration with Canva’s Ecosystem**
Another new requirement is that users must register for a free Canva account to access Affinity. This change is mainly to facilitate deeper integration with Canva’s broader suite of tools. For example, users can now seamlessly send Affinity projects to Canva for further editing or sharing, tapping into Canva’s extensive cloud-based platform for team collaboration, asset management, and publishing.
Additionally, Canva is bringing its AI Studio features into Affinity, offering creative tools like automatic background removal and Generative Fill, which can intelligently edit or expand parts of a photo. These AI-powered tools can significantly speed up routine tasks and open new creative possibilities, although some may be restricted to paying users. Canva’s relatively “light touch” in terms of altering the foundational Affinity experience is evident; aside from aesthetic tweaks—such as the use of bold serif fonts in the user interface—most of the